UW’s first Trashion Show aims to change perspectives about waste

Plastic bags and aluminum cans replaced fabric and thread at the UW’s first ever trash-based fashion show. The Trashion Show was performed in celebration of Earth Day last Friday at the HuskyFest Pavilion in Red Square.

The Trashion Show’s primary focus was to raise awareness to our problematic “one-time use” attitudes about materials in an entertaining way. It also encouraged thinking about how to reuse things in innovative ways.

The Office of Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability (ESS) hosted the Trashion Show in order to change perspectives on waste. Each outfit was made entirely from what we deem “trash”—one dress was composed of plastic bookstore bags, while another was made from used metro cards.

UW junior Adam Fahlstrom, ESS Marketing Coordinator Intern, said that the Trashion Show was expected to be a fun way to illustrate how much waste can actually be re-used outside of ordinary purposes.

“Providing entertainment, the event doesn’t bore passerbys and through engaging them the message becomes more effective, even if these particular re-uses aren’t all that practical,” Fahlstrom said.

UW junior Joshua Cowgill, in charge of Community Environment and Planning for the ESS, organized the Trashion Show to show people how they can get involved in campus sustainability projects.

“I wanted this to be a fun and interesting event where environmental groups, students, and community members could send a message and also promote themselves,” Cowgill said. “There are plenty of things that are thrown away because they are deemed useless, even though they can be reused. Plastic water bottles are a great example. They can be refilled, but people throw them away instead.”

The event attracted students, staff, and spectators. As the fashion show went on, more and more people were drawn in by the high-energy atmosphere.

UW senior Meghin Spencer came to support her friend, who modeled in the fashion show.

“My friend was in the show so I wanted to see her show off her nice trash bag dress,” Spencer said. “I thought it was really cool and I hope they do it again.”

According to the ESS, at last year’s Trash-In, an event where volunteers sort through trash from around campus, only 21% was trash while the rest was either compostable or recyclable.

Spencer said that she does little things to stay environmentally friendly.

“I always try to recycle as much as I can and use small amounts of water when showering and things like that.”

Cowgill said that out of such a large student body, the UW has a very environmentally-focused student presence. However, the hardest part about maintaining a sustainable campus is finding a way for environmental groups to reach out to students.

“It’s actually quite surprising how many students actively seek these sorts of projects,” he said. “Even though there might be thousands of students interested, they don’t inherently know of all the different projects and clubs around the school.”

The upbeat mood of the Trashion Show generated a fun event for audience members and organizers alike.

“The show itself was very organic,” Cowgill said. “I was quite pleased with the outcome.”

Students looking to get more involved in campus sustainability projects or join an environmental group can look into the Office of ESS, [http://f2.washington.edu/ess/] the EcoReps program [http://www.facebook.com/UWEcoReps], Earth Club [http://students.washington.edu/uwearth/], or the UW Farm [http://students.washington.edu/uwfarm/].