A $1 second-hand clothing sale run by University of Waikato students and Envirohub has diverted over 750kg of clothing from landfill and raised $2,500 for Turning Point Trust, a mental health and addiction recovery services organisation based in Tauranga.

The event on Saturday marked the start of the Climate Action Festival, running from 14-20 September across Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty, which features activities focused on sustainability and climate action.

Students at the University’s Tauranga campus have been working throughout the year to help Envirohub plan, promote and execute two events for the festival including the clothing sale.

The project was undertaken as part of their compulsory undergraduate Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) paper, The Impact Lab, which is a multi-disciplinary group project paper that sees students from different degree backgrounds work on real-world sustainability issues faced by an organisation or community group.

The Eco-Conscious Market held on Sunday 15 September. Photo supplied.

Bachelor of Health, Sport and Human Performance and Master of Education in Counselling Studies student Angalie Williams said she was really pleased with the turnout and the amount raised. 

“To have over 700 people come through was amazing – it was overwhelming, but it was cool to see it come to life,” Williams said.

She said the experience taught her a lot about working with a range of groups and people.

“The biggest thing for me is communicating with other stakeholders and really trying to work as a team. We always had different ideas come up and having that main form of communication and clear direction made it work.”

Originally intended to be a clothing swap, a conversation between Envirohub Project Coordinator Milly McHardie and Turning Point Trust led to the idea of the clothing sale.

Reusable party supplier The Party Godmother was one of 18 stallholders at the Eco-Conscious Market. Photo supplied.

“Turning Point Trust regularly receives donations of clothes from op shops that would otherwise be sent to landfill. Their textiles team spent months sorting and setting aside items for the sale,” McHardie said.

She adds that working with the students was a positive experience.

“Having so many more pairs of hands to help with the planning and execution of the events made a big difference. They helped with the marketing, which was great, because they had a good understanding of the student demographic we wanted to reach,” McHardie said.

Turning Point Trust Clothing and Textiles Coordinator Melissa Keillor said the money raised is invaluable to the operation of their textiles team and overall service.  

The $1 second-hand clothing sale attracted over 700 shoppers and diverted over 750kg of clothing destined for landfill. Photo supplied.

“We are a not-for-profit service who love to dream big for our community and extra funds give us the freedom to buy resources to do this. Our people volunteer their time for Turning Point as part of their mental wellbeing and/or addictions recovery and for them, this is a clear example of the success they already have, and what can be achieved on a large scale,” said Keillor.

Students also worked with Envirohub to deliver an Eco-Conscious Market on Sunday. They attracted 18 stallholders who offered a range of eco-friendly products and sustainable practices.

Work Integrated Learning Programme Lead Lee Martin said the value for students in undertaking work placements and projects is the exposure they gain to workplace settings.

"It is of real value for the students to be in a professional environment where they can integrate academic theory and knowledge with meaningful practice and real-life experiences. Students acquire transferable skills and competencies and broaden their networks which prepares them for the future workforce,” Martin said.

The Climate Action Festival continues until Friday 20 September and more information can be found at envirohub.org.nz.