By: Sydney Umstead, News Editor
Canisius students have opened up Griff’s Thrifts as part of the University’s commitment to sustainability around campus. This follows a series of other initiatives that serve as a reminder for undergraduates and faculty to consider the role they play in saving the planet.
The new thrift store serves to provide students with various clothing items that were previously loved and donated by both students and local Buffalo environmentalists. This is a much more ethical decision than giving in to the temptation of fast fashion.
Online markets such as Shein and Romwe, international companies that promote fast fashion, have rightfully been under fire for using child labor and violating various labor violations. The site Good on You writes, “the brand provides insufficient relevant information about how it reduces its impact on those three areas” and therefore received a negative review on the ethics of their company. Not only is their lack of information concerning, but a lot of Shein designs copy the creation of designs from popular stores. For example, the site Eco Club shared a list of designers who have claimed their designs were allegedly stolen by the company. Instagram user @baileyprado wrote in a caption from 2021,“My designs, what have been my whole life for the last 3 years, are now sold to millions of Shein’s consumers that will never know about me.”
One way to find new affordable clothing without caving to fast fashion is through the implementation of campus services like Griff’s Thrifts.
As pointed out in the Feb. 10 edition of The Griffin, Canisius was one of the first institutions to implement Laudato Si’ – care for our common home. This year specifically marks an important year for the University, as “Canisius is in year one of our seven-year trek toward sustainability,” Genevieve Fontana, creator of Griff Thrifts, pointed out. “One of the main reasons we could sign onto this plan was our Undergraduate Student Association's passion for
the cause.”
Pessimists may argue that one small act is not enough to change the world. Personally, I disagree with this naive point of view. The efforts from Canisius and the students serve as a reminder that any small act could cause a ripple effect, as this could truly be the place where leaders are made.
From documentaries like “King Corn” to politician Al Gore’s article “Climate of Denial,” originally published in “The Rolling Stone”, the American public has been watching the Earth slowly deteriorate as a result of overconsumption and a subset of beliefs that attempt to deny the science surrounding climate change.
To quote Gore: “A half-century ago, when Science and Reason established the linkage between cigarettes and lung diseases, the tobacco industry hired actors, dressed them up as doctors, and paid them to look into television cameras and tell people that the linkage revealed in the Surgeon General’s Report was not real at all.”
While Griff’s Thrifts is not some miracle cure, it is something we all can and should take part in to preserve our planet into the future.