By Kassidy Tsikitas | Staff Writer
Baylor’s Students for Environmental and Wildlife Protection (SEWP) celebrated Earth Week for the second consecutive year with a plant sale and clothing swap to show how small habits can go a long way.
On Monday, SEWP hosted a plant market on Fountain Mall where every plant sold out. On Tuesday, they organized a clothing swap in the same place, including clothes from brands such as Urban Outfitters and Lululemon. Items were being sold at $3 or students could opt to trade with others. The leftover clothes were then donated to local places in Waco. On Wednesday, they hosted a profit share with Cha Community.
The organization will be closing Earth Week celebrations with a tabling event at Fountain Mall along with Keep Waco Beautiful on Friday.
Woodlands sophomore and SEWP member Avery Sugg said participating in the events all week made her appreciate the Baylor community more.
“It was nice just seeing students so excited about swapping clothes and thrifting, which is really great because thrifting can help limit the waste in the fashion industry,” Sugg said.
Sugg also said being in SEWP has allowed for her to find new ways in remaining sustainable as a college student.
“I think the small things overall can help, I don’t buy paper plates and I don’t really buy single-use plastic,” Sugg said. “Since my apartment doesn’t have bins, I take my recyclables from home and bring them to campus. A little goes a long way.”
Kemah senior and SEWP officer Riley Kennedy said there are many ways students can practice being sustainable.
“The slogan to follow is reduce, reuse and recycle,” Kennedy said. “Students can bring reusable water bottles and reusable food containers on campus and they can also walk, bike or skate more to class to reduce their carbon footprint.”
Baylor SEWP members practice being sustainable by being more mindful of what they buy and how they travel. They also help the Baylor campus by doing weekly cleanups at the river by the Baylor Science Building.
Members of SEWP were impressed with the outcome and support this week from the Baylor community. Kennedy also said the organization wanted to send messages out about the events that were held.
“[With the Clothing Swap] we wanted to promote sustainable fashion and waste reduction. Thrifting clothes extends the lifespan that would otherwise end up in landfills and reduces the demand for new clothing production,” Kennedy said. “[With our Plant Sale] we rely on plants more than we realize, so selling them on campus was a great way to encourage people to buy more, to learn the benefits like improving air quality and mental health.”
