This week, Ampleen had the fortune to meet students at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and talk about Ampleen’s efforts for urban green living.
Located in NYC, FIT is a part of the New York state university system and is an internationally recognized institution for design, fashion, art, communications and business.
FIT fosters sustainability initiatives throughout its community. One such initiative is the FIT Sustainability Council, which hosts many sustainability-related programs.
Professor Shireen Musa of the Department of International Trade and Marketing introduced me to some green efforts that FIT recently undertook, such as setting up a rooftop garden and implementing a campus-wide recycling policy. She also pointed out that FIT decided on patching holes on the floor and preserving the original one, rather than replacing the entire floor.
FIT's rooftop garden
Our audience was the students who are taking a course called International Sourcing, with Professor Musa, and they are aiming for careers such as an international procurement manager working for a multi-national fashion house. Professor Musa emphasizes in her class that procurement managers need to be mindful of the factory’s policy toward human rights and sustainability, as opposed to being focused only on cost.
During our discussion, students were eager to learn about the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH), an indicator of happiness, and a way we can make a positive impact while being mindful of a true happiness that doesn’t depend on consumerism.
Students contributed to the class by sharing some perspectives on GNH from their own experiences. One student mentioned that she recently had an opportunity to think hard about what keeps her comfortable and happy when she had to select things to take with her for an evacuation caused by Hurricane Sandy. Another student shared that her perspectives on happiness and other subjects were totally transformed after she took an international field trip to India that FIT organized.
We were very grateful to meet and share our perspectives with the next generation of urban green activists who will be carrying on the spirit of sustainability and greener living further into this century. We hope that our effort can help plant a seed in their conscience to live more happily and sustainably.
FIT's main campus
Absolutely awesome! The fashion world is becoming more mindful of the need to make their profession more sustainable and green, so I congratulate you on driving home the message by speaking to them about Ampleen’s hope for the future!
PS. perhaps I am just not seeing it, but do you have an “email” button that I can click on to share this article with friends and make them aware of what Ampleen is doing to promote green?
txs!
Nicola
Thank you, Nicola, for the feedback. It was such an exciting event to talk to FIT students. Yes, we added functionality of sharing. So, spread the word about Ampleen’s effort!