Clothing4Climate
What is Clothing4Climate?
Everyone wears clothes, no matter their socioeconomic background, age, or culture. The Clothing4Climate project encourages youth in Grades 7 to 12 to learn about the science behind climate change and the impact our clothing system has on the environment. These topics can feel very overwhelming, focusing on clothing gives participants an engaging entry point to this global problem. Then, by taking action to make systemic change through meaningful and sustainable clothing choices, the project empowers youth to make a difference while focusing on solutions relevant to their own lives.
Read about Clothing4Climate
What is Clothing4Climate?
Clothing4Climate is a project-based learning project for youth in grades 7-12. This project is aligned with Canadian curriculum in multiple subject areas. In this project, students:
- Identify the environmental impacts of our clothing system.
- Learn more about science behind these impacts.
- Choose a way to take action based on their own interests.
- Share their actions with the broader community.
Clothing4Climate allows educators to integrate student voice and choice with minimal preparation and materials. Students learn about curriculum-aligned science topics while working on an action of their choice. This project is easy for teachers to use in face-to-face, blended, and virtual learning environments for entire classes or as an independent project.
Why a climate project about clothing for teens?
Everyone wears clothes, no matter their socioeconomic background, age, or culture. Clothing is personally meaningful to teens, and they have some degree of control over their choices. Learning about environmental issues through the lens of clothing allows for celebration of student identity and self-expression.
Additionally, clothing has a big impact on the environment. The fashion industry is currently responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions. Fashion-related emissions are expected to grow by more than 50% by 2030. The clothing industry also impacts our water, soil, and a variety of ecosystems.
Learning about climate change can feel overwhelming. Focusing on clothing gives students an engaging entry point to this global problem. Through this project, students learn how to make educated, sustainable decisions. Small actions at scale can make a difference. By participating in this project, students across Canada connect to drive systemic change.