Second Nature | The Howard University program that’s making carbon-consciousness chic
10/8/2025 | 2m 30sVideo has Closed Captions
Howard University student leads sustainable fashion initiative.
Hailey Morris served as president of HUWEA, a student association at Howard University that finds opportunities for Black students to promote sustainability and environmental justice. HUWEA’s sustainable fashion initiative promotes eco-friendly shopping practices through tours of thrift stores, flea markets, and farmers' markets in Washington, DC.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Student Reporting Labs is a local public television program presented by WETA
Second Nature | The Howard University program that’s making carbon-consciousness chic
10/8/2025 | 2m 30sVideo has Closed Captions
Hailey Morris served as president of HUWEA, a student association at Howard University that finds opportunities for Black students to promote sustainability and environmental justice. HUWEA’s sustainable fashion initiative promotes eco-friendly shopping practices through tours of thrift stores, flea markets, and farmers' markets in Washington, DC.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
How to Watch Student Reporting Labs
Student Reporting Labs is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, LG TV, and Vizio.
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipMore from This Collection
Second Nature is a digital series about how young people are working to protect the environment and combat climate change, produced for PBS News Student Reporting Labs' climate reporting fellowship.
Second Nature | How a wildlife photographer uses his talent to advocate for an ecosystem
Video has Closed Captions
Engineering student designs and uses motion-activated camera traps to photograph the wildlife. (4m 9s)
Second Nature | Bringing Los Angeles’ Spanish-speaking community into climate conversations
Video has Closed Captions
The impact of The University of Southern California’s Sustainability Sin Fronteras newsletter. (4m 30s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipHailey Morris: My target audience is Howard University.
Hailey Morris: Right.
Hailey Morris: We're big on clothes, fashion, all the things.
Hailey Morris: And, you know, like even during homecoming, Hailey Morris: we have, like, the fashion shows and all these different things.
Hailey Morris: And I also felt like you cannot walk on campus unless you have a fit on.
Kani'ya Davis: Sustainable fashion, the art of thrifting, sewing and wearing what's around you Kani'ya Davis: to help combat the negative environmental effects of fast fashion.
Hailey Morris: I'm from California and we're big on, like, eco-friendly everything.
Hailey Morris: And so, I knew that environmental policy is kind of the space Hailey Morris: that I wanted to advocate for the environment in sustainability.
Kani'ya Davis: Hailey Morris' upbringing inspired her to lead Howard University's Kani'ya Davis: Water and Environment Association, or HUWEA, which championed sustainability.
Kani'ya Davis: Under Hailey's leadership, HUWEA organized a festival focusing on celebrating Kani'ya Davis: culture and featuring sustainable fashion practices like clothing exchanges.
17 00:00:49,082 --> 00:00:51,284 Hailey Morris: We are promoting, of course, climate action.
Hailey Morris: Celebrating is a form of action to me.
Hailey Morris: We're getting the word out there.
Hailey Morris: We're getting people to celebrate Mother Nature, our Earth, our planet, Hailey Morris: and also sustainable shopping.
Kani'ya Davis: The sustainable fashion movement not only has gained popularity Kani'ya Davis: with America's youth, but it has reached Capitol Hill.
Kani'ya Davis: Representative Chellie Pingree helped found the Slow Fashion Caucus in Congress, Kani'ya Davis: which has recently introduced legislation to make it easier for clothing retailers Kani'ya Davis: to choose environmentally friendly alternatives to forever chemicals.
Rep.
Pingree: When you think about a fabric, you don't, think about, Rep.
Pingree: "Well, it's ending up in the waste stream."
These fast fashion that you don't wear very long.
Rep.
Pingree: You might just throw it away.
31 00:01:26,820 --> 00:01:27,087 Rep.
Pingree: There are a lot of issues that you have to deal with around the toxics and clothing.
Rep.
Pingree: Also, when it ends up in a landfill.
Rep.
Pingree: Often it's just, it's just like plastic.
Rep.
Pingree: So it might end up as plastic in the ocean.
Hailey Morris: I want to see policies that prevent, toxic chemicals Hailey Morris: in our clothing, in our fabrics, everything.
Hailey Morris: I love fashion as well.
Hailey Morris: So my closet is full of clothes, but majority of it is thrifted.
Hailey Morris: I just kind of love doing it.
It's cheap.
Hailey Morris: It's affordable Hailey Morris: for my college students self, and it's also good for the environment.
Hailey Morris: In my generation, we've made it pretty popular and trendy to thrift Hailey Morris: and everything like that.
Hailey Morris: But it really needs to be a thing.
Hailey Morris: Like it's, it's gotten, it's a climate crisis.
Hailey Morris: It's a waste issue.
It's all of the above.
Kani'ya Davis: For PBS New Student Reporting Labs, I'm Kani'ya Davis in Washington, D.C.
- News and Public Affairs
Top journalists deliver compelling original analysis of the hour's headlines.
- News and Public Affairs
Today's top journalists discuss Washington's current political events and public affairs.
Support for PBS provided by:
Student Reporting Labs is a local public television program presented by WETA