Women’s History Month
March is Women’s History Month — a time to honor women’s contributions to history. The fight for gender equality is an ongoing battle, and this annual observance helps bring awareness to the importance of women, who are often overlooked in the workforce, contemporary society and culture. It originated in Santa Rosa, California, where Women’s History Week was celebrated during the week of March 8 to complement International Women’s Day. In 1980, as a result of lobbying efforts from the National Women’s History Project, President Jimmy Carter issued a presidential proclamation, making the week National Women’s History Week. Each year, America continued to celebrate National Women’s History Week until 1987, when Congress passed a public law, establishing the entire month of March as Women’s History Month.
The National Women’s History Alliance publishes a yearly theme for the month; this year’s theme is “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future,” honoring women helping incorporate sustainability in environmental, economic, educational and societal forms. UF’s Thrift Club and #UNLITTER, two organizations dedicated to promoting environmental change and encouraging sustainable habits, shared their views on the month’s theme and provided easy and realistic ways to make an impact.
#UNLITTER UF
Although the term unlitter is often associated with picking up trash, this global nonprofit takes pride in promoting a clean environment through catering to student interests. Their four pillars— mind, planet, closet and schools—represent holistic sustainability and its relevance in several aspects of life.
“It’s about efficiency and instilling a mindfulness about how people’s actions contribute to the environment,” co-social media director Katharina Wood Koepcke explained. #UNLITTER’s events, including clothing swaps, bi-weekly yoga and upcycling workshops, focus on fostering relationships with the environment and encouraging clean consumption habits.
The club’s mission is to make access to sustainable behaviors as easy as possible. Co-director Jaia Kattan Mondino emphasized the individual benefits sustainability could have for an individual, making the individual more mindful.
“Sustainability is also something that’s beneficial to yourself, and we try to show that through mindfulness with our yoga classes. You’re making your brain slow down, and it allows you to think more about the world around you,” she said.
One of the club’s biggest concerns regarding sustainability is overconsumption. The digital age has placed increased pressure on users to keep up with trends by constantly buying new clothes and products, but as Kattan Mondino said, “you don’t need more stuff.” “The number one thing is focusing on yourself,” Co-director and outreach director Summer Smith said, “TikTok Shop and other ads are feeding into our diversion from doing things to buying things, and there are more meaningful ways to spend your time that’ll inherently make you more sustainable.” She encouraged finding new hobbies and connecting with neighbors.
Buying less is one of the most impactful ways to practice sustainability, and #UNLITTER’s activities are centered around repurposing and reusing unwanted items.
There are many alternatives to consumption. One of the biggest misconceptions about sustainability is the idea of perfection.
“People think that you either have to be sustainable or not sustainable,” Koepcke explained. The reality, however, is that accountability is more important than perfection.
“Be vegan with bacon,” she joked. As the analogy suggests, sustainability is still possible, even if there are times when a reusable bag is inaccessible or a plastic spoon is the only available option. It is more important to take small steps toward incorporating cleaner practices.
“Ability is all around,” Kattan Mondino added. “Even if you just eat less meat, that is going to make a huge difference,” she added.
#UNLITTER’s four-person board of directors is all women, who believe perspective is a huge advantage attributed to women leaders.
“Especially for issues like sustainability, there are so many avenues for solutions, and you can’t just look to the same people for an answer,” Smith said. In order to find true solutions, it’s essential to incorporate diversity into environmental movements, bringing awareness to specific issues and considering new approaches. With different backgrounds and areas of study, the board works together to plan events, post content and increase engagement. Although their responsibilities can be overwhelming at times, “we’re really good at filling each other’s shoes,” Co-social media director Mansi Patel said. She leans on her fellow board members for advice on her Instagram posts and works with Wood Koepcke to ensure their feed is rooted in #UNLITTER’s values.
The board is grateful for their community at #UNLITTER, who unite under one passion as both friends and leaders. They admire the communication, honesty and connection among their members and are always open to new ideas. They encourage both students and Gainesville citizens to participate in events, which are posted weekly on their Instagram, unlitteruf.
Thrift Club
Alyssa Pender, the outreach chair for UF’s Thrift Club, has been interested in thrifting since high school. She discovered the club through a friend and was drawn to the community’s mission.
“It’s a really great place to find friends, hang out and it makes me feel good about what I’m doing for my community,” she said.
Thrifting has become a rising trend on social media, and its increasing popularity causes high prices that are inaccessible for many people. To combat skyrocketing prices, Thrift Club “is interested in creating a collaborative, welcoming community where members bring clothes they don’t want anymore and swap with others.” The club hosts monthly thrift swaps at Opus Coffee on Southwest 2nd Avenue.
In addition to exchanging clothes, Thrift Club also hosts crafting events, where they use fully thrifted materials to create festive items like spring garlands, bottle cap magnets or bookmarks.
Pender expressed her concern for sustainability in the fashion industry, especially with the rise of fast fashion.
“I see a lot of people immediately throwing things away when they move out,” she explained. As an alternative, she advised students to donate their used clothes to Goodwill because, “it’s a great opportunity for others to take advantage of what we don’t need anymore.”
Pender practices sustainability in her own life by reducing her food waste. She tries to limit the use of plastic utensils and drinks with a reusable straw whenever she can. She also makes sure most of her closet is thrifted and sustainably gets rid of her unwanted pieces. She emphasized the importance of researching brands when purchasing clothes to ensure they are producing sustainably.
Thrift Club can be found via Instagram, thriftclubUF, where they post their upcoming events and involvement opportunities.
#UNLITTER and Thrift Club are hosting their fifth annual Thrift Gala on April 3 at the Matheson History Museum. Inspired by the Met Gala, this sustainable-themed event will include a fully-thrifted fashion show with stylists, models and photographers. It will also feature live bands, local vendors and raffle competitions. This year’s theme will be “Gems & Geodes,” and the clubs encourage anyone to “dress your best,” have fun and create connections with others dedicated to environmental awareness.