Green Gown Awards 2014 - Social Responsibility - Keele University Students' Union - Finalist

KeeleSU fashion show: Sustainable fashion

Changing consumer habits can be difficult, but here at KeeleSU it actively challenges people’s consumer behaviour, by making them more aware of current ethical issues and making it easier for them to make the right choices when purchasing items in their daily life.

The KeeleSU fashion show: Sustainable fashion brings this topic alive; showcasing local, ethical and sustainable products to the community in a fresh and inventive way, turning us all into socially responsible citizens. The event has been a catalyst for sustainability becoming a key strategic aim for KeeleSU.

Keele now run dozens of annual ethical and environmental events at the SU, such as Keele Blackout and Keele-on-Wheels and have embedded social responsibility into many SU procedures such as buying Fair trade staff uniforms and car sharing. Green:Keele is growing in momentum year on year and it hopes to soon become the leading SU in student engagement with sustainability.

Top 3 learnings

1 If you plan in advance it is possible to put on an amazing event without spending money
2 We were clear about how people could get involved in the project, setting out our needs, which created a surprising amount of commitment from a range of stakeholders, exceeding our expectations
3 The event successfully raised awareness amongst the local community about how ethical / sustainable clothing can be fashionable and affordable.

Videos

• KeeleSU fashion show: Sustainable fashion (click to hide)