Our goal is that members can treat this space as a shared collection instead of each of us paying for separate, expensive storage units. The membership dues with added fees for individual pieces is intended to also account for members' use of the collection. This way someone who uses 100 pieces in a year is paying more than someone who uses 10 pieces in a year, but all membership fees are paying into a pot to support the space each year.

Every year of the Chicago Green Theatre Alliance swap is a little different. We’re working towards improving data tracking and transparency so here’s what I can tell you right now:

As we get ready to strike out on our own at the end of this year, I've been doing more research into small business planning and organization. Here is a little exercise to understand my assumptions about our customers and our product. What do you think? Is it accurate?

As a part of preparing Conscious Costume for our “Phase 3” launch at the end of this year, I completed an exercise on growing Conscious Costume’s following so I can make this career personally sustainable.

I encourage you to shop at independent or not-for-profit thrift shops that support a local cause where possible, rather than large, for-profit, national chain thrift stores. However, it’s a different story when it comes to where we recommend you recycle your clothing and here’s why:

One challenge with thrifting or shopping second hand us unwanted…..odors. Whether BO, smoke, or overly fragrant detergent, smells can prevent people from shopping for and wearing second hand clothing. Here is a guide for different strategies for deodorizing clothing and textiles so they are clean and fresh for you to wear, plus most of these tips will help with visible staining also.

Every piece of plastic you've ever touched or handled, none of it has biodegraded, it’s all still there. Now, thanks to The Fraud of Plastic Recycling report by the Center for Climate Integrity, we know that very little plastic has ever been recycled.