Photo courtesy of Visit Boulder

Here on campus, the Sustainable Buffs community offers many tips, tricks, and information about how to maintain a green lifestyle.

Sustainable Buffs, founded in 1970, has tirelessly worked to make Boulder an environmentally sound community. With 17 full-time professional staff members and 125 student members, they aim to innovate, educate, empower, and collaborate for a better tomorrow.

Sustainable Buffs has a wide range of focuses to promote sustainability, including food, energy, water, and products on campus and at home.

When it comes to clothing, they have plenty of tips and events to get students involved. Their website offers a guide to clothing, providing information from consumption use to secondhand buying.

The emphasis on clothing waste is important. According to earth.org, “of the 100 billion garments produced each year, 92 million tonnes end up in landfills”. 

The UN Environmental Programme has an explanation for the millions of tonnes ending up in the landfill because throwaway culture has gotten statistically worse over the past 15 years. In fact, the number of times a garment has been worn has decreased by around 35%.

According to the Sustainable Buffs website, “Thrift shopping and buying secondhand gives these no longer wanted clothes a new home and can lessen the environmental impact that would have been used to create new clothing.” Not only do they talk about thrift shopping, but also the effects of fast fashion. “Fast fashion brands like H&M and Shein may seem less expensive, but have higher environmental costs.”

Not only do the Sustainable Buffs provide information online, but they also host events around and off campus. Events Director Audery Thames has a special interest in sustainable shopping.

Recently, Audery has been implementing the idea of a circular economy right here at CU Boulder with the help of member Mikey Jacobs. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a circular economy has “products and materials are kept in circulation through processes like maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacture, recycling, and composting.” The goal of a circular economy is to reduce waste and pollution by eliminating waste and encouraging regeneration in nature. 

Mikey Jacobs, who also runs an independent business focused on sustainability, said, “I just want to push people to this circularity idea. There's no need or reason to trash what can be redone.”

Recently, Mikey was involved with a mending workshop for Sustainable Buffs. This workshop further pushes the idea of circularity and brings it to students who may be unaware of the idea.

We also spoke with Yiyang Chen, a researcher for candidates running for office in 2026, on behalf of the Denver Metro’s Chapter of the Sunrise Movement. He also highlights this ideal of the circular economy. 

Yiyang refers to the circular economy as a response to the cradle-to-grave cycle. In the cradle-to-grave cycle, economists are able to follow the lifecycle of a product and are forced to determine the full responsibility of a product. The Vogue Institute of Art and Design notes on their website that the cradle-to-grave model ends with a product in a landfill or an incinerator. It is a closed loop system. 

However, in a circular economy, it functions more so as a “cradle-to-cradle” model as the Vogue institute notes. According to Group O, the cradle-to-cradle economy “is built on the idea that waste is a human design flaw”, and aims to keep textiles in circulation. 

Therefore, less textile waste ends up in the landfill and less textiles need to be made. In Boulder, residents have taken on the “cradle-to-cradle” approach through prioritizing thrifting.

Boulder’s thrifting culture is more than just a shopping trend. It is a way for residents to align their values with tangible action. 

By choosing secondhand, the community not only cuts down on its clothing waste, but it also pushes back against the growing throwaway habits of fast fashion. Whether it’s through Sustainable Buffs’ initiatives or a quick trip to a local thrift shop, consumers are helping Boulder build a greener future and keep its reputation for sustainability thriving.

Student and online thrift store owner Nate St. John said, “I honestly love the fact that what I do is also beneficial to the environment.” Nate, who has been buying and selling vintage clothing for three years now said Boulder really helped his business. “Being based in a place that is so environmentally friendly has made my little job quite easy.”

To find a list of all the thrift shops in Boulder, Colorado, go to Visit Boulder.