On Tuesday, April 8th, the Truckee Elementary gym filled with elementary students, seamstresses, volunteers and Truckee Community members.
Cari Reid, Truckee Elementary second grade teacher, taught her class about the importance of sustainability and the impact that people have on the environment. Through this important lesson, they also worked to create an impact on Truckee with the Coat Drive.
Voices of second graders who have put in many hours of work trying to make a difference in the small mountain community filled the gym as they taught their peers about the impact that clothing has on the environment.
One of Reid’s second grade students, Hunter, said, “This is helping our planet and not wasting, because [wasting] ruins the earth.” In learning about practices of anti-consumerism and the importance of recycling while also giving back to those in need, these kids are seeing the impact that their simple actions are having.
However, this event wasn’t just about learning, it also served as a donation drop-off for used jackets to support local families in need. Community members and students were encouraged to bring in items needing repair, turning the drive into a space where damaged clothing could be revived instead of discarded.
Volunteer Carol Potter said it was exciting to see how the students were most enticed by the sewing machine and watching them work. She said, “Sewing is a lost art. I grew up having it required in school. It’s fascinating for the kids to see and as they watch them make repairs.”
In addition to being a huge impact on the community, the Coat Drive is also in submission to Shane McConkey’s EcoChallenge. This yearly competition is hosted around the community and region to work to “empower young people to learn about environmental issues in their community, engage in critical thinking to identify innovative solutions, and take action as EcoChallengers for the planet.” according to the EcoChallenge website.
Reid’s students researched the social, environmental and sustainable impacts of clothing. They also did large amounts of research on the meaning of fast fashion and the large environmental impacts that it has. Fast Fashion is defined by earth.org as “cheaply produced and priced garments that copy the latest catwalk styles and get pumped quickly through stores in order to maximise on current trends.”
Fast fashion is the second largest consumer of water use, and it also contributes to 10% of global emissions. It is one of the largest pollutants to the earth and drastically affects the economy as well, according to earth.org. Fast fashion is the second largest consumer of water use, and it also contributes to 10% of global emissions.
Truckee Elementary principal, Ryan Galles, said that not only did the drive give back to the community but some students and TTUSD families may receive from the Coat Drive. Many organizations within the Truckee community were involved. Volunteers from the Roundhouse participated, as well as the Truckee Community Cares (TCC), and the Tahoe Donner Quilt Club.
Lynette Powell, a director at TCC, helps organize and plan aid and support to families and individuals in the area. She and other volunteers helped during the coat drive to repair 48 jackets. They brought in seven machines to help with the process.
Additionally, volunteers from the Roundhouse participated in helping repair items. Erica Mertens, a Roundhouse Board Member, as well as the Energy Conservation Sustainability Manager at TTUSD, said, “This teaches the students not just about the item itself, but also of awareness and all of their actions on a daily basis. I think this is the first step.”
Introducing a lost art like sewing, to the elementary kids is empowering and exciting. Mertens said, “It’s more personal and [the coat drive] is something that they will remember for a longtime. And when they see their patch, and wear the jacket they can think about how this is something they can do.”
As the students watched as their jackets were being repaired, they drew the connection to the impacts that they have everyday. The submissions for the EcoChallenge are due on Earth Day, April 22, 2025. If you are interested in the Shane McConkey EcoChallenge, learn more about it here.
