Eco Meet CLE: Weaving a Sustainable and Local Textile Economy

ECO SPEAKS CLE

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In this episode, we bring you the conversation from Eco Meet CLE, a Cleveland sustainability event on February 20 featuring local innovators reinventing northeast Ohio textile production. Rather than today's exploitive and resource-intensive system, we can grow a regional, circular system that fosters economic integrity, ecological stewardship, and connection to people and place. Listen and hear from those working towards this goal - Jess Boeke, the co-founder of Rust Belt Fibershed, a non-profit developing a bioregional textile community; Aidan Meany, a designer and the owner of Found Surface, a Cleveland clothing manufacturer that prioritizes sustainability and is setting a new standard for ethical fashion; Kat Novak, the Associate Director of the TechStyleLAB and the Faculty in the School of Fashion at Kent State University; and
Kelly Powers, a farmer and the owner of Powers Acres, a 50-acre certified organic farm in Medina, Ohio, and the future owner and operator of a fiber mill in northeast Ohio. Together, they are creating a fashion ecosystem that rivals the farm-to-table food revolution, only this time, it's with the garments we wear. It's a blueprint for a world where designers, farmers, and consumers all play a part in crafting an industry that respects our planet and community.
Guests:
Jess Boeke - Co-Founder, Rust Belt Fibershed
Aidan Meany - Founder, Found Surface
Kat Novak- Associate Director, Kent State University School of Fashion
Kelly Powers - Farmer and Shepherd, Powers Acres

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Chapters

1. Eco Meet CLE: Weaving a Sustainable and Local Textile Economy (00:00:00)

2. Thank you Good Nature Organic Lawn Care (00:01:51)

3. Panelist Introductions (00:02:28)

4. Kat Novak, Moderator, Kent State School of Fashion (00:05:40)

5. Jess Boeke, Rust Belt Fibershed (00:07:33)

6. Aidan Meany, Found Surface and Lattice (00:10:22)

7. Kelly Powers, Powers Acres Farm (00:16:55)

8. Calls to Action (00:31:12)

9. Sustainable Fashion and Community Collaboration (00:33:49)