Sustainable Future: One Stitch at a Time
Porter Middle School
Conserving water in drought-stricken Los Angeles by transforming discarded jeans and clothing into fashionable and unique one-of-a-kind pieces.
One Stitch at a Time is a project focused on upcycling clothing into new items that can be worn or used with a new purpose. For example, it can take up to 2,800 gallons of water to make a pair of jeans and 713 gallons for a cotton shirt. In the US, 66% of all unwanted clothes and textiles end up in the landfill. Less than 15% are recycled. The textile production process contributes to about 20% of global water waste. One Stitch at a Time’s goal is to take used clothing and textiles and repurpose them into something new that can be worn or used. It demonstrates samples that could be scaled up in large quantities like quilts, pillows and hand bags. Los Angeles Textile industry is the largest in the United States. Reducing the amount of unsold clothing sent to landfills with not only help reduce waste but also reduce water consumption.
