At a glance
The Climate Action and Sustainability Team (CAST) of the University of Washington School of Dentistry will host a Sustainable… Read full summary
- Funding received
- 2025-2026
- Mini
- Awarded
- $4,932
- Funding partners
-
- Services and Activities Fee (SAF)
- Website & social links
The Climate Action and Sustainability Team (CAST) of the University of Washington School of Dentistry will host a Sustainable Fashion Show to highlight reuse, waste reduction, and creative expression as tangible climate actions. The show will feature thrifted and repurposed clothing modeled by dental students, paired with sustainability-themed student performances in music, dance, and spoken word to engage attendees between runway segments. By showcasing stylish, low-waste fashion and raising awareness of the environmental impacts of fast fashion (including textile waste, carbon emissions, and water use), this event inspires behavioral change and demonstrates how sustainability can be incorporated into everyday choices. Open to students from all UW schools, the show fosters interdisciplinary community building and strengthens a culture of sustainability across campus. Funds cover a Kane Hall reservation, the purchase of thrifted clothes and fabric, and pay for a hairstylist/makeup artist.
The Climate Action and Sustainability Team of the University of Washington School of Dentistry (UWSOD) will host a Sustainable Fashion Show that highlights reuse, waste reduction, and creative expression as tangible climate actions. The event will feature thrifted and secondhand clothing modeled by dental students, demonstrating how reuse can be stylish, accessible, and impactful.
The fashion show will emphasize the environmental impacts of the fast-fashion industry, including textile waste, carbon emissions, and water use, while offering reuse as a practical alternative. All outfits showcased will be thrifted or repurposed, reinforcing the message that sustainable fashion does not require buying new or expensive items.
To broaden the event’s appeal and increase attendance, the show will include sustainability-themed student talent performances such as music, spoken word, and dance between runway segments. The event will be open to students from all UW schools, fostering interdisciplinary community building around sustainability and climate awareness.
CSF funding is essential to making this event accessible, inclusive, and impactful. Funds will be used to cover room rental costs; promotional materials such as posters and digital outreach to maximize student engagement; the purchase of thrifted clothing and fabric to repurpose as clothing; and basic hair and makeup services to support participating models and elevate the professionalism of the event.
This project aligns closely with CSF goals by promoting waste reduction, reuse, and education through a student-led initiative. By combining sustainability education with creative expression, the Sustainable Fashion Show will inspire attendees to reconsider their consumption habits and recognize climate action as something that can be integrated into everyday choices. Ultimately, the event seeks to spark conversation, encourage behavioral change, and strengthen a culture of sustainability within the UWSOD and the broader UW community.
UW Population Health Initiative
UW Medicine Environmental Sustainability Coordinating Committee
Ivy F Lin
Project lead
- ivylin2@uw.edu
- Affiliation
- Faculty
- Affiliated groups
- UWSOD Climate Action and Sustainability Team
Angela Denton
Team member
- adenton8@uw.edu
- Affiliation
- Student
- Years
- 0.5 year(s) remaining at UW
- Affiliated groups
- UWSOD Climate Action and Sustainability Team
Asia Richardson
Team member
- asialr@uw.edu
- Affiliation
- Student
- Years
- 2.5 year(s) remaining at UW
- Affiliated groups
- UWSOD Climate Action and Sustainability Team
Request amount and budget
Plans for financial longevity
Following this inaugural event, we will develop a clear blueprint to guide future iterations of the fashion show. Promotional materials and photographs from the event will be leveraged to secure sponsorship for subsequent years. Demonstrated success, strong participation, and visual documentation will serve as compelling evidence to attract and incentivize future sponsors.
- By March 6: Recruitment and confirmation of student models and talent performers
- By March 1: Reach out to potential sponsors
- By March 20: Take pictures of models and talent; design and distribution of promotional materials
- By April 15: Finalize all outfits and designs
- May 29: Sustainable Fashion Show event date (tentative)
Plans for long-term project management
This project is led by a junior faculty member who will remain actively involved with the Climate Action and Sustainability Team for years to come, with the goal of establishing this event as an inaugural initiative that will be repeated annually.
Problem statement
Clothing production is a significant contributor to global carbon emissions, water pollution, and landfill waste, yet awareness of these impacts remains limited among students, especially within professional and health-sciences programs where sustainability education is often secondary to rigorous academic demands. At the UW School of Dentistry, students are deeply engaged in clinical and academic training, leaving fewer opportunities to explore how everyday lifestyle choices—such as clothing consumption—intersect with climate action and sustainability.
This project was informed by lived experiences within the Climate Action and Sustainability Team, where members observed strong student interest in sustainability but limited engagement opportunities that are creative, accessible, and relevant to professional identity. Existing sustainability messaging on campus often focuses on abstract or large-scale solutions, which can feel disconnected from students’ daily lives. There is a critical need for initiatives that translate climate concepts into visible, relatable actions that students can immediately adopt.
The proposed Sustainable Fashion Show addresses this gap by using reuse and thrifting as an entry point to climate action, while leveraging peer modeling and performance to draw participation. By centering reuse within a student-led, interdisciplinary event, the project responds to the need for engaging sustainability education that reduces waste, challenges fast-fashion norms, and builds a culture of climate-conscious decision-making at UW.
Problem context
The University of Washington has a strong and growing ecosystem of sustainability initiatives. While these efforts provide important education and infrastructure, many initiatives are decentralized and tend to engage students within specific disciplines or interest groups. Professional schools, such as the School of Dentistry, have fewer sustainability-centered events that are highly visible, creative, and community-facing.
This project is designed to complement existing UW initiatives by bringing sustainability messaging into a new context and audience. By centering reuse and thrifted fashion within a health-sciences community, the Sustainable Fashion Show expands the reach of UW’s waste reduction and climate action efforts to students who may not typically engage with sustainability programming. The event reinforces existing reuse initiatives by normalizing secondhand clothing as desirable and aspirational, while providing a platform that connects sustainability with student creativity, leadership, and wellbeing.
Additionally, opening the event to students from other UW schools creates opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and collective action. By serving as a visible, celebratory sustainability event, this project strengthens connections across UW’s sustainability ecosystem and amplifies the impact of existing programs through shared messaging, participation, and community-building.
Measure the impacts
| Impact / goal | Metric(s) of success | UW stakeholders impacted |
|---|---|---|
| Engage the UW community in conversations around sustainability | 200 people engaged | Undergraduate, Graduate, Academic staff, Admin staff |
| Involve different healthcare specialties | engagement from 3 different health sciences schools | Undergraduate, Graduate, Academic staff, Admin staff |
Communication tactics and tools
This project will use a multi-channel communication strategy to maximize visibility, engagement, and impact across the UW community. Social media will serve as a primary outreach tool, with posts and stories shared through the UW School of Dentistry, Climate Action and Sustainability Team, and partner student organization accounts. Content will include model and talent spotlights, behind-the-scenes thrifting highlights, sustainability facts about textile waste, and event countdowns to build anticipation. Digital promotional materials, including flyers and posters, will be shared via student listservs and newsletters.
During the event, brief verbal messaging and signage will highlight the sustainability rationale behind thrifting and reuse. After the event, photos, videos, and impact summaries will be shared online to extend the project’s reach and document outcomes. These materials will also serve as tools for future sponsorship outreach and replication, reinforcing long-term engagement and collective climate action at UW.
Outreach communication plan
Outreach will focus on broad, inclusive engagement across the UW community. Promotion will include digital flyers, social media posts, and listserv announcements distributed through the UW School of Dentistry, sustainability-focused student groups, and campus-wide channels. Event impacts will be shared through post-event photos, attendance metrics, and brief reflections highlighting reuse and waste reduction outcomes. Beneficiaries include dental students, students from other UW schools, sustainability organizations, and the broader campus community seeking accessible, creative entry points into climate action.
Student involvement
Student involvement is central to this project and offers meaningful professional development opportunities. Dental students will serve as models, performers, event planners, and sustainability ambassadors, gaining experience in leadership, event coordination, teamwork, and public engagement. Student volunteers will assist with outreach, backstage coordination, and sustainability messaging during the event. Participants will also build skills in interdisciplinary collaboration and climate communication—competencies increasingly valued in healthcare professions. By integrating sustainability into a creative, student-led initiative, the project provides applied learning opportunities that empower students to connect climate action with professional identity and community leadership.