Sustainability Awareness Week
Virtual Event
October 5–9, 2020 ? fitnyc.edu/saw ? #FITsustainability
This year, Sustainability Awareness Week will be fully remote. All events were free and open to the public except for the Sustainability Grants Workshop and the Think Big/Clinton Global Initiative University Info Session, which are FIT community and student only events.
Note: To access the events on-demand that require a password enter: Sustainability2020
| Monday, October 5 | Event | |
| 10 am |
Sustainability Awareness Week Welcoming Remarks
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Virtual Green Roof Tour
From the street level, FIT’s imposing brutalist buildings are a signature of New York City’s urban landscape. Look at FIT from above, and a greener picture emerges. Nearly an acre of green roofs, made up of hardy succulents in the genus Sedum, offer numerous environmental benefits. They insulate the buildings, improve air quality, help cool the neighborhood, and absorb rainfall, mitigating flooding in the city’s sewers during storms. Also, atop the Shirley Goodman Resource Center, solar panels provide electricity for the grid. To create FIT’s green roofs, sedum plants, which are hardy succulents that require little watering or maintenance, were installed on the roof in large trays. Green roofs do all of the following:
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Innovation and Circularity
Note: To access the events on-demand that require a password enter: Sustainability2020 As consumers continue to use their dollars to promote social responsibility, environmentally-friendly production practices, and retail with a cause, the concept of circularity and fashion continues to gain notice from buyers and sellers. Through FIT’s innovation efforts in research and business applications in material science, digital design, and new consumer models, FIT is contributing to the growth and benefits of circularity in fashion by means of sustainability. Thus, FIT is producing graduates such as Eden Spatz and Veronica Apsan, who are applying their FIT degree to be thought leaders and brand builders in the circular economy and sustainable fashion design. Their works align with FIT’s continued focus on innovation. Speakers:
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2-4 pm |
Sustainability Grants Workshop (Please note - this is an FIT only event) On-Demand not available Learn how to apply for a $5,000 Sustainability Grant, administered by FIT’s Sustainability Council in support of projects related to social, environmental, and/or economic areas of sustainability at this workshop. Topics discussed include prior successful grants, eligibility and guidelines, grant objectives and criteria, and the submission process. A short presentation begins at 2pm; however, feel free to drop-in any time, there will be time for Q&A and discussion of project ideas. Presenters:
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5-6 pm |
Think Big/Clinton Global Initiative University Info Session (Please note - this is an FIT student only event) On-Demand not available Calling all student innovators interested in social impact: turn your ideas into action
with FIT's Think Big Challenge and participate in the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U). Make a commitment to address global challenges in Education, Environment/Climate
Change, Peace & Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation, or Public Health, and you might
be selected to join a global community of changemakers and qualify for seed funding
for your project. Presenter:
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On-demand |
Amber Valletta x Theanne Schiros Interview on The Future Of Materials Sustainability activist and actress, Amber Valletta and Theanne Schiros PhD, Assistant Professor at FIT and Co-Founder of Werewool, chat about the future of textile materials in the fashion industry. As a recent recipient of the Global Change Award, Werewool is creating fabrics on DNA level with natural colors, stretch and other features. Amber and Theanne will dive into how to guide the next generation to rethink materials through nature, technology, circularity, and life cycle impact assessment. |
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FIT Newsroom story |
Seven Ways FIT Is Helping the Earth
This spring, two groundbreaking sustainable research projects, Werewool and Waste to Resource, received major funding. These are FIT’s most recent advances in sustainability, an integral part of the college’s mission and strategic plan. For years, faculty, staff, and administrators have worked with students to help make the campus more sustainable, educate our community and industry on best practices, and innovate for a greener future. Learn about these recent successes and other sustainability-focused programs at FIT: |
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| Tuesday, October 6 |
Event |
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Conversation with Jessica Kelly, Founder and CEO, Thr3efold
Note: To access the events on-demand that require a password enter: Sustainability2020 What factories are doing in sustainability and the sustainable options brands have through their supply chain partners. |
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On-Demand |
Challenges, Collaboration, and Circularity
After watching the program, join us for a live Q&A afterwards! Note: To access the events on-demand that require a password enter: Sustainability2020 The $2.4trillion apparel industry is facing many crossroads today, including reduction of waste and responsible production of garments. In the United States, 16.9 million tons of textile waste is collected each year, with 11.2 million tons destined for landfills and 3.2 million tons incinerated. Less than 1 percent of textile waste is recycled into new materials. Learn what the non-profit group, Accelerating Circularity, is researching and how collaborators are promoting the changes needed for SDG 12, Responsible Consumption and Production. Speakers:
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| Wednesday, October 7 | ||
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On-demand |
It’s About The Small Steps!: How to Make a Sustainable Difference in a Brand /Company?
Note: To access the events on-demand that require a password enter: Sustainability2020 We all want to make a difference in the world, right? However, there are times where we are not sure where to start especially if you are working for other companies? To make a change, we have to have an idea and the willingness to try. It’s about the small steps that really counts! Speaker Isabel Varela will be in conversation with students from the Sustainabilty Council sharing her experience in the luxury retail market and how she implemented change. She will offer tips and tools that can be duplicated for you to use to make a change in any industry. Speaker:
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On-demand |
Note: To access the events on-demand that require a password enter: Sustainability2020 With eight billion people on the planet, people haven’t started looking to humans as an untapped power and renewable energy source. Human energy has the potential to power everything from subway turnstiles to buildings to our own bodies, demonstrating a new era of sustainability and energy, all by way of responsive textiles. Responsive textiles potential extends to jeans that boost their wearer’s wellbeing and athletic wear that helps everyday and professional athletes recover faster. Seth Casden, inventor of Celliant, is tapping into a new potential in retail that is allowing brands to differentiate themselves in flooded markets. Seth can speak to staying ahead of the retail curve by keeping products relevant and useful, why the future of fashion is emerging as responsive textiles, and how partnerships with retailers like Under Armor and Levi's allowed them to reach more consumers. Speaker:
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On-demand |
Mission x FIT - Wellness and Sustainability with Francisco Costa and Sharleen Spiteri Sharleen Spiteri, lead singer/songwriter of Scottish band Texas, discusses why Francisco founded Costa Brazil, why he shifted his focus to beauty, and his tips for staying healthy and practicing wellness during quarantine. For Brazil native Francisco, his new beauty line is a deeply personal endeavor, committed to preserving the natural beauty of the Amazon rainforest. |
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| Thursday, October 8 | ||
On-demand |
A Conversation with Parley For the Oceans
Note: To access the events on-demand that require a password enter: Sustainability2020 Parley for the Oceans is a collaboration network where creators, thinkers and leaders come together to raise awareness for the beauty and fragility of our oceans and collaborate on projects that can end their destruction. We work with the world's leading artists, designers, brands, creators, and governments in an effort to protect the oceans, environments and life. Parley has worked with leading brands such as adidas, American Express, and Corona (AB InBev) as well as NGO entities such as the World Bank and the United Nations and is currently working in over 30 countries to intercept plastic waste from around the world. Parley believes that every environmental challenge we face is a design failure and that the power of design will champion new economies that will work in harmony with nature instead of its destruction. Parley's AIR Strategy is founded on the fact that half of the breaths we take are generated from the ocean and with no ocean, there is no life. With only 9% of plastic being recycled globally, we must embrace a new strategy that reframes the approach to plastic. We must Avoid Intercept Redesign of plastic and other toxic materials to protect our oceans, environment and life. Speaker:
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12-1 pm |
Think Big/Clinton Global Initiative University Info Session (Please note - this is an FIT student only event) To Register: FIT students please email [email protected] for the webex meeting registration info Calling all student innovators interested in social impact: turn your ideas into action with FIT's Think Big Challenge and participate in the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U). Make a commitment to address global challenges in Education, Environment/Climate Change, Peace & Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation, or Public Health, and you might be selected to join a global community of changemakers and qualify for seed funding for your project. This session will give an overview of CGI U and go over FIT's internal selection process. Come learn how you can join the program that helped launch FIT Hives, the Natural Dye Garden, and Spotlight FIT (a.k.a. POCreatives). Presenter:
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1–2 pm |
F2F - Fashion as a Vehicle for Change: Why Empowering Women and Artisans is KEY To Sustainability
According to UNESCO, educating women and girls is the single most effective means to eradicate poverty and build peace in the developing world. Please join Theanne Schiros, Science and Math, and learn about her project which connected FIT faculty and students to a community of 300 women textiles artisans in Guinea, West Africa. A FIT Faculty Development Activity Sponsored by CET |
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On-demand |
Conversation with Bluesign
Note: To access the events on-demand that require a password enter: Sustainability2020 Bluesign as company for the last 20 years, our focus has been on reducing the impact of the textile industry on people and on the environment, ensuring responsible use of resources and guaranteeing the highest level of consumer and worker* safety through eliminating substances posing risks to people and the environment from the very beginning, starting from the design phase. This takes a systems approach to chemical integrity by stitching together key supply chain partners such as chemical suppliers, manufacturers and brands using a positive input strategy to deliver high quality products that are also chemically conscious. Kevin whom oversees the implementation, optimization, and support of the bluesign system for all the Bluesign brands globally in discussion with Karen Pearson will discuss this approach and the intersection with brands to full understand and ultimately reduce their impact Speakers:
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3-4 pm |
Sustainability Grants Workshop (Please note - this is an FIT community only event ) On-demand not available Learn how to apply for a $5,000 Sustainability Grant, administered by FIT’s Sustainability Council in support of projects related to social, environmental, and/or economic areas of sustainability at this workshop. Topics discussed include prior successful grants, eligibility and guidelines, grant objectives and criteria, and the submission process. A short presentation begins at 2 pm; however, feel free to drop-in any time, there will be time for Q&A and discussion of project ideas. Presenters:
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| Friday, October 9 | ||
On-demand |
FIT Hives After presenting their idea at the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U), a team of students installed beehives on an FIT roof. The Honeybee Conservancy, a nonprofit that supports bee populations, has helped maintain them. Learn more about FIT Hives: FIT Hives: Sustainability - The Secret to Survival (2016 Documentary Short Film)
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12–1 pm |
Stitch and Mend Workshop: Upcycling Jeans to a Crossbody Bag We all have our favorite things to wear from jeans, dresses, all the way to shoes. There are also pieces in our closet that we don’t want to throw away because maybe one day we may wear them. Sound familiar? In this workshop, students will learn the magic behind sewing, upcycling, and create something brand new out of those unworn pieces in your closet. Tune in for a live Q&A session with Isabel Varela at 12:15 Presenter:
Materials Needed:
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2 pm |
Using your CSA and Closing Remarks with Karen Pearson
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Questions? Contact the FIT Sustainability Council at [email protected].