Reflection

This week has been very informative.  I needed a book entitled Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sustainability for Dummies because I knew little about sustainability. One of the most important things I have learned during the course is that awareness of the effects of hazardous materials is key to understanding how to go about stopping their use.  Until now, I had not paid much attention to how the products I buy effect the environment, or what others are doing around me to combat the problem.   This past Sunday, I walked into my church and saw a box for Clothing Drive, and I believe if it had been there two weeks ago I might not have even noticed it.  My blinders have come off.  I now plan on starting to make a conscious effort to be informed and inform others of the problems that face the apparel industry.  I, along with others, can encourage or even demand that designer products are sustainable.  This is what Armstrong & LeHew referred to as a paradigm shift. What was useful and relevant to me about this article is two fold.  First, as a consumer, I want to be more conscientious about the garments that I purchase.  There are several companies such as Puma, J Crew, Patagonia, Nike and Levi that are doing their part to better our environment and these are the types of stores that I would like to support.  Second, as an apparel student, and one that would like to pursue a career in buying, it informed me of the companies that I would like to work for, or even ones that I might be able to change.  As I continue my pursuit of knowledge on this subject, I would like to learn more about how the corporate level can become more sustainable.