The equivalent of one garbage truck full of clothes is burned or dumped in a landfill every second.*
We’ve got a problem. As clothes became cheaper, Americans bought more. But the cost of those clothes and textiles is far greater than the price we pay. On the one end, there are the environmental and human costs of producing clothing and textiles including harmful chemicals and dies used and terrible labor conditions in many factories. At the other end of the far-too-short textiles lifecycle is the significant impact on our planet of all that clothing and textiles ending up in landfills or incinerators.
But, we’ve got solutions, too! In 2020, Tangletown was awarded a $10,000 grant to help give you the tools you need to reduce your textile waste. Our series of virtual events (recordings linked below) can give you the insight and resources needed to extend the life of the items you own, change how and where you shop, offer ways to reuse, repurpose, and donate items no longer needed, and more. At the end of our year of learning, we put together a fantastic Learn and Take Action Guide, which is a quick and easy synopsis with ways to learn and then take action to help you reduce your textile waste. We encourage you to download the guide (or scroll down to view) and use the links and information provided in the guide to make change.
Training Recordings and Resources
A Deep Dive into Secondhand Shopping
Shopping secondhand can be intimidating, but it’s much easier than most think. Nancy Dilts of Nancy Dilts Wardrobe Consulting and Courtney Istre, Tangletown resident and hardcore thrifter, shared how to be successful shopping secondhand. This session was for both newbie secondhand shoppers and more experienced shoppers looking to up their game.
Shopping secondhand is a win win, it helps you save money, supports local businesses and nonprofits, while also protecting our planet by keeping textiles out of the landfill and reducing consumption of new textiles.
You can view the recording here.
Textile Care and Laundering: Extend the Life of Your Clothes
Become a laundry expert saving stained items and extending the life of your clothing. On February 24, the Laundry Evangelist, Patric Richardson and author of the forthcoming book Laundry Love, shared his expertise through live demos. He shared how to wash the unwashable and how to best care for your clothes and textiles at home. Our live attendees asked all their toughest questions with rapid fire responses from Patric. You can view the recording here.
Clothing Repair: Diagnosing a Mend
On Saturday January 23, Lauren Callis from An Upcycled Closet presented a workshop on how to diagnose repair needs for damaged clothing items. Whether it’s a snagged sweater, a hole in your jeans, or a broken zipper, most of us don’t know where to start with how to fix these problems. What type of material is it? How significant is the damage? Do I have what I need to repair it? This presentation will empower you with the knowledge and resources to begin repairing your damaged clothing. You can view the recording here.
Buying and Donating Clothing with a Conscience
On Saturday November 21, we joined a great group of panelists who discussed how to donate clothing mindfully and tips and tricks for shopping secondhand. Panelists included Greg Rue with The Arc Minnesota, Heather Grovum Mental Health Practitioner working primarily with the unsheltered community, Courtney Istre thrifting expert, and Nancy Dilts with Nancy Dilts Wardrobe Consulting. You can view a recording of the presentation on our Facebook page linked here.
View Courtney’s presentation on consignment shopping here.
View Greg’s presentation on Arc’s Value Village donation and shopping here.
The True Cost Panel
On Thursday October 22, we gathered with panelists Dr Anupama Pasricha and Artist Rachel Breen to discuss The True Cost documentary. This documentary illuminates the actual cost of your clothing purchases in terms of human and environmental impacts. It’s a tough reality and it will motivate you to change your textile consumption. A recording of the panel discussion is available here. Our panelists compiled a wonderful list of resources shared below that help guide you in reducing your consumption, shopping ethically, resources for learning more, non profits to support in larger level policy change, and more. Thank you to Anu and Rachel for sharing their expertise with us!
Learn and Take Action Guide:
*Source: United Nations Environment Programme