Countering Consumerism Contest in full swing
Students can win big by sharing videos on fast fashion waste
Mount Royal students who create and post videos to social media that inspire, encourage or incite mindful consumption of fashion are eligible to win a first place prize of $5,000, second place prize of $3,000 or third place prize of $2,000.
Mount Royal students have the opportunity to win up to $5,000 through the Institute for Environmental Sustainability’s (IES) Countering Consumerism Contest. The contest’s goal is to encourage a cultural shift in consumption and highlight alternative approaches to hyper-consumerism, with a focus on fast fashion.
Dr. Connie Van der Byl, PhD, academic director of the IES, shares that the contest is an amazing opportunity for students, not only for the cash prizes, but for the opportunity to engage in an important sustainability conversation and perhaps be an influencer in the most positive of ways.
“This can be a fun exercise in developing or showing off creative talent,” she says. “And of course, there’s always the benefits of putting this on your resume, gaining some exposure and expanding knowledge on this really important global issue.”
The Institute received funding for the Countering Consumerism prizes from an anonymous donor who wanted to highlight the negative implications of overconsumption. The donor specified they wanted strong student involvement and that the total funded amount be awarded to students.
“This clarity was really helpful in enacting the vision. Much of the sustainability work done by the IES tends to focus on solutions to problems on the supply side — that is reducing emissions from upstream sources. This initiative represented an exciting shift to considering demand,” Van der Byl says.
The team behind the contest includes Mount Royal alumni Bruce Chambers, an external subject matter expert who was “The Ad Guy” on CBC Radio for 16 years; Dr. Kendra Hart, PhD, from the marketing department in the Bissett School of Business who’s an expert in consumer behaviour; Noel Harper, a student representative from communication studies; and Jorden Dye, current IES program administrator who started with the Institute as a research assistant in his third year at Mount Royal.
Knowing that a focus on consumption would resonate with students, Van der Byl shares that the IES is hopeful to run this contest annually with a different theme each year.
“We kicked off with fast fashion because of its connection to students and its reach across disciplines, so we want all MRU students to consider participating. In addition, the IES has some other work tied to local fashion that we will weave into the final awards event,” Van der Byl says.
So, how can students ensure their video hits the mark? Specific criteria can be found on the IES’ website, including clarity and persuasiveness of the message, creativity, ability to grab attention and maintain viewer interest, and viewership metrics.
“A winning video should help get more people thinking and talking about fast fashion and, ideally, considering alternatives. Videos can be serious, funny, dramatic, beautiful, sad — whatever it takes to deliver an impactful message,” Van der Byl says.
In addition, Van der Byl hopes the initiative highlights alternatives to fast fashion including amazing smaller, local artisans as well as a shift to simplicity. She explains that fast fashion is cheap, trendy fashion with a very short lifespan. Because it’s inexpensive, customers can afford to buy the latest look every few weeks and simply throw out their “old” clothes. Low-quality fabrics and construction also contribute to the rapid replacement of garments.
“Fast fashion’s impact is in encouraging overconsumption, accelerating depletion of resources, filling landfills with discarded clothing and supporting dangerous, low-wage workplaces. Beyond the implications, a lot is tied into our fashion purchase decisions, so being more mindful is important,” Van der Byl says.
How to enter
Mount Royal students who create and post videos to social media that inspire, encourage or incite mindful consumption of fashion are eligible to win a first place prize of $5,000, second place prize of $3,000 or third place prize of $2,000.
To enter, students, alone or in groups of two or three, will submit a link to an original 30-second video they’ve already posted to Twitter, Facebook, Tik Tok, YouTube or Instagram. The link can be emailed to counteringconsumersim@mtroyal.ca or submitted via the IES website. There is a maximum of three entries per person or team. Submissions will be accepted up to and including March 31. Prizes will be awarded at an Earth Day event on April 22. The top 10 contestants will be contacted and must be able to attend the final judging event in order for their entries to be eligible for prizes.
Feb. 18, 2022 — Katherine Sharples