HOWARD COUNTY — Be the change, wear the change. That's the motto two Howard County high school students are pushing for as they fight for climate change through fashion.
Jessica Stuparu and Claire Wu are both seniors at Centennial High School. The two have a passion to help the community by raising awareness about climate change.
In an effort to turn that passion into purpose, both students got an internship at eSPSmart, an organization dedicated in helping people go green.
Through this internship, the teenagers helped create SOS global, a sustainable clothing line featuring fine art focused on climate change issues.
"For me, I think part of my maturing throughout high school is realizing that I also have my own commitment and that my actions still do matter. So, this has been really helpful for my own personal fulfillment and just helping in the fight, overall," said Stuparu.
The clothing line features tee shirts, sweatshirts,and hoodies. All their products are sold through their website. 50% of the profits are given to Freetown Farm, a land that was part of the Underground Railroad, but is now a climate victory garden located in Columbia, Maryland, where all people can come harvest crops and learn how to grow their own food in a sustainable way.
"It's just been a really inspiring opportunity to see how youth who are maybe not directly on the farm as a day to day part of their internship, see the benefits, and opportunities for collaboration. It's an incredibly generous thing that they're doing to help spread the word about their work in alignment with our work,"said Dr. Chiara D’amore director of Freetown Farm.
Both interns say as they graduate and go off to college their goal is to help more businesses become eco-friendly.
"Corporate environmental responsibility is incredibly important. And so, I believe that the work that we're doing here is going to pave the way for future businesses as well," said Wu.
"If we get enough people to wear our shirts, if you get enough people to plant climate victory gardens, if we have enough people doing something, then something will change," said Stuparu.
If you would like to get involved in the fight against climate change, click here to support the farm and here for SOS Global.
