Fashion is a huge industry. In fact, many fashion brands mass-producing affordable clothes and new styles are attracting customers to purchase more and more. Moreover, we are more likely to get rid of cheaper clothing than expensive, high-quality clothing. According to an NPR News article, "The rate of disposal is not keeping up with the availability of places to put everything that we're getting rid of and that's the problem." As consumers, we can help minimize the harmful effects of textile waste in many ways. For example, donating clothes can help those in need. Additionally, thrift shopping is way to reuse clothing. Also, clothes swapping with friends or family can bring a change to your wardrobe without having to purchase new clothes. Lastly, instead of purchasing more cheap clothes, consumers could buy a few high quality garments that will last longer.
Source: http://www.npr.org/2016/04/08/473513620 … -and-cheap

I like your ideas on how to reduce textile waste. Thrift shopping is growing in popularity on social media, and people of all financial classes are starting to join in.  With that being said, a problem that comes up with these possible solutions is the fact that many people aren't willing to thrift shop, wear hand-me-downs, or share clothes. Many affluent citizens look down upon these practices. That's the main issue with all solutions to try to reduce all aspects of carbon footprints. Not all people are willing to recycle, reduce water usage, or wear already-worn clothing items. Some people don't know and/or don't care about reducing their carbon footprints. The way to change that is by educating the public. We need to be spreading the word that the effects of our carbon footprints have real consequences evident in global warming and climate change. It's not widely known that simple things such as buying clothes affects carbon emissions in the atmosphere. Before I started participating in the ISCFC discussion, I did not know all of the human emissions of greenhouse gase s. That's where the problem lies. People don't know the direct and indirect effects they have on global warming. Maybe if people understood their effect, they might show concern and change their ways. What do you think? Do you agree that global warming and its causes are not nearly as understood by the public as they should be?

I agree, Nicole. So many people care more about how they look and feel in the eyes of everyone else than how they are affecting the environment. Even if it's not "cool" to thrift shop, more people would do it if it became the norm. Here's an interesting article I found about the benefits of thrift shopping. There are surprisingly a lot! https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Op … -coop.html

Hi Jessica,
I love your post and completely agree with your ideas of clothes shopping and donations. My family and I donate several pieces of clothing every 3 months to local shelters, reducing our carbon footprint because others are able to wear gently used outfits instead of them disposed of.

Today while shopping at the mall I entered the Macy’s bathroom and began to wash my hands. At the end of my hand washing, I went to the Dyson dryer and activated it by placing them under the dryer. I looked up on the wall and saw a sign stating “Using this dryer will reduce our carbon footprint”. I had never seen a sign in a store notifying customers of their carbon footprint. This shows movement in the right direction because a big time store actually cares about their impact on the Earth. Additionally, this little sign will cause people to think about global warming and may push them into doing more to reduce their footprint.

I understand your position, Nicole. I believe that by using data collected and approved by scientists, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2007 report, we can educate the public on global changes. In addition, we could discuss solutions to the consequences that human activities, such as manufacturing clothes, have on the environment.

I agree with all of you.  By making thrift shopping a trendy thing, not only will we be saving money, but we'll also be helping the environment.  According to an article by Huffington Post, about 85% of the 15.1 million tons of clothing that was purchased by Americans in 2015 got thrown away.  When we throw away clothes, it decomposes and releases landfill gas in the air, which accelerate global warming.  We can start by making small changes, such as passing down your clothes to your younger siblings.  For example, my family usually donates old clothes, while other times, we give my sister's old clothes to my cousin.  Making small changes like these make a bigger impact over time.
Source: www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/why-trashing-old-clothes-is-so-bad-for-th e-environment_us_57f408f1e4b015995f2b93cb