Tarleton Environmental Society Hosts On-Campus Thrift Store

BY BROOKLYN MCKINNEY

Multimedia Journalist

The Tarleton Environmental Society held its annual thrift store event where students could buy and sell their unwanted clothes on the O.A. Grant lawn Friday, Jan. 24.

Mia Lombardo, president of Alpha Chi Omega, a national co-ed service fraternity on campus, was seen Friday afternoon on the O.A. Grant lawn with her own thrift store of clothes.  

“I like how the Environmental Society just has this space for not just students, but also organizations if they want to sell. I know last time they did a thrift store, there was this organization raising money for one of their mission trips, and it’s really nice,” Lombardo said. 

Tarleton Environmental Society President Vanessa Garcia is looking forward to potentially partnering with other campus organizations for future thrift store events, like the radio station or activity board. 

“I was thinking we could just do a thrift store on this side close to the O.A. Grant building, and then on that side do a picnic. And then if it’s during late spring, it would be so much better than being out in the cold,” Garcia said. 

Shopping at thrift or consignment stores is a great alternative to buying clothes from fast fashion chains like Shein or Forever 21. Fast fashion is an approach to selling clothing that emphasizes mass production of the latest trends at the cheapest rate possible. 

Fast fashion is not only responsible for waste in landfills and water pollution that harm the environment, but it’s also a human rights issue. 

Factory workers in low-income countries, particularly women, are often placed in dangerous conditions and not being paid living wages despite these companies raking in massive profits each year. 

Many members of the Tarleton Environmental Society, including Historian Julia Vargas, love thrifting or upcycling their old clothes to combat this issue. 

“I’m excited for making tote bags out of shirts because then it’s not necessarily something you’d have to wear, but you can still use it. And you could even use the tote bag in place of plastic bags if you go shopping or something like that,” Vargas said. 

For thrifting in Stephenville, she recommends going to Not Too Shabby, a consignment shop on West Washington Street. 

“I think staying local would get you a lot of more unique and cool items, and then making sure you look through every single thing because sometimes, if you just skim on the outside without actually pulling it open, you might miss something that you actually really like,” Vargas said. 

Not only can thrifting be an environmentally friendly way to curate a unique style, but it can also bring people high quality items for lower prices. 

“I love thrifting because I am someone who is really against fast fashion and the consumerism and materialism that comes from all of that,” Lombardo said. “I also like it as an activity just for the thrill of finding really nice quality pieces.” 

For more information, follow the Tarleton Environmental Society on Instagram @tsuenvironmental or visit https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/sustainability/fast_fashion.