As someone with a mild hoarding problem, I have found that throwing anything out becomes paradoxically more difficult with more stuff. The philosophy is that with more stuff, even the things you don’t use could be used in conjunction with something else you don’t use to suddenly make it more useful. The scrapbook paper you never used can be made into an actual photobook with that twine you also never used. However, some others, are apparently, much better at ridding their houses of extras. In fact, apparently 85% of textiles are thrown out, including old clothing pieces, and fabric scraps from sewers of all kinds of fields.

A local Ithaca non-profit organization, Sew Green, collects donated textiles, knitting materials, and quality clothing to resell. Additionally, it teaches sewing classes to tweens, teens, and adults alike. Serving about an approximate 100 mile radius, the organization serves a twofold purpose — giving new life to potential waste, and providing a cheap source of quality material for interested consumers. For hoarders who can’t bear to offer unneeded items to the landfill find Sew Green the perfect home for their fabric leftovers. And for those who love sewing, the shops perfectly folded and categorized cloths offer high-quality materials for further usage.

Some of the most interesting takeaways, however, were provided by Wendy Skinner, founder of Sew Green, whose perspective on sustainability was both admirable and practical. Ms. Skinner explained that she found her place in this non-profit, by taking her various backgrounds in journalism, business, managing, science, and art and found a niche to inhabit. Importantly, she found a niche that responded to something that was important to her — sustainability. Every person has their own ability to impact sustainability, be it through engineering, repurposing fashion, encouraging a healthy diet, or more. In this way, she showed us how important it is to understand your strengths and utilize them for a purpose you believe in. Whether this is in a field that already exists, or in an area that requires you to create, what is important is that you pursue it. By using this philosophy, Sew Green is nearly entirely self-sustainable through its profits. And most importantly, it provides an area for the community to share what they once had for someone else to create something new, and benefit from learning a handicraft that gives oneself independence and freedom to create. All while helping to decrease waste in the environment.