Fast Fashion, Fast Action: Grade 12 Student Takes First Prize in International Contest
For her Grade 12 Environment and Resource Management course, Ms. Loukes tasked her students with creating a one-minute video that addresses one of this year’s global problems, suggests a sustainable solution, and demonstrates how it impacts population growth.
With their permission, she submitted their creations to the World of 8 Billion student video contest, a project of Population Education, a non-profit program based in Washington, D.C. This contest first ran in 2011 under the name World of 7 Billion video contest and they received 619 videos that first year from 36 U.S. states and four countries. Over the contest's 15-year history, students from around the world have created more than 32,000 videos.
Students can submit their videos to one of three categories: Energy, Wetlands, and Economics. Kaitlyn Zhang won first place in the Economics category for her one-minute video, Earth is Not Your Shopping Cart, about the impacts of fast fashion. She was particularly surprised to learn that more than 80% of textiles end up in landfills every year and that women, who are the primary workers in fast-fashion manufacturing, earn as little as $3.00 a day to produce clothing.
“Everyone wears clothes, everyone shops, but a lot of people are not aware of the implications that result when purchasing fast fashion clothing,” she shared. “Fast fashion appealed to me because it has become so popular and easy to shop for cheap clothing.”
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To make her video, Kaitlyn shared with the contest organizers that she created all the animations, recorded all her voiceovers, and edited the project in Canva. She found it challenging to create the animations and pare her script to one minute, but she made sure to select the most important statistics and form a simple call to action. After the contest, Kaitlyn expressed that she wants to continue raising corporate accountability by joining an advocacy team or student organization that focuses on sustainable purchasing and supply chain transparency.
"It is remarkable to see a student confront such a pressing global issue,” said her teacher Maureen Loukes. “Kaitlyn’s video shines a necessary light on fast fashion’s toll on the Earth and its communities, effectively raising awareness among her peers. The quality of her final product truly reflects the outstanding effort and passion she dedicated to this project."
In the fall, Kaitlyn will be starting her first year at Yale University, where she plans to major in computer science and economics. She hopes to join more environmentally focused student clubs and volunteer with Dwight Hall, a student group centered around social justice and community service.
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Land Acknowledgment
The Country Day School wishes to recognize and acknowledge the land on which the school operates. Our nearest Indigenous Nations are now the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and the Chippewas of Georgina Island. The Dish with One Spoon Wampum covenant is often cited as an example of the shared responsibility for caring for these lands among the Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples who would call these their traditional territories. CDS respects the relationship with these lands and recognizes that our connection to this land can be strengthened by our continued relationship with all First Nations, by acknowledging our shared responsibility to respect and care for the land and waters for future generations.
School Information
Junior, Middle and Senior Schools
13415 Dufferin Street, King, Ontario L7B 1K5
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
13415 Dufferin Street, King, Ontario L7B 1K5
(905) 833-1220
communications@cds.on.ca
admissions@cds.on.ca
Founded in 1972, The Country Day School is a co-educational private school offering programs in JK-12 and located on 100 acres north of Toronto in King.
