Table of clothes at eco-swap. Photo by Kendall Murray By Kendall Murray
The University of Montevallo’s Environmental Club, in partnership with the Family and Consumer Sciences Student Group, organized an eco-swap at Anna Irvin Dining Hall to teach students about sustainable clothing habits on Nov. 16.
Led by Environmental Club President Lauren Tidwell and FCS group President Anna Mitchell, the eco-swap provides a way to promote sustainability by giving used items a second life.
Tidwell explained that the eco-swap is an advanced version of the clothing swap that the E-club has held in past years.
“The clothing swap, originally, was just a way that students could bring clothing and then exchange it for other clothing that other students brought,” said Tidwell.
The event also aimed to educate attendees on reducing clothing waste, with Tidwell pointing out, “It’s primarily a way to just promote sustainability and sustainable habits.”
According to Tidwell, it became an eco-swap because the Environmental Club wanted to expand the event to include items such as residence hall room decorations and school supplies.
Family Consumer Science students also helped out with this year’s eco-swap and fit it into FCS curriculum focused on clothing and marketing research.
Mitchell said her goals for the FCS group in the future are, “To have more student involvement and just kind of being more active and known around campus because we are a very small department, so just having our name out and just being able to help the community as much as possible.”
