Hi! I’m Caitlin and I’m joining the UW Sustainability team as the new graphic design assistant. Currently, I’m a senior in the UW Division of Design majoring in visual communication design. I’m most excited about this position because it gives me the opportunity to explore design in a new field—one that I am particularly interested in.
While sustainability isn’t limited to caring for the environment, that’s the reason why I was first drawn to it. I’ve always been passionate about getting outdoors and doing things from hiking to walking my dogs to backpacking. After working in retail for a few years, I began to realize how companies which prided themselves on “being green” weren’t doing much at the retail level. I did some research and was shocked to learn how bad fast fashion is for the environment and how it is particularly dangerous to the people who make the clothing for these companies. Once I realized this, I stopped buying fast fashion and even quit my job because I felt guilty selling clothes that I knew I wouldn’t buy myself.
Now that I’m working for UW Sustainability, I’m learning about all the available resources that exist promoting and encouraging sustainability—even sustainable clothing companies! With all these resources available, it can be overwhelming. And while we can always do more, that shouldn’t discourage us to start. With this in mind, I hope to make sustainability more accessible and tangible through my work. I’m looking forward to designing for the Earth Day celebrations and any other projects that come my way.