Pop-Up in Action The Xavierite
On Apr. 11 in the Wiseman Lounge, SXU’s Green Movement hosted another Pop-Up Thrift Store. The Pop-Up was planned to create a sustainable way to buy new clothes and expand your closet. The Green Movement has been hosting Pop-Up Thrift Stores every semester since the beginning of 2023.
Before the Pop-Up, The Green Movement held a spring cleaning clothing drive throughout the semester from Feb. 25-March 24. Multiple drop-off boxes were located around Warde for students and faculty to give away any unwanted clothing items.
All items were required to be clean and in good condition. No undergarments were accepted. Donations collected were used for their sale. Prices ranged, but everything was under $3.
The Green Movement offered a wide variety of clothing. Items sold included shoes, sweaters, pants, t-shirts, blouses, jewelry, and more.
There were not as many items donated this semester than previous ones. The amount of items donated for each sale fluctuates each year, according to Emily Saldana, Green Movement President.
Saldana is a natural science major and naturally feels for the environment. Nature helps calm her, and because of that, she has developed a deep-rooted love for it.
Saldana cited TikTok microtrends as an inspiration for the event. Saldana witnessed people throwing out clothes when it no longer fits a trend or specific style. “We have seen a big revival of the 70s style, most of those items can come from thrifting,” states Saldana.
She went on to say, “This gives people a chance to rediscover their style as well as being able to buy things affordably. Newer on-brand clothes can be expensive for most people.”
Thrifting also creates less waste in landfills and acts as a form of recycling. The clothes not sold are either given to Champs Closet for any students looking for business casual attire, donated to local charities, or given to local thrift stores.
Proceeds are used to fund events The Green Movement has planned throughout the year as well as campus environmental-based plans. For example, The Green Movement uses garden beds outside the greenhouse in the summer. Due to restricted access to the greenhouse, they are unable to do any intensive gardening.
Approximately 50 people attended the pop-up sale. The club ended up making just under $300, an increase from last semester’s sales. A recent item they are in the process of purchasing is a rain collector to water the plants they grow in the flower beds outside the greenhouse.
Another focus the Green Movement has is on the anxiety surrounding the environment.
“Sometimes people, in finding out everything that is going on, and that our planet is essentially being abused, it does kind of make you freak out,” Saldana said, though she would like people to know that “we’re in this together” and that not all hope is lost for the planet.
The Green Movement has been a club since around the early 2000s. The club has fluctuated in popularity throughout the years, but Saldana’s passion for the environment has driven her to strive for more with the club in the last year.
Her goal was to counter fast fashion and trends by preserving clothes others didn’t want and give students a chance to access affordable clothing.
In the future, The Green Movement plans to hold a clean-up for Lake Marion and a local beach and to host other environmentally friendly events. Saldana also mentioned collaborating with Artbreakers in the future, since they have done events based around recycled materials and sustainability in art in the past.
Saldana wants readers to know that “all you have to do is care” to get involved with anything related to environmental activism.
Saldana also recommended the environmental sustainability studies minor for anyone looking to become educated on the environment. She even says that the program offers scholarships.
For more information pertaining to The Green Movement follow their Instagram @sxu_green_movement, email Saldana saldana.e01@mymail.sxu.edu, and stay up to date with events on The Den.
About Post Author
