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[upbeat music]

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- Ami Eckard-Lee: It's easy
to get caught up

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in the latest fashion trends,

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but the choices we make about
the clothes we buy,

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how well we care for them,

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and when we choose
to throw them away

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have a big impact
on the environment.

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In fact, the fashion industry
is a major contributor

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to climate change
and plastic pollution

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all around the world.

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So, how can we prevent our
clothes from ending up as waste

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in the environment?

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[bright music]

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Let's meet up with a textile
expert to learn more about

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where our clothes come from,
where they end up

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when we're done with them,
and what happens in between.

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Can you tell me first,
what is a textile?

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- Majid Sarmadi:
Textile is everywhere.

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It's made of fibers, natural,
and in past 70 years,

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80 years, also synthetic.

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- Okay, but where do those
fibers actually come from?

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- Majid: Natural fibers grow,
such as cotton.

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Synthetic fibers
come from the oil.

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So, then, become, which one
of these two class of fibers,

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natural versus synthetic,

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are less harmful
to the environment?

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In order to grow natural fibers,

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you have to use lots
of equipment, lots of land,

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lots of energy, lots of water.

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It's easier to create
synthetic material.

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- Than to--
- Versus the natural material.

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- Does it take less resources?

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- Less resources.

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But they have other issue,
that you have to dig the oil

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and then the gases
that are coming,

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some of them are methane gases
that is exposed

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to the environment
and greenhouse gases.

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We have limited resources,

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so we have to be careful
how we are using it, yeah?

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- Okay.

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So, you save resources
in different areas.

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- Yes, so it's a complex issue.
- Mm-hmm,

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and then, what happens to them
when we're done using them?

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- Majid: So, all-natural fibers
are biodegradable

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in the environment.

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They become a part of soil.

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And insects and plants
can use them.

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- Okay.
- But the plastics, no.

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- Okay, so what do they become?

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- They become
a smaller molecule.

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- And smaller and smaller
and smaller.

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- Smaller and smaller,
and creates microplastics.

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- Oh, my gosh,
so it didn't actually disappear.

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It just broke down
so you can't see it.

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- But if they are converting
to microplastic,

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they are creating more problem.
- Much more problem.

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- Majid: So, we have to reduce
our consumption.

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Fast fashion
is destroying the environment.

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Our closets are bursting
from clothes,

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and every season,
the fashion is changing.

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But we can create fashion
that lasts longer.

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You use it more,
therefore you extend its life.

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- So, people should maybe
buy less,

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think more consciously about why
they're buying something.

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- Yes.

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- Think about how they might
have to take care of it

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and think about where it goes
when they're done with it.

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- Exactly.

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- Consumerism is the belief
that buying more is desirable.

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Consumerism leads
to overconsumption,

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and this is driving
the fast fashion industry

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and accelerating
climate change.

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Quick trends lead to short
lifespans of products

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and an abundance
of textile waste.

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But extending the life cycle
of our clothing is a great way

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to practice mindful consumerism
with our fashion choices.

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Let's take a look at how this
high school student is learning

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to mend and create
her own clothes.

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- Celine Huttleston:
So, this semester

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I chose to take The Fabric
of History and Justice,

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which is a class all about
textiles

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and how they tie into activism.

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Sustainable fashion can mean
thrifting,

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making your own clothes,
or just repairing things,

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which is great
for making clothes last longer.

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Instead of throwing something
away,

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I actually made the outfit
that I'm wearing right now.

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I think it's a pretty underrated
life skill.

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It's really empowering.

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By just learning to do something

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as simple as sew a patch
or a button,

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you could save your favorite
sweatshirt, save money,

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and help save the planet.

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- Learning to sew a button
back on a shirt

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is an excellent way of
practicing sustainable fashion

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in your own life.

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Taking care of the clothes
that we already have

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can prevent the need
for buying replacements

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and reduce
our overall consumption.

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However, buying
new clothing is inevitable,

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but when you do,
consider these three things.

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Is this something you need
or want?

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How often will you wear this?

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And what is its
environmental impact?

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While there isn't a clear
best path,

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making small steps
in the right direction

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can make a big difference.

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And it starts with choosing

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what sustainable fashion
means to you.

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Is it your goal to minimize
carbon emissions

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from transportation
by shopping locally?

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Are you hoping to increase the
longevity of your clothing

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by focusing on slow fashion
over fast fashion?

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Or do you care about reducing
microplastic pollution

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by prioritizing natural fibers
over synthetics?

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There are lots of ways

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to make your fashion choices
more sustainable,

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and they all start
with awareness

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and making mindful decisions.

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I met up with Leslie to learn
more about her journey

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in sustainable fashion

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and what she chooses
to focus her efforts on.

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So, what is the Midwest Linen
Revival project?

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- Leslie Schroeder: Yeah, so it
is education and outreach

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and advocacy and research
and development

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around the flax plants,
and specifically flax for fiber.

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The stem of the plant
has fiber inside of it,

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and that can be used to make
the textile linen.

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- Ami: Oh, okay.
- It's not a new idea.

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It's just a fabulous old idea

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that's fallen a little bit
by the wayside

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while we're using a lot
of other things for textiles,

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including synthetic,
to the point

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they're starting to really be
detrimental

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to the environment.
- Yeah.

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- All along, it's whole process
of wearing the synthetic fibers

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are shedding a little bit,

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and microplastics in our water,
30% of them

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are actually directly
attributed to our textiles.

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And so,
it's washing our clothes.

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I know, right?

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And so, when we start
thinking about

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that entire life cycle
assessment,

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you're really thinking about
this product

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from its manufacturer
or its growth

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to its use to its end game.

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- Synthetic textiles
are made from plastic.

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And these items aren't just
a problem

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when you throw them away.

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They're contributing
to microplastic pollution

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even while sitting
in your closet.

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Lint, loose strings,
the fine particles you see

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when shaking out
your bathroom towel,

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those all contain microplastics

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that are polluting the air
in your home,

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the water from your washer,
and the food you eat.

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So, what can we do
to reduce the amount

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of microplastics in our clothing
and our homes?

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Natural fibers
are a great alternative

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that don't contribute to plastic
pollution and are compostable

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once a textile
has exhausted its use.

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What are things that
the general public could do

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to be more sustainable
in their fashion choices?

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- It's one of the most
sustainable fashion choices

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that we can make is to buy less.

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It's not about me telling
anybody to go home and, like,

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get rid of all,
your entire wardrobe,

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because that just means
more consumption.

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And it just means making
intentional choices

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going forward,
doing the best that we can

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with what's available to us.

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But each one of us, when we're
making our choices,

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we're expressing who we are.

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And especially as you're
growing up,

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that is the work of youth
is to figure out who you are,

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and then who you are
can be expressed

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through what you're wearing.
- Yeah.

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Wow, I never thought about it
that way.

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The clothes we wear are often a
reflection of our personalities

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and our values.

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They can be used as a form
of expression and activism,

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both in what they say
and where they came from.

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When we look at the life cycle
of a garment,

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it's hard to find something

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that's truly sustainable
from start to finish.

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But we can make
certain decisions

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that increase the sustainability
of our clothes.

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Buy clothes that will last
a long time

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and that you'll use often,

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rather than focusing
on short-term trends

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that lead to an abundance
of textile waste.

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Learn how to repair your clothes

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so you can extend their
usability,

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or learn how to sew

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so you can turn them
into something new.

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If you're looking
for a sustainable way

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to refresh your closet,

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host a clothing swap with your
friends or at your school.

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Or if you're ready
to say goodbye

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to some of the clothes
you no longer wear,

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consider donating them
to shelters

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or secondhand clothing stores
so someone else can use them.

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All of these actions

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help make your clothing choices
more sustainable,

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and it's not necessarily about
the clothes you choose to wear,

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but also about the ones you
choose to leave on the rack.

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- So, what is the answer?

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- Yeah, what is the answer?
- I was asking you.

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I thought that--

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- You said I could ask you
anything! [both laugh]