By Caroline Benjamin

In an increasingly warming and polluted world, Collegiate’s Earth Society strives to make a difference. Earth Society is student-led, with help from Upper School science teacher Sandra Marr. Marr teaches courses and Senior Capstones on biology and sustainability, and she is famous for her contagious energy and passion for the environment. While Earth Society works to promote environmental awareness all year, they were especially active earlier this spring, as April is Earth Month. 

Earth Society reps a slogan that every Cougar recognizes: “It’s gold to go green!” This saying has made its way into the club’s social media, onto posters at school, and into the minds of many students at Collegiate. The slogan is simple but effective. It is open-ended and leaves people with a choice: Will you be the one to make a change? Marr believes that this choice is important in making a difference. Earlier in the year, members of the Senior Capstone class Psychology & Science of Environmental Action displayed posters of animals above trash and recycling cans with the phrase “Your choice matters” on them. Marr stated that some of these posters were taken down because “it was too much on the heart for some teachers and students.” Therefore, Marr and the Capstone group shifted their thinking: “Instead of focusing on the psychology of guilt and shame, what if we focused on the psychology of joy and community?” 

Browsing the racks of the Clothing Swap.

On April 22, Earth Society hosted the first annual Clothing Swap. The idea of this event originated in the fall of 2023 in Marr’s elective course, Sustainability Science: Climate Change. Two students in this course chose to look at Collegiate’s sustainable fashion footprint by gathering data from students and faculty. They discovered that our carbon footprint—especially due to fast-fashion contributions from the students—was significant. A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases that are generated by one’s actions; the larger it is, the worse the strain is on the environment. Marr’s students presented these award-winning findings in a symposium titled “Throwing Solar Shade.” 

The following year, in biology, a group of sophomores studied the interactions between students when they first see each other. The group found that “overwhelmingly, the first interaction is often ‘Oh my gosh, I love that dress;’ it’s complimentary, and it’s usually about attire.” The way we greet one another was contributing to the overconsumption of clothes through fast fashion. Teens—more than any other age group—feel the pressure to participate in the newest fashion trends by buying clothes to fit in with our peers. Many teens make these clothing purchases on fast-fashion websites like SHEIN, Zara, and H&M due to the relatively low cost of their items. The fast-paced manufacturing process for stores like these contributes to nearly 10% of global carbon emissions and nearly 20% of global wastewater. Therefore, the students focused on changing the way we greet each other to promote sustainable fashion. Marr said that she implements this change in her day-to-day life: “If someone gave me a compliment on this shirt, the first thing I’d say is, ‘It’s thrifted!’” 

“How do we make thrifting cool?” Marr asked her students. Thrifting is a great sustainable substitute for online shopping, as it is equally as affordable as fast-fashion without the negative environmental impact. Marr and her students deliberated how to bring the practice to Collegiate and eventually landed on the idea of a clothing swap. 

A member of Earth Society wheeling racks onto Christian Family Plaza.

Finally, this spring, the work of these student groups culminated in the production of the first annual Clothing Swap. Marr stated that the help of SCA was imperative to the event: having a group of organized leaders behind the relatively small Earth Society Club made “the magic happen.” SCA made announcements in the assemblies leading up to the swap to encourage students and faculty to donate their gently used items. Therefore, Earth Society was able to fill racks of clothing in a range of sizes and styles. The event took place on April 22, Earth Day, during lunch on the Christian Family Plaza. The plaza was transformed into a store, complete with signage and music drawing people in. The environment of the Clothing Swap was welcoming, and this energy motivated students and faculty to participate in sustainability.

Marr posted about the swap on Earth Society’s Instagram page via a reel, and the amount of engagement was shocking: the video has thousands of views, with over 90% of them being from non-followers. Marr said that she hopes the reel will connect with people in circles outside of Collegiate and inspire earth action. 

A shirt found at the Swap.

While the Clothing Swap was a success and a step towards a more sustainable community, Marr said that it was also a learning experience for Earth Society. Marr stated that she hopes to implement changes to the event in the future. Firstly, she hopes to change the name—specifically to remove the word swap from the title. Marr would make this edit because the word implies that you must donate clothing in order to shop the donations. She said that especially at Collegiate—a place that emphasizes honor—“people were like, ‘I don’t want to take if I didn’t give.’” Additionally, Marr hopes that the event can happen biannually in concert with other activities, such as displaying free clothes at SCA’s fall Movie Night. This way, students don’t need to take time out of their school day to browse the clothing. 

The Clothing Swap was a pivotal event in the initiative to make Collegiate’s campus more sustainable. It showed students that taking earth action can be fun, and even the smallest choices make a difference. Picking up a new top from the Clothing Swap—instead of ordering one online—is more efficient than same day shipping and reduces your carbon footprint, giving you the best of both worlds. 

All images courtesy of Earth Society via instagram @sustainable_cougarrrs.