Phase I and II of Addressing Environmental Racism
FY22 SI-GECS Type 2 | FY23 SI-GECS Type 2
Abstract
Textile pollution is an issue of environmental racism that disproportionately affects countries in the Global South. Despite the scale of the problem (more than 34 billion pounds of textile waste generated annually in the U.S.), awareness of textile waste as a public health issue remains low. More importantly, for those who are educated about this issue, it remains unclear how individuals and in particular youth can come together to contribute to meaningful political and community actions that will address the environmental racism of textile pollution and lead to local and systemic changes. Video games and virtual reality have previously been used to educate and engage youth on issues of social and environmental justice. This led our team to ask: how can we leverage video game technology to engage youth on the topics of environmental racism and textile pollution and spur political and community action? We will use design thinking processes to build the game and use policy analysis and stakeholder interviews to develop an innovative political engagement tool. Anticipated scholarly deliverables include symposia on structural solutions to textile pollution, policy briefs, and a scientific paper leveraging data from our team’s prior research to analyze environmental savings of various policies.
Most individuals are unaware that post-consumer textile pollution is a serious public health hazard and an issue of tremendous environmental racism that disproportionately affects communities in the Global South, those with lower socioeconomic status, and quite often communities of color. Every year, people in the U.S. generate more than 36 billion pounds of textile waste, of which 66% is sent directly into landfills, 19% is incinerated, and only 15% is recycled. Among the small amount “recycled,” more than 30% is shipped overseas, where it ends-up simply degrading in open-air dumps there instead. Decomposing textiles produce greenhouse gases and leachates that pollute groundwater, harm respiratory health and degrade environmental contexts for all living species. Despite the scale of the problem, public awareness of textile waste as a health, environmental racism and social justice issue remains low. In support of Boston College and Schiller Institute values, our project aims to address and amplify this critical challenge of textile waste, as an issue of environmental injustice, environmental racism, and risk to human health. The project work involves research collaboration across fields of engineering and design, computational learning, art and art advocacy, applied developmental psychology, social justice education, public health, and environmental studies.
Presentations
AAC&U 2024 Transforming STEM Higher Education Conference. Undergraduate STEM Reform ... What's Next? November 7 - 9, 2024, Arlington, VA “Using Design-Thinking Strategy in Development of a Multiplayer Game to Address Textile-based Environmental Injustice.” Carrie Kandall, Boston College, (BA ‘25) Pablo Colón Quiñones, Boston College, (BA ‘26)
- The Aftermath of Textile Waste: How Fast Fashion is Impacting the Environment, Boston Public Library - Invited Community Speaker Event, October 2022
- Environmental and Gendered Health Effects from Post-Consumer Textile Waste, International Conference on Gender Research, April 2023.
- Poster won the International Conference on Gender Research poster award for 2023.
- Invited presentation by Julia DeVoy & Cecelia Cheng at the 2023 International Conference on Gender Research on April 20, 2023. “Environmental and Gendered Health Effects from Post-Consumer Textile Waste" which also won the 2023 International Conference on Gender Research poster presentation award for the year.
- Invited presentation by Julia DeVoy at the 19th International Symposium on Waste Management, Resource Recovery and Sustainability, (upcoming) 10 October 2023. “Environmental and gendered health effects of post-consumer textile waste.”
- Panel discussion with Julia DeVoy, Mark Cooper, and Sunand Bhattacharya at Boston University School of Public Health on October 6, 2022. “Textile Waste & Environmental Racism: “The Opportunities For Art To Impact Public Health.”
- Invited Lecture by Julia DeVoy at the Boston Public Library: Faneuil Branch on October 11, 2022. “The Aftermath of Textile Waste: How Fast Fashion is Impacting the Environment.”
- Invited Lecture by Julia DeVoy, Griffin Lawler, Katherine Canniff, and Cecelia Cheng at the Wilmington Memorial Library on April 6, 2023. “Aftermath: Fast Fashion and Textile Waste.”
- Invited Lecture by Julia DeVoy at St. Lawrence University on April 26, 2023. “Fast Fashion, Textile Waste, and Related Environmental Impacts.”
- Presentation by Dielle Lundberg at the LEAPS Conference 2023 on May 18, 2023. “Textile Waste as a Public Health Equity Issue and the Need for a Political and Structural Response.”
- Presentation by Evan Warns at the LEAPS Conference 2023 on May 18, 2023. “Producing a Landfill Simulating Bioreactor: Considerations, Design and Impacts.”
- Presentation by Katherine Canniff at the LEAPS Conference 2023 on May 18, 2023. “Linking Ecological Consciousness to Narrative Approaches & Recent Climate Reporting.”
- Presentation by Mark Cooper at the LEAPS Conference 2023 on May 18, 2023. “Aftermath: An Exploration of Art and Activism.”
- 2024 Transforming STEM Higher Education Conference (AACU) Arlington, Virginia) November 7-9, 2024.
- Presentation by undergraduate students Carrie Kandall and Pablo Colón Quiñones. “Design-Thinking Strategy in Development of a Multiplayer Game to Address Textile-based Environmental Injustice.”
- Fourteenth International Conference on The Constructed Environment. Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria, 5-6 April 2024. Presentation; “Development of an Educational, Multiplayer Game to Address Environmental & Health Injustices and Drive Positive Action.” April 6, 2024.
- Saint to Saint Womens Summit, Center for Excellence, St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY, April 12-13, 2024 Presentation; Spotlight on Women’s Wellness. “Games for Good: Addressing Environmental & Health Injustice.” Apr 13, 2024.Second Annual LEAPS Textile Waste Conference, Boston, MA, April 25, 2024. Presentation; April 25th, 2024. “Games for Good: Addressing Environmental & Health Injustice.”
- Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, Inaugural COP Symposium, March 15th, 2024, Installation display and presentation boards at the BC COP Symposium of Aftermath a SIGECS project centering the health and environmental consequences of textile waste.
- United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (UNFCCC COP 28). Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Presentation; Accelerating Just Transition: A Call to COP28 Action (SE# 7, Zone B6). Invited panelist of Laudato Si Movement for Our Common Home (Textile Waste & Environmental Justice Panelist Topic). December 5, 2023.
- Harvey Mudd College, Mudd Design Workshop XIII, 2023. Collaborations in Student Design Experiences: Cross-Disciplinary, Cross-Institutional, Community, and Industry Partnerships, June 8 – 10, 2023. Invited presentation by Julia DeVoy & David Gray, “Design for Impact: An Autoethnography Outlining Distributed Teacher Professional Growth Via an Intercollegiate, Interdisciplinary Human-Centered Design Program.”
- Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, Climate Seminar Speaker. Utilizing Design Thinking to Innovate Environmental Games for Good. Schiller Institute Convening Space. April 24th, 2023.
Publications
- Post-Consumer textile waste and disposal: Differences by socioeconomic, demographic, and retail factors. (DeVoy, et al 2021).
- DeVoy JE, Congiusta E, Lundberg DJ, Findeisen S, Bhattacharya S. Post-Consumer textile waste and disposal: Differences by socioeconomic, demographic, and retail factors. Waste Manag. 2021;136:303-309.
Media
- Aftermath of Fast Fashion: How Discarded Clothes Impact Public Health and the Environment (article by BU School of Public Health)
- Schiller Grant 'Aftermath' Textile & Bioreactor Sculpture at BC McMullen Museum Opening Jan. 28 (article by BC Lynch School)
- ‘Aftermath’ Sculpture, Exhibited at Boston University, Reveals Impact of Global Textile Waste (article in The Heights)
- NBC-Universal interview with Eric Alvarez (LX Explains news segment)
- WBZ News Radio interview with James Rojas on AfterMath & Textile Waste (WBZ YouTube & WBZ Website Report)
- Aftermath: Fast Fashion and Textile Waste (Community Education and Learning webinar)
- Op-Ed by Julia DeVoy and Dielle Lundberg published by Boston University School of Public Health on September 22, 2022. “The Aftermath of Fast Fashion: How Discarded Clothes Impact Public Health and the Environment.” Link for reading is available in the reference list.
- NBC LX TV News Interview with Dr. Julia DeVoy and feature about our project on March 5, 2023 with Eric Alvarez. "Have you thought about the environmental impact of fast fashion?" Link for viewing is available in the reference list.
- WBZ News Radio Interview with Dr. Julia DeVoy and feature about our project with James Rojas on AfterMath & Textile Waste (on WBZ YouTube and on WBZ Website with their report and pictures).
Students Trained
- 5 Students
- Evan Warns
- Addison Metzger
- Evelyn Kotch
- Zhiyi Zeng
- Cyrus Rosen
- 6 Undergraduate Students
- Pablo Colón Quiñones
- Carrie Kandall, Operations Management
- 3 Graduate Students
Exhibits mounted
- Aftermath, Boston College McMullen Museum of Art, January-March 2022
- Aftermath, ACCelerate Creativity + Innovation Festival, Smithsonian Museum of American History, April 2022.
- Aftermath, Talbot Building at Boston University School of Public Health, September-October 2022.
- Aftermath, Hans Rowling Center at University of Washington, [please share date]
- Aftermath, Boston College Arts Festival, April 2023