SANFORD — On Friday night, Sanford High School senior Jen Halstead was dressed like trash. And that’s exactly how she wanted it.
Halstead, who is president of the Sanford High School Environmental Club, was one of the masterminds behind the school’s first-ever Green Fashion Show. Wearing an outfit made from shredded newspaper and empty candy and chip bags, she was joined by a coterie of similarly dressed environmental activists, outfitted in everything from duct tape and juice containers to English essays and tardy slips.
When Halstead conceived of the idea last fall, the goal was fun ”“ with a message. Proceeds from the event were split between two charities: The Sanford/Springvale Mousam Way Land Trust, and the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, a California charity dedicated to promoting education and finding solutions to the Texas-sized island of trash that has accumulated through natural currents in the waters of the Pacific.
“One of the kids’ big concerns is the Pacific coast garbage patch,” said Beth Marass, an SHS science teacher and advisor to the Environmental Club. “The big message for kids is to stop using plastics, and if you are using them, recycle them. We also have similar, but smaller, (garbage islands) in the Atlantic.”
When Halstead first broached the idea of a garbage-themed fashion show to her fellow Environmental Club members, she knew it would take some planning.
“I don’t think they believed I was actually going to go through with it,” she said. “It takes a lot of time, a lot of effort, people who support the idea, and it does take money.”
Most of the money, she said, went toward lighting. Two strings of lights, snaking their way along the school’s auditorium floor through rows of plastic bags, made up the runway. More lights were used to decorate the main stage, on which Halstead and club Vice President Catherine Murley emceed the event. And twice during the evening, students took a break from their runway walks and pirouettes to show YouTube videos on a projection screen detailing the statistics behind the Pacific trash island ”“ among them the fact that pieces of plastic outweigh plankton, the main source of food in that part of the ocean, by a margin of 6 to 1.
And yes, it really is roughly the size of Texas.
The fashion show was a way of getting the message across in a fun way, and not only was the Environmental Club on board, but other students volunteered their participation as well. SHS English teacher Nancy Kane also took part, dressed in an outfit made of English curriculum papers and attendance slips.
“I love the Environmental Club,” said Kane. “I love the idea of what they’re doing.”
When student Chantel Cote was asked to participate, it didn’t take long for her to jump on board.
“I was like, ”˜Finally, I get to dress up in trash and not look stupid,’” said Cote.
Joking aside, Cote hoped that the message hit home for attendees at the event.
“I hope they know that it’s not hard to recycle,” she said. “We should just be more conscientious.”
Marass is unsure whether the fashion show will become an annual event. That, she said, will depend on future classes of the Environmental Club, and what their priorities will be. But at the very least, the event provoked some thought ”“ and more than a few smiles.
“Our major theme is trying to recycle and think twice about using plastics,” she said.
— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 319, or at jlagasse@journaltribune.com.
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