Can Fashion Be Sustainable?

The Problem: Fast Fashion and Its Consequences

Fast fashion has become a major problem in the fashion industry. The demand for cheap, trendy clothing has led to a culture of overconsumption and waste. The fashion industry is responsible for a significant amount of pollution, water usage, and carbon emissions. The workers who make the clothes are often underpaid and work in unsafe conditions. This is a problem that affects all of us, and it's time to start making a change.

The Solution: Sustainable Fashion

Sustainable fashion is a movement towards more ethical and environmentally-friendly clothing. It takes into account the entire lifecycle of a garment, from the materials used to the workers who make it, to the way it is disposed of. Sustainable fashion is about creating clothing that is made to last, using materials that are renewable and biodegradable, and ensuring that workers are paid fairly and work in safe conditions.

Introducing DOBdrop

DOBdrop is a company that is committed to sustainable, inclusive, and local fashion. They work with brands that share their values and believe that sustainability includes more than just materials, but also the people, communities, and environment affected along every step of the process.

What Makes DOBdrop Different?

DOBdrop is not just another clothing store. They are a company that is committed to making a difference. They work with brands that are making a positive impact on the world, whether that's by using sustainable materials, supporting local communities, or donating to charitable causes.

Shop with a Purpose

When you shop with DOBdrop, you can feel good about your purchase. You are supporting brands that are making a positive impact on the world. You are helping to reduce waste and pollution in the fashion industry. And you are supporting workers who are paid fairly and work in safe conditions. You are making a difference.

Conclusion

Sustainable fashion is not just a trend, it's a movement towards a better future. DOBdrop is leading the way by working with brands that are committed to making a positive impact. When you shop with DOBdrop, you can be confident that you are making a difference.

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Giving Tuesday Redefined.
Highlighting non-profit organizations doing great things.

We believe in caring about where we’re from, and in contributing to and improving the lives of our local communities and neighborhoods. In honor of Human Rights Month we are excited to highlight and donate to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) today. 

ACLU

Charity Navigator: 96 rating (out of 100)

Program Contribution: 90%

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation is the arm of the ACLU that conducts litigation and communication efforts. The Foundation provides legal presentation in cases involving issues of civil liberties and constitutional rights ranging from administrative hearings to trials and appeals. In addition, the Foundation educates the public as to civil liberties and constitutional rights by disseminating literature and other publications. The ACLU Foundation preserves and promotes civil rights and liberties as guaranteed by the United States Constitution.

The ACLU has grown from a roomful of civil libertarians to more than 1.7 million members. The ACLU today is the nation's largest public interest law firm, with a 50-state network of staffed, autonomous affiliate offices. They appear before the United States Supreme Court more than any other organization except the U.S. Department of Justice. About 100 ACLU staff attorneys collaborate with about 2,000 volunteer attorneys in handling close to 2,000 cases annually.

The ACLU is non-profit and non-partisan. They do not receive any government funding. Member dues and contributions and grants from private foundations and individuals pay for the work they do. The ACLU, with headquarters in New York City, litigates across the nation and all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Their Washington, D.C., legislative office lobbies the U.S. Congress. They use strategic communications to educate the public about issues. And the ACLU has expanded its reach by applying international human rights standards in our complex Post 9/11 world. A number of national projects address specific civil liberties issues: AIDS, capital punishment, lesbian and gay rights, immigrants' rights, prisoners' rights, reproductive freedom, voting rights, women's rights and workplace rights.

If you also want to give back to the ACLU, go to https://action.aclu.org and click on donate

Every month we’ll continue to highlight and donate to non-profit organizations that are in service to DOB’s three core principles; sustainable, inclusive, local.

Giving Tuesday Redefined.
Highlighting non-profit organizations doing great things.

We are committed to uplifting the voices of our community and that not only means telling their story through our brands partner, but giving back in a meaningful way. In honor of November representing the month of thanksgiving and supporting the local community, we wanted to give back to an organization we have previously highlighted in the past year: Henry Street Settlement. Henry Street Settlement is an organization that delivers a wide range of social service and arts programming to more than 100,000 New Yorkers each year, founded in 1893 by social work pioneer Lillian Wald and is based on Manhattan's Lower East Side.  

Henry Street Settlement 

Charity Navigator: 97 rating (out of 100)

Rating: 4/4 stars

Henry Street Settlement has been working for more than 125 years to alleviate the effects of poverty on the Lower East Side community, for all of New York City, and for the nation. They fight poverty by preparing people to enter the workforce, ensuring educational opportunity, providing transitional and supportive housing for the homeless, providing mental and physical health care, and creating access to the arts.

Guided by the blueprint left by their trailblazing founder, Lillian Wald, she believed "Each of us is whole and worthy. Poverty is a social issue (not an individual failing). There is power in bridging differences. Neighbors matter. In times of need, act."  Today, the local community that Henry Street serves has the third highest population density in New York City, the fourth largest number of public housing units, and a 26% poverty rate (which rises to 44.6% for children). Perhaps most telling is that they have the second highest rate of income disparity (meaning the difference between the highest- and lowest-earning census tracts) in the city.

 As stated by the President & CEO David Garza: 

"The fundamental responsibility of a settlement house is to respond to the most pressing needs of our community. The refrain “Listen, reflect, act” has been our North Star throughout the pandemic; through times of exhaustion and hope alike, these words have carried us through an extraordinarily difficult time—for both our team and community. Now, as the Lower East Side, and the world, show signs of rebirth, what we are hearing is that the health of our community has never been a higher priority. So true to form, Henry Street is acting in a variety of ways to address this imperative. As an organization founded to provide public health care, we have taken a strong stand in support of COVID vaccines and testing. But health is not just a physical state. It refers to all of the elements that contribute to individual and family wellbeing—mental health, nutrition, finances, employment, housing, educational access, community safety, and ease of self expression. This constellation of factors—what are now called the social determinants of health—could just as easily define what a settlement does."

If you also want to give back to Henry Street, go to https://www.henrystreet.org and click on donate

The first Tuesday of every month we’ll continue to highlight and donate to non-profit organizations that are in service to DOB’s three core principles; sustainable, inclusive, local.

Giving Tuesday Redefined.
Highlighting non-profit organizations doing great things.

We are committed to uplifting the voices of our community and that not only means telling their story through our brands partners, but giving back in a meaningful way. This month we are highlighting and donating to both the Hispanic Federation & First Nations Development Institute in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month and Indigenous People’s Day. 

The Hispanic Federation

Charity Navigator: 98 rating (out of 100)

Program Contribution: 91%

Established in 1990, the Hispanic Federation is a service-oriented membership organization that works with over 100 Latino health and human services agencies to promote the social, political and economic well-being of the Latino community. The Federation's member agencies work in the areas of education, health, immigration, civic engagement, economic empowerment, the environment and disaster relief. With offices in New York, Washington D.C., Connecticut and Florida, and a nonprofit footprint throughout the East Coast, HF uplifts millions of Hispanic children, youth and families locally and nationally. The Hispanic Federation's mission is to empower and advance the Hispanic community. 

HF’s effectiveness lies in its depth of relationships with Latino communities and strength of connection with grasstops and grassroots stakeholders. These strong bonds with community leaders, media, corporations, and local & national elected officials allow HF to work deeply in communities and pursue systemic change in its issue areas.

The First Nations Development Institute 

Charity Navigator: 97 rating (out of 100)

Program Contribution: 84%

First Nations Development Institute is a national, nonprofit, Native American organization whose mission is to strengthen American Indian economies to support healthy Native communities. They believe that only solutions designed by Native peoples, for Native peoples, through the control of their assets and based on their cultural values, will succeed. Founded in 1980, First Nations began its national grantmaking program in 1993. Through mid-year 2022, they have successfully managed 2,702 grants totaling $54.7 million to Native American projects and organizations in 44 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. Territory American Samoa.

Their strategies are to:

• Educate Grassroots Practitioners through training, technical assistance, and peer learning.
• Advocate For Systemic Change by building power in Native communities and affirming tribes' peer-to-peer status with the federal government.
• Capitalize Indian Communities through grants to tribes and Native groups to ensure that Native people receive physical, environmental, socioeconomic, and cultural benefits.

The First Nations' board is 100% Native American and their staff is majority Native.

Every month we’ll continue to highlight and donate to non-profit organizations that are in service to DOB’s three core principles; sustainable, inclusive, local.