6 Ways To End Earth Month With A Bang
Let’s do that one sustainability thing you've been putting off (fashion is involved)
You might be reading this and thinking to yourself: if today’s the last day of Earth Month, what can I really accomplish before EOD? No worries, I’ve got you covered with six small to medium-sized actions you can take any day of the year. If you have time today, you might be able to check at least one of these off your list.
1. Repair Something
Starting with the one that I’m truly terrible about because 1) there is not enough time in the day and 2) clothing repair is getting so expensive that I keep telling myself I’m going to learn how to sew, but 3) there isn’t enough time in the day.
I’ve been sitting on a small pile of mending for months and the one item that finally got me was when my secondhand Agolde Dames tore at the cuff from dragging on the ground. The jump scare that I might fully rip off the back of my cuff drove me to take my jeans to the Levi’s Tailor Shop1 . They performed the impeccable repair work below and pressed my jeans into a perfect sharp cuff. 10/10 recommend.
If you don’t live near a Levi’s Tailor Shop, check out mail-in services like DenimRepair.com. If you’re in San Francisco, Self Edge in the Mission offers non-patch denim mending. ODSY in the Sunset is next on my repair list for a detached bag strap based on their stellar Yelp reviews and this Gucci lining restoration.
On Substack,
is an incredible resource for garment mending, full of how-to’s, NY repair events, plus Anne’s chic circular wardrobe finds.
2. Wear Everything In Your Closet
I know. We hear this one all the time and it seems simple, but can be surprisingly fraught. I’ve written ad nauseum about how I flipped from a maximalist to minimalist wardrobe last year, which left my statement pieces languishing in my closet. I made it my 2025 goal to wear everything in my closet at least once before deciding if I wanted to find it a new home. So far, I’ve kept everything that I was on the fence about, and it’s helped me rethink my wardrobe as a minimalist-maximalist mix instead of leaning so heavily into a single aesthetic.
My most recent test was finding a dress for a graduation party. Seven years ago I would have bought something new without a second thought, even though I have dresses begging to be worn. I pulled out an OTT Ganni dress that I’ve only worn once (in Vegas, of course) and had considered selling. But this style has flooded the resale market, and I couldn’t be sure that it would stay in circulation if someone bought it. In the end, I’m glad I kept this dress - it was the perfect party look.
My poor little mesh flats hover between one and two on this list since a hole appeared in the right shoe a month after I got them. I’ve been trying to mask it with socks since the repair will cost almost as much as the shoes, but it’s time to either shoe charm it or fix it since this hole is taking on a life of its own.
3. Give Your Clothing A New Life
Then there’s the issue of clothing that’s in great condition, but you’re not wearing it for a multitude of reasons. Donating might seem like the obvious solution, but in reality, 70-90% of US and UK charity shop donations end up as textile waste in the Global South, creating extensive ecological damage and harming local communities.
If you’re not sure whether your item will actually get a second life, here are some better ways to keep it in circulation:
Customize your clothing à la
:
Participate in a clothing swap with purpose like
:
Resell2 or rent your wardrobe to keep quality, on-trend pieces in circulation and out of landfills and waterways. I’d be remiss to not mention
, which just made listing your closet easier than ever with the new app.Speaking of , we’ve got something exciting coming your way tomorrow! Keep an eye on your inbox or subscribe to stay in the loop. In the meantime, check out my interview with , the brilliant founder of Future Reference.
4. Recycle Your Worn Out Textiles
One of my first Substack posts was about my journey into secondhand activewear after the fabric of my 10 year old leggings had started to disintegrate in a very awkward place.
I’d been hanging onto my old gear because the big recycling programs were questionable at best and I wanted to find a real solution. For me this was the Girlfriend Collective x SuperCircle program where your old activewear is either upcycled into something new or downcycled to stay out of landfills. They had me at free shipping for my bag, and kept me at $10 in credit per Girlfriend Collective item and $5 per non-GC activewear item3.
Outside of SuperCircle retailer partnerships, there’s Trashie, Marine Layer’s Respun, and Ridwell - if you’ve used any of these take back programs, I’m so curious to hear about your experience in the comments.
I’ve also had great success cutting up old t-shirts for cleaning rags (five years in and the same t-shirt is still going strong), and have been holding onto socks and knits that have seen better days for the tie-dying kit I’ve been meaning to use since 2020.
5. Drop Off Your Beauty Empties
Have you ever heard of the term wishcycling? It’s the act of putting something into the recycling bin that you’re not totally sure can be recycled - I’ve done it before and you probably have, too. It’s a big issue in the recycling industry since wishcycled items can cause contamination, increasing costs or even driving entire batches to the landfill. The truth is that most beauty containers fall into the wishcycling category since they’re made from mixed materials (think: pumps) or are just too small to recycle.
I recently started a chat thread sparked by this
post, highlighting beauty brands investing in sustainability (Dieux, Krave Beauty, Lush, People Care Planet Care), next-gen compostable container startups (Shellworks, Sulapac, Sway), and interesting articles. Feel free to add your favorite beauty brand innovations to the thread - I’m always on the lookout for more!
6. Volunteer
Admittedly this one takes longer to get going if you’re not already a volunteer, but it’s an incredible way to get involved in your community and donate your time to a worthy cause. Additional benefits include making friends, stepping outside of your comfort zone, building confidence, and developing new skills.
I’m on year nine of volunteering at my local animal rescue and it’s the highlight of my week between seeing my dog and human friends. I mean, look at this sweet face:
There are so many eco-friendly actions that you can take within your community from collecting trash to beautifying your neighborhood to helping your area farmer’s market. Outside of environmental pursuits, your local library might be looking for volunteers to assist with academic tutoring, mentoring, and tech support.
Fashion Notes
I’m fascinated by the rise of bag charms and love them on other people, but mine didn’t last past day three:
I’ll never stop talking about next-gen fabrics, especially when Ganni is involved:
So intrigued to see how long this waitlist gets:
Ending with one nosy merchant question:
That’s it for this week, thanks for reading! I’d love to hear about any sustainable actions that you took to celebrate Earth Month, or if you’re a total rebel and have something eco-friendly planned for May instead.
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Actions like P2P resale and repair can help the displacement rate. Per Vogue Business “An initial survey of 7,061 UK consumers found that peer-to-peer online resale has a displacement rate of 64.6 per cent, meaning that every three in five secondhand clothing purchases displace a new item — slightly lower than previous estimates. Repair fared better: among the 721 additional respondents using repair services, the displacement rate was 82.2 per cent, or four out of five items.”
The fine print: your recycling credits will get you up to 30% off an order.
I need to set aside time for the “repair something”.. I have a bag full of these items and the best of intentions!
I challenge myself every 6 months to wear everything in my wardrobe. It really does help me connect with my style and garments. I resell or give away my old pieces, as well as loan/style for special occasions.💕
Wonderful article, thank you, Tina!