FIT Students journey to San Francisco to attend 2010 Fall Green Festival
On November 4, 2010, eight students from the Fashion Institute of Technology’s International Trade and Marketing major (ITM) departed from the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple and headed to the City by the Bay to attend the 2010 Fall Green Festival.
Names on photo from left to right: Stacie Shepp (FIT Alumna), TatianaHoudgebe, Prof. Shireen Musa, Yasmin Piracha, Kayla Palmer, Arielle Childs, Brittany Vernola, Udochi Nwaigwe, Larissa Zemke, Sahar Omar
Equipped with curiosity and excitement, they navigated through the vibrant labyrinth of over 300 exhibitor booths and dozens of speaker sessions, uncovering knowledge and gaining motivation. One student who attended the Bio-Inspired Design: Innovations in Green Products and Business session commented: “It was amazing! I was inspired during a biomimicry session when I learned how designers, engineers and biologists were working together to find innovated design solutions from nature.”
Throughout the 2-day Green Festival, students’ taste for sustainability was tantalized as they were presented with generous samples of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap, various organic skincare, and consumed organic treats, such as Alter Eco Bolivian dark chocolate, Palestinian fair trade olive oil, an assortment of cookies and crackers and Nature’s Path granola bars, just to name a few. “They fed us well!” stated another student with a big smile.
Fueled by these sustainable calories, students enthusiastically participated in speaker Q&A sessions, such as Fair Trade Coffee Sustainability from Farm to Cup and Where are we in the Fair Trade Movement? Here, they applied the skills they are learning in FIT’s ITM major to pose tough questions about Fair Trade verses Free Trade and sustainable supply chains.
FIT’s ITM major is a Bachelor of Science program that prepares students to become global business leaders. Courses include Import/Export Regulations, Global Marketing, Global Sourcing, and International Corporate Responsibility, among others. Also, in support of the “FIT Goes Green: Infusing Sustainability into our Culture” initiative, the college will host its 5th Annual Sustainability Conference, which is free and open to the public, on April 12, 2011. The theme of this year’s conference is “The Liquid Planet,” focusing on water as one of our most precious resources.
We spent the last day of the trip enjoying some of San Francisco’s precious resources. Students explored the bay area. I visited Muir Woods and was amazed by what nature creates with a single seed. The height, presence, health and longevity of these redwoods, among the tallest trees on the planet, which have been nurtured by the earth for hundreds of years, is truly majestic.
The Green Festival was sowing the seeds of sustainability into the hearts and minds of our students and they are growing into mindful, global citizens and leaders, who will be as magnificent as the west coast redwoods.
Written by Professor Shireen Musa,
Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York
The Green Festival sounds like a perfect opportunity for FIT students to immerse themselves in sustainability and learn from experts in the field. I love that students got to taste organic treats and even receive samples of sustainable products. Hearing about how students applied their knowledge to the Q&A sessions is inspiring, and it’s clear that this experience was truly fruitful. It’s amazing that students got to be a part of a world-renowned event like the Green Festival, and I’m sure they’ll carry this experience with them for a long time. What a memorable way to expand their understanding of sustainability and practice their skills!
After reading this post, I conducted some research on Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap to see if the brand had developed or phased out. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), research shows that approximately 20% of new businesses fail during the first two years of being open, 45% during the first five years, and 65% during the first ten years. Just 25% of new businesses make it to fifteen years or more. To my surprise, while conducting research on the company’s history and development, I discovered that Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap had been in business since 1948. For those who like myself have arrived late to the party, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps is an American producer of organic soap and personal care products headquartered in Vista, California. The company was founded in the late 1940s by Emanuel Bronner & continues to be run by members of the Bronner family.
I think it’s unique & innovative that this company began making a singular product & still continues to turn a profit approximately seven decades later doing the same thing. What is the key to Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap remaining in business for more than half a century? It’s actually quite simple; Dr. Bronner similarly to George Washington Carver, found a plethora of different ways a singular product could be transformed to satisfy a number of different everyday needs. The Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap website promotes their product, a single soap bar is advertised as having a variety of uses ranging from toothpaste & shampoo to toilet scrubber & insecticide. I would’ve never thought that one bar of soap could be used for eighteen different things.
Aside from creating a variety of multi use items out of a singular bar of soap, this company also actively plays a major role in promoting the legalization of a number of psychoactive substances in treating mental health disorders like PTSD. for the legalization of a number of psychoactive substances.for the legalization of a number of psychoactive substances. In fact, the company has pledged to donate five million dollars to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) -is an American nonprofit organization working to raise awareness and understanding of psychedelic substances- between 2017 and 2022, principally for their work in support of the therapeutic use of MDMA for post-traumatic stress disorder. I commend anyone who can create a successful business & use it to make meaningful change in the world. Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap has just gained a new supporter!
I would love to attend the Green Festival. It sounds like a great educational experience but also a lot of fun too. I have to admit that I am a slightly jealous of the free samples that I’m sure all of the students on the trip enjoyed. Bio-Inspired Design: Innovations in Green Products and Business really interests me. I had no idea that design, biology, and engineering were all compatible in innovative design. Working across multiple fields is a wonderful idea because different areas of expertise and skills can be combined to find creative solutions for issues that impact all of society.