Queen Elizabeth II High School students have won the ‘Ecover Young Green Champions’ category at the Observer Ethical Awards 2013 with their Jane Goodall's Roots and Shoots project. There were over 400 entries for their category and students Millie Barrow, Emma Howard, Annabell Jose and Grace Harrop became the winners with their project ‘Grow Your Own Clothes’.
The clothes are made from a cellulose mat (kombucha) which is grown from a solution of green tea and sugar. Millie Barrow, age 16, said “This unique initiative was inspired by watching a video news item on fashion designer Suzanne Lee. As winners we will receive ?6,000 over three years to progress our project. We are going to experiment with different growing mixtures, dyes and assembly methods. It sounds strange to grow your own clothes, but our message is aimed at the fast fashion trend. We hope the idea will gain enough publicity for people to think harder about the consequences of the clothes they buy. Not many people know that producing polyester uses a lot of crude oil or that cotton requires a lot of water. We want people to think about the alternatives."
Mille and teacher Lesley Sleight were invited to the Awards Ceremony in London. Lesley Sleight commented, “It was an amazing experience to meet so many people who were interested in what we were doing. Millie wore a hat made from the green tea material and many guests and famous celebrities sought her out to chat with her. Celebrities including Colin Firth, Lenny Henry, Ben Fogle, Ben Okri and Dr Jane Goodall were all photographed wearing her ‘kombucha hat’, an endorsement that we hope will spread our message.”
Grace Harrop , age 17, added “We have created clothing that is ethically produced using natural ingredients. It is sustainable and biodegradable. Imagine, with time and investment, the stage it could get to."
The project can be viewed on the Jane Goodall Roots & Shoots website http://www.rootsnshoots.org.uk. Roots & Shoots encourages children to implement practical positive change for people, animals and the environment.
Photograph – Millie Barrow pictured with the Award wearing the green tea microbe hat.
