Kent State University recently received the Keep Ohio Beautiful Youth Group Award for keeping 33 tons of clothing, textiles and nonperishable items out of the landfill to benefit the campus and community last year and were presented the award during a special ceremony in Columbus last month.
The university’s Office of Sustainability partnered with multiple departments across the campus including the Fashion School’s Fabric Recycling Program started by fashion faculty Linda Ohrn-McDaniel and Noël Palomo-Lovinski.
Since the start of the Fabric Scrap Recycling Program nearly two years ago, 8,880 pounds (almost 4.4 tons) of fabric scraps have been recycled.
Additionally, the fashion student organization, Global Fashion Citizens, under the mentorship of associate professor Margarita Benitez, hosted a spring cleaning clothing swap offering students a way to exchange clothes they no longer wear and swap with new pieces to lessen textile consumption.
To learn more about Kent State’s initiatives, please visit www.kent.edu/sustainabiity