Earlier this week (June 21), as part of the Rethink Reuse Campaign, Value Village took over Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto with this art installation to kick off their International #GiveAShirt event. The primary objective of this is to spread a very important message – to create public awareness on our clothing footprint and our impact on the environment. Together, we can collectively make a difference by simply considering making our next new t-shirt a thrifted or reused one.
I am personally a big supporter when it comes to recycling and reusing clothing items. As seen in many of my previous DIY projects, I love transforming pieces of clothing and shoes I already own into new wardrobe items. This is a great way to reduce the pollution generated by the clothing industry. I hope you’ll join me and Value Village in creating awareness on the Give A Sh!rt campaign.
Consider making your next t-shirt a thrifted one, or even better, re-fashion one of your own pieces into something new and fun!
Some Alarming Facts
- Did you know a single cotton tee (like the one shown at the bottom of this post) takes over 700 gallons of fresh water to make. A pair of denim jeans, closer to 1,800 gallons.
- When you add that up to 80 billion items of clothes a year, you’re talking about a shirt ton of water and waste
- To put things into perspective, 700 gallons of water is more than 5 years worth of drinking water for a single human being!
Here are some previous DIY projects I’ve worked on with Value Village items to inspire you on your next:
If you’re interested, have a look at the live video I posted earlier this week on Facebook!
Will you be joining me in making a difference?!
This post was written in partnership with Value Village, a purpose-driven company that works to create good through the power of reuse and smarter shopping, because we know small yet impactful decisions with clothing can make a world of difference for our environment. Visit RethinkReuse.ca to find out more.
