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Organization/Governance
Promoting Eco-Friendly Design—In School and Out
Nicole Castelli is currently a junior in Human Ecology’s Department of Fiber Science and Apparel Design (FSAD). While seeking an experience in that field, she learned about a summer 2008 internship with a focus on sustainability. The project is called Life Cycle Analysis of Textiles and Apparel and integrates the research, teaching, and extension/outreach missions of the college.
With the increasing awareness and concern about the environment, life cycle analysis is being applied to textiles and apparel in order to assess the impact on the environment of a product’s design, production, distribution, and end of life. Nicole’s job was to develop projects and materials for county extension educators that introduce and apply the concept of life cycle analysis along with sustainability.
As background, she was introduced to the National 4-H Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) initiatives and the fiber science and apparel design youth program. Another source of resources was materials from two FSAD courses: Redesigning Green Apparel—Design, Sourcing, and Packaging, and Producing Environmentally Responsible Apparel, that have been offered with support from a USDA Higher Education Challenge Grant. The materials include case studies of businesses with “best practices” in environmental responsibility, video taped interviews with people involved in environmental responsibility, and course outlines and graphics used in the courses.
An online search for apparel recycling produced ideas in four areas. These included redesigning existing clothes, using ecofriendly fabrics, information on “green” products, and competitions. The concepts were used to develop the summer 2008 4-H Career Explorations experience for teens on the Cornell campus. About twenty teens participated in reFashion Entrepreneurs that had two components: re-fashioning a garment and learning about apparel-related businesses.
The teens spent two days redesigning t-shirts with appliqué and reverse appliqué patterns adapted from Natalie Chanin’s book, The Alabama Project. (A Cornell eClip of Natalie is at http://eclips.cornell.edu/company.do?id=275.) They also learned about the challenges of owning a small business from Shelley Blackler, the former owner of Knitting, Etc.
On the third day the 4-Hers visited two establishments in downtown Ithaca. One, called Sew Green, recycles fabrics and sewing machines, informs consumers about pesticide use with cotton, provides sewing workshops, and builds environmental awareness through creative competitions. The second business, Tuff Soul, is a store that sells vintage clothing, new eco-friendly clothes, and redesigned items that people have made.
Another aspect of Nicole’s internship was a 2-day visit to youth in Ulster County on the life cycle of textiles and apparel. She collaborated with Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) 4-H educator Kristen Wilson to prepare for her workshops. The first day a small group of 4-H youth learned how to use appliqué to update old t-shirts. The experience was similar to Career Explorations, but the group was much younger so Nicole had to precut the materials she brought with her. Everyone was enthusiastic about the project.
The second day an older group of 4-Hers went to a thrift store to pick out an item to update. Nicole helped them navigate the design process and taught fitting techniques such as making darts, pleats, and gathers. One girl converted a dress into a top. Another redesigned a cardigan with new buttons and adjusted the fit by taking in the sides. Another got at item with a ruffle on the bottom that she moved to the top. This class was a little more difficult because it had to be individualized, as opposed to everyone having a t-shirt.
As a result of Nicole’s teaching experience, she produced a traveling kit on t-shirt design. It has samples, some basic supplies (thread, needles, stencils), used t-shirts, scrap fabrics for decorating, disposable cameras and a journal to record the experience, and a copy of the above-mentioned book, The Alabama Project. She found that preparing the samples was very time consuming. The kit was used as part of the youth activities at the New York State Fair and is now available for CCE educators to use in county programs with 4-H and other youth groups. According to her mentor, senior extension associate Charlotte Coffman in FSAD, “Nicole understands the big picture. She pushed forward the FSAD CCE program on environmental responsibility by supporting existing activities and initiating new ones.”
What Nicole liked the most about her internship was the independence she had to pursue her ideas. She experimented with samples and tried out a number of ideas to determine which would work the best for teaching classes. She appreciated having guidance from Charlotte Coffman, and then being responsible, on her own, and learning to structure her days. She wants to convey to people that “recycled clothing is not just a hemp bag.” There are many ways to be creative and eco-friendly. People can anticipate higher prices for some items. For example, organically grown cotton is more expensive than cotton protected by pesticides, but many consumers feel that the higher price is justified.
This summer–in addition to her internship–Nicole was preparing for the prestigious Barbara L. Kuhlman Foundation for the Student Scholars’ 2007-08 Exhibition of Fibers Arts and Wearable Arts, a highly competitive award. She used a sketchy drawing–almost graffiti style–to describe the meticulous lines of the calla lily. The materials she used in her gown were polyester chiffon, satin, taffeta, and plastic. The result is a tribute to dual anxieties of modern man: maintaining a collective mission of quickened progress, and continuing a meaningful stewardship of nature.
Next summer, between her junior and senior years, Nicole hopes to be an intern on a design team at an apparel firm in New York City. After she graduates she hopes to be a member of a design team, ultimately having her own line and her own store. That dream is not far fetched.
Learn More: Cornell Cooperative Extension Interns Share Their Stories