In New Jersey, men and women of all ages have heard the phrase “reduce, reuse, recycle” for decades.

Amita Aksintala is one of them.

Important, yes. But her 15-year-old from Plainsboro wanted to think beyond the cliches of a sustainability project as part of a climate fellowship she was selected for this spring.

New York City has made some progress in recent times to create more sustainable fashion practices, but Abby Lillesan, associate professor of art and design at Montclair State University, says little has been addressed in the Garden State. said.

Aksintara wants to change that in her hometown, across New Jersey and beyond, she said. I gave presentations on fashion and launched a website on the topic. She also wrote for the school newspaper about the importance of changing the way we do things, and plans to not only change her own shopping habits, but to put this issue at the forefront of the school’s environmental club. .

“We can’t stop climate change significantly just by doing (recycling),” Aksintala told NJ Advance Media. “We wanted to educate or at least make people aware of the fact that there are different sections that can prevent climate change, not just waste management.”

Hosted by the Center for Deliberative Democracy at Stanford University and the nonprofit Rustic Pathways Foundation, the 10-week fellowship called the Climate Leaders Fellowship ran from February to May. In her project, Aksintara focused on the issue of ‘fast fashion’.

Fast fashion is described in a peer-reviewed journal cited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as popular with brands, including some in the United States, for selling large quantities of clothing at cheap prices. The humanitarian impacts of the use of cotton and other materials that use a lot of water, the shortened life cycle of clothing, and the low wages and poor working conditions associated with manufacturing the products.

“There are a number of reasons why I chose fast fashion. A lot of people in my age group and in my school are very passionate about fashion,” Aksintara said. .”

The Climate Fellowship, which began in October 2021 and is currently heading into its third cycle, will include half a dozen online meetings where students will come together to discuss projects and solutions to climate change-related problems. was Through the nonprofit’s recent fellow cycle, more than 50 of his students from 10 countries have completed community projects focused on waste management.

Fellows in Akshinthala’s cohort included students from Malaysia, the Dominican Republic, Japan, and other parts of the United States such as North Carolina and New York.

“Having lived in New Jersey and lived in New Jersey all my life, I was only used to different people’s thinking in New Jersey and different people’s lives in New Jersey,” said Sarah Aksin, a West Windsor-Plainsboro student. said. North high school.

Learning about other parts of the world through the fellowship has inspired Aksintara to consider the importance of living conditions when implementing green solutions and climate initiatives, she said.

“There’s a set way to collect garbage. We have a certain way of talking to each other about the climate, and that’s the only real exposure I’ve had,” Aksintara said. What might have been more doable for someone living in my community was either not doable or completely unattainable for someone living in another community.”

Lillesan, an associate professor at Montclair State University and an expert in apparel design and fashion history, says there are many problems with fast fashion.

“Many people want to get into the fashion industry, so they throw things away before they reach their expiration date, or they overproduce products in order to sell them…and in the process, this problem of overproduction becomes We have them all. As a result, things that we don’t use are now in global circulation,” Lilesan says.

Another problem with the growing trend is how difficult it is to recycle clothing.

Additionally, while President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act will invest $369 billion in climate change solutions and environmental justice, Lilesan said the money will be used to address the problems posed by fast fashion. He said that he would not.

“The federal government has done nothing about it, and apparel and textile trade accounts for 4% of the global economy,” Lillethun said.

Some of the facts Aksintara shared with her classmates during her class presentation: 342 million barrels of oil are used in synthetic fiber production each year, and 33% of all microplastics come from synthetic materials. , 57% of all discarded clothing ends up in landfills. .

John Hsu, Climate Fellowship Director, Rustic Pathways, said: “As a result, Amita’s projects will not only have a positive impact, but the skills she has acquired from her experience will help her make a positive difference in the world in the future.”

Although the fellowship has ended, Aksintara is seven pioneers focused on fast fashion, working towards more sustainable apparel by building part of the school’s 30-member environmental club. She also sews and reuses clothes at home as part of her efforts to become more sustainable.

What does Aksintara plan to pursue as a career?

“I actually want to be a video game designer,” she said. “I want to make story-based games that involve real-life issues being talked about, issues happening in our world related to racism and climate change.”

For more information on Akshinthala’s projects, visit amitaakshinthala.wixsite.com/takeitback. Applications for the Rustic Pathways Fall 2022 Climate Fellowship are open until September 30th. To apply, visit rusticpathways.com/young-climate-leaders-fellowship.

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To contact Stephen Rodas: srodas@njadvancemedia.comfollow him on twitter @stevenrodasnj.