Sustainability Awareness Week 2022
Schedule of Events
All events are free and open to the FIT community only. Faces and Places in Fashion is open to the public, as are virtual events.
* Denotes virtual event.
Check Out Our Presenters and Panelists
Monday, October 17
Virtual Event
Dr. Joyce F. Brown, President, Fashion Institute of Technology
Student Government Welcome:
Brooke Singer, Secretary of Sustainability, Student Government Association
Sustainability Council Welcome:
Dr. Karen R. Pearson, Sustainability Council Chair
Katie Murphy Amphitheatre
Marci Zaroff, Founder, CEO and Chairwoman, EcoFashion Corp
Caroline Gordon, Adjunct Professor, Fashion Business Management
Tuesday, October 18
Breezeway - Between Business & Liberal Arts Center & Dubinsky Student Center
Join us outdoors for interactive activities led by faculty, staff, and students to learn about sustainability projects and events at FIT.
Greenmarket and GrowNYC
Radical Acts of Repair Workshop
The Radical Acts of Repair workshop will investigate and explore the process of darning and mending as a narrative act to further the longevity of a garment's life.
Amy Sperber, Assistant Professor, Fashion Design
Tom Scott, Assistant Professor, Fashion Design
Slow Fast Fashion Digital Photo Booth
Frustrated by fast fashion? Curious about digital fashion? Join the digital fashion revolution by creating your own filter to protest fast fashion! Stop by our photo booth to have your picture taken wearing a customized digital protest filter. Post your digitally dressed pic on social media to raise awareness about fast fashion. Not interested in a selfie? Stop by anyways to learn about the complexity of fast fashion and what you can do to address it in your community.
Andrea Diodati, Assistant Professor, Fashion Design
Style Shop Vintage Designer Collection
Shop the latest release from the Style Shop's vintage designer collection, and learn more about sustainable ways to shop and the lifespan of donated and recycled clothing.
Rasmus Hammarstrom, Vintage Head Buyer, FIT Style Shop
Building a Sustainable Plastic Recycling Factory Demo
The primary goal of this project is to create a system for recycling plastic waste products for reuse as a material resource by the FIT community. By creating a series of machines that break plastic down into smaller pieces and transform them into new forms, we can help create a pipeline for reducing waste while making new useful products.
Mo Shahadat, PrintFX and The Fablab Coordinator
Steven Ceraso, CDP Technologist, Instructor
Facilities and Sustainability at FIT
Anthony Dicks, UG2
Al Palmaccio, Assistant Director of Engineering and Sustainability
Sustainability Opportunities at FIT
Sustainability Grants
Learn how to apply for a $5,000 Sustainability Grant, administered by FIT’s Sustainability Council in support of projects related to social, environmental, and/or economic areas of sustainability.
Sabrina Lenzen, Grants Manager, Grants Office
Dr. Evelyn Rynkiewicz, Assistant Professor, Science and Math
Ethics and Sustainability Minor
The minor in Ethics and Sustainability draws on the expertise and critical thinking of faculty across the campus in all three schools. Minoring in Ethics and Sustainability provides students with knowledge and tools to understand and critically assess environments, materials, economics, aesthetics, philosophical concepts, social responsibility, and the impact of actions. The minor is designed to facilitate understanding of the interrelatedness of topics, information, and applications related to ethics and sustainability.
Ann Cantrell, Associate Professor, Fashion Business Management
Genspace Scholars
The FIT Genspace Scholars Program provides FIT undergraduate students the opportunity to develop and complete research at the state of the art Genspace Laboratory in Brooklyn during the spring semester. Learn more about the scholars program and how to apply.
Idil Bayik, Fashion Design Student and GenSpace Scholar
Dye Garden Rooftop, Feldman Center, Ninth Floor
Come see FIT's Natural Dye Garden and learn more about our dye plants, including native and pollinator species. Learn how we've been harvesting, help us collect our dye yield for storage, and take part in a natural dye workshop. Students, fill out this interest form and get on the Dye Garden Student Mailing List.
Whitney Crutchfield, Adjunct Professor, Textile Development and Marketing
Wednesday, October 19
Business and Liberal Arts Center, Room B309
*Please note the speaker will not be in-person, he will be joining virtually
Conversation with Alex Husted, Founder and CEO of Helpsy on B Corp Certification and Helpsy’s mission to radically change the way we think about, dispose of, recycle and buy second hand clothing.
Ann Cantrell, Associate Professor, Fashion Business Management
Virtual Event
Learn more about the solar powered camera that gives visual access to the hive project for ongoing study by our students and coalition partners, to encourage dialogue about the impacts of climate change on this species of bee and related ecosystems, and to promote sustainable, alternative energy sources
Rick Hoar, Executive Director, Media and Event Technology Services
Dubinsky Student Center, Eighth Floor
Tour the FIT Green Roofs and learn about their history and how they positively impact our environment. Hosted by Al Palmaccio, Assistant Director of Engineering and Sustainability.
Virtual Event
Ayesha Barenblat, Founder and CEO, ReMake
Ann Cantrell, Associate Professor, Fashion Business Management
Thursday, October 20
Feldman Center, Room C904
FIT Student Cultural Fellows:
Kathryn Devereaux, Iqaluit, Canada: arctic ice
Natalia Rumiantseva, Moscow, Russia: global warming and fires
Shelly Shalev, Tel Aviv, Israel: flooding and veganism
Nazera Bhavnagri, New Cairo City, Egypt: water and sustainable fabrics
Isha Kesarwani, Lucknow, India: degrading air quality
Moderator: Alexis Yap, Student Government Association: Secretary of Campus Affairs
Dubinsky Student Center, Eighth Floor
Tour the FIT Green Roofs and learn about their history and how they positively impact our environment. Hosted by Al Palmaccio, Assistant Director of Engineering and Sustainability.
Dubinsky Student Center, Eighth Floor Alcove
The Sustainability & Theater: Interdisciplinary Lab presents: “Sign me Up! Two Plays on Climate Crisis,” a reading of two short plays followed by a discussion on the role of theater on sustainability.
Rhea Punjabi, Fashion Business Management
Esha Lalwani, Advertising and Marketing Communications
Selin Yapici, Fashion Design Graduate
Abby Caimano, Spatial Experience Design
Bhavika Punjabi, Direct and Interactive Marketing
David Grotell, Adjunct Associate Professor, Film, Media and Performing Arts
Moderator: Zaida Godoy Navarro, Assistant Professor, Modern Languages and Cultures
Dye Garden Rooftop, Feldman Center, Ninth Floor
Come see FIT's Natural Dye Garden and learn more about our dye plants, including native and pollinator species. Learn how we've been harvesting, help us collect our dye yield for storage, and take part in a natural dye workshop. Students, fill out this interest form and get on the Dye Garden Student Mailing List.
Rebecca Dillenberger, Student, Textile Development & Marketing
Dr. Evelyn Rynkiewicz, Assistant Professor, Science and Math
Friday, October 21
C804 LAB (RSVP Required)
Help SC 149, Chemistry for Cosmetics and Fragrances, by collecting oak leaves and acorn caps to celebrate the 2022 National Chemistry Week "Fabulous Fibers" theme. We will be testing out a new lab generating dyes, inks, and pigments from natural renewable resources in a free workshop. No experience necessary, space is limited.
Julian R. Silverman, Assistant Professor, Science and Math
Virtual Event
Become a Genspace Scholar
The FIT Genspace Scholars Program provides FIT undergraduate majors the opportunity
to develop and complete research at the state of the art Genspace Laboratory in Brooklyn
during the spring semester. Learn more about the program and how to apply.
Dr. Karen R. Pearson, Chair, Sustainability Council
Jehovani Lopez, Genspace
Virtual Event
Dr. Karen Pearson, Chair, Sustainability Council
Dr. Daniel Benkendorf, Professor of Psychology and Sustainability Council Memberncil
Additional Events
Thursday, October 20, 6–8 pm
Bloomingdale's Corporate Offices, Long Island City
28-17 Jackson Avenue, Queens, NY 11101
Join Bloomingdale's and FIT for an evening of networking and conversation on Thursday, October 20. This event is part of FIT's Sustainability Awareness Week and will center on a panel conversation with FIT alumni and industry leaders on a range of topics including unlocking innovation for capital fundraising, sustainable product marketing, social ethics, consumer education, industry insights and more! Attendees will enjoy welcome drinks and refreshments prior to the start of the panel.
We welcome those who are both curious as to how to get started as well as industry professionals. We hope to see you there!
This event is part of the Bloomingdale’s x FIT Sustainable Innovation Fund
In September Bloomingdale’s kicked off their 150th anniversary celebrations and the launch of their reimagined social purpose strategy—b the change—in partnership with FIT. The Bloomingdale’s x FIT Sustainable Innovation Fund highlights and celebrates sustainability and the next generation of creative industry leaders.
Exhibition
FIT's Art and Design Gallery: Resurgence showcases the ingenuity of artisan work and hand-crafted objects from textiles, jewelry, and decorative accessories. Contributors to this show include FIT alumni, faculty, and students, as well as finalists from the 2022 Global Eco Artisan Awards, a recognition given by the AGAATI Foundation. The unique pieces highlight FIT’s hands-on curriculum and represent how mastering artisanship can lead to successful entrepreneurship. Many of the Global Eco Artisan finalists are informally trained artisans who learned their expertise through generations of family or regional craft practices. The exhibition celebrates the diversity of craft from around the globe and displays the unique way that artists master technique, material, and design.
The exhibition is curated by Nomi Kleinman, chair of Textile/Surface Design, in collaboration with the AGAATI Foundation, a nonprofit committed to celebrating creativity and artisan-made craft.
The contributors from the FIT community are drawn from Footwear and Accessories Design, Jewelry Design, and Textile/Surface Design departments. The AGAATI Foundation organizes and sponsors the Global Eco Artisan Awards.
Learn More About the Exhibition
Virtual Green Roof Tour
