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Slowing down fast fashion

Sixth grade clothing swap is an instant tradition

Congratulations to the sixth grade, who had months of hard work pay off this afternoon with their first (annual?) clothing swap. They spent two hours after school today joyfully receiving dozens of families, who all took home hundreds of new-to-them pieces of children’s clothing.
 

There’s plenty more to distribute, too. Gordon families should come by Saturday morning anytime between nine am and noon to browse through the many treasures.
 

The project began in the fall, as one of several sustainability initiatives students developed after reading Carrie Firestone’s The First Rule of Climate Club. As Ms. Firestone’s novel argues, sustainability work is more than just good intentions: changemakers need to advocate, plan, and follow through on their ideas.
 

In that spirit, students put in the work, creating the marketing materials, sorting and organizing the donated clothing, developing a fair and equitable way to redistribute it, and rotating through roles as hosts at the swap itself. They also spent time in humanities learning about the impact of fast fashion on the environment and the economy.
 

It’s all part of Gordon’s ongoing sustainability work, and the school’s mission of creating young people who know how to make positive change in their communities.
 

Thanks to all the staff and administrators who worked with sixth grade on all of their proposals this year (which included raking instead of using leaf blowers, promoting carpools, limiting the role of meat in the lunch menu, improving access to composting on campus, and increasing the school’s use of renewable energy).

Flashback to Carrie Firestone’s visit to Gordon in 2022
A broader view of Gordon’s sustainability efforts at www.gordonschool.org/sustainability

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