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The Environmental Cost of Staying Fashionable (Introduction)

SUBJECTS Geography/History, Language Arts, Social Studies
GRADE LEVEL Junior (4-6) / Intermediate (7-8) / Senior (9-12)
PLEDGE 1 - Protection of water

Resources Needed:

  1. Virtual Article: UN Launches Drive To Highlight Environmental Cost of Staying Fashionable
  2. Printable: UN Launches Drive To Highlight Environmental Cost of Staying Fashionable

Introduction:

  1. Share the title of the article with the class and ask:
    What do you think this article will be about?
    In what ways might fashion affect the environment?

Lesson:

  1. Have students read the article. They may want to highlight facts or parts that stand out to them.
  2. Have students discuss their reactions with a partner or in a small group:
    a) Share your feelings about the article.
    b) Describe at least two things that surprised you.
    c) What is the environmental cost of staying fashionable? How about water specifically?
  3. Have students tell/write about what they can do in their life to minimize their impact on water waste related to the fashion industry.

Follow Up Activities:

  1. Have students write their own definition of ‘fast fashion’ and then tell about how fast fashion contributes to the global water crisis, using facts from the article.
  2. Have students design a poster or other other piece of media that educates others about the dangers of ‘fast fashion’ and how they can help.