The Office of Sustainability hosted its first Earth Week Clothing Swap on Tuesday, April 17 in Skutt. 

The event was planned by College of Arts and Sciences senior Catherine Carroll and College of Arts and Sciences junior Michael Kokotajlo, with guidance from Joi Katskee, an administrative assistant in the Department of Fine and Performing Arts. 

There was not a total count of clothing collected before the event started, though Kokotajlo said the turnout was better than expected.

“It was a bigger turnout than we thought. We didn’t know if it was going to be five people of 500 people. We didn’t have high expectations,” said Kokotajlo.

He said he got the idea for a clothing swap at Creighton while he was studying abroad in Sweden, where he was invited to participate in monthly clothes swaps as a place to hang out. 

“Coming back to Creighton, there’s starting to be a bigger sustainability presence on campus, and a lot of it, I want it to be student driven,” he said. “I participated in it elsewhere, saw it worked; it’s something simple and fun we can do here.”

Margaret Glick, junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, knew she wanted to be involved with the swap after hearing Kokotajlo talk about it in one of her classes.

“As college students we accumulate so many clothes, a good chunk of which we hardly touch,” said Glick, who assisted with some planning of the event. 

“The clothing swap not only helps you be more reflective and aware of how much you buy and consume, but it’s a completely free way to exchange clothes you never wear for ones that you will.” 

The swap was advertised as a night of “free, ethical and reusable fashion fun.”

The Office of Sustainability hosted a variety of events in honor of Earth week, including a bike check for safety, a sustainability update meeting for students to learn more about Creighton’s goals and performance and an electric vehicle showcase to display environment-friendly cars.