Our clothing collection boxes help save resources and lessen environmental impacts by reducing waste. The benefit of our boxes goes beyond the protection of the environment through the promotion of textile reuse — the proceeds generated by the sale of used clothing generate money for the training of volunteers who take part in sustainable development work in the poorest parts of the world.
That's the scale of the problem, and it costs us at both ends. Growing cotton and manufacturing new clothing releases enormous quantities of CO2. Then those same clothes decay in a landfill, releasing methane and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Reuse breaks the cycle. It's better for the planet and better for people.
We make it simple: collection boxes at publicly accessible locations throughout California, where surplus clothing finds its next wearer.
Knowing about poverty is not the same as doing something about it.
We provide grant funding to train volunteers who carry out sustainable development work in the world's poorest communities. They learn what poverty costs people around the world — and then they're given the chance to act on it.
Together, we are educating communities on how to reduce their risk of infection from preventable diseases. We are educating teachers who are active members of their own communities. We are helping organize and train small-scale farmers to increase food production and improve their livelihoods. And we are creating safe and supportive environments where children can develop and grow.
Every one of those efforts starts the same way — with a person who decided that learning about a problem wasn't enough.
Whether it's hosting a Box, organizing a collection drive, or just dropping off a bag — every pound counts.