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ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM FELLOWSHIP - CLASS OF 2024

United Nations Academic Impact and MCN are proud to partner on the Millennium Fellowship. This year, 52,000+ young leaders applied to join the Class of 2024 on 6,000+ campuses across 170 nations. 280+ campuses worldwide (just 5%) were selected to host the 4,000+ Millennium Fellows.

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UNITED NATIONS ACADEMIC IMPACT AND MCN PROUDLY PRESENT SMRUTI TRIPATHY, A MILLENNIUM FELLOW FOR THE CLASS OF 2024.

O.P. Jindal Global University | Sonipat, India | Advancing SDG 12, SDG 13 & UNAI 9

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" I am excited to be a Millennium Fellow because the program aligns perfectly with my passion for sustainable development and my focus on public international law and climate change law. As a Millennium Fellow, I look forward to engaging with like-minded peers who are equally committed to addressing global challenges. The opportunity to collaborate, exchange ideas, and develop actionable policies resonates with my belief that policy making is the crucial first step in driving meaningful change. This fellowship represents a significant step in my journey to contribute to a more just and sustainable world. "

Millennium Fellowship Project: Conscious Clothing

Conscious Clothing: Curbing the impact of “Fast Fashion” on the environment
When I walk around my college campus, I can’t help but notice that almost everyone is wearing clothes from brands like H&M, Zara, Uniqlo, Shein, and Asos. It’s rare to see someone repeat an outfit because, for many, that’s just not an option as it’s seen as going against the "status" image they’re trying to project. These brands have built an empire by selling not just clothes but an aspirational lifestyle, tapping into our natural tendency to want to look better than others. And with fashion trends changing so quickly, they’ve ditched the old spring/summer and autumn/winter collections in favor of rolling out new ones every single month.
The result? People are buying 60% more clothes but wearing them half as long. Most of these clothes are made from synthetic fabrics that aren’t biodegradable or sustainable, and once discarded, they pile up in landfills or are burned, releasing harmful emissions. This cycle not only feeds overconsumption but also contributes to climate change in a big way.
What Conscious Clothing stands for - Conscious Clothing is a grassroots initiative I’ve started to challenge the fast fashion status quo. It’s about getting people, especially students like me to rethink their clothing choices and understand the environmental toll of their wardrobes. The project ties in with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal on responsible consumption and production, pushing for meaningful changes that lessen fashion’s impact on the planet.
Primary goals - 1. Raising Awareness through campus campaigns, we’re showing students the hidden costs of fast fashion.
2. Promoting Thrift Culture by encouraging second-hand shopping and clothing swaps as sustainable alternatives.
3. Supporting Sustainable Choices: Inspiring others to opt for eco-friendly and ethical fashion brands.
To bring these ideas to life, I have been having conversations with students in my residence and hostel and also trying to get in touch with thrift stores on instagram to increase their visibility in campus spaces where there is a surge of fast fashion culture. The main objectives are:
* Have honest conversations about how our fashion choices affect the planet.
* To run clothing drives that have collected thousands of garments, giving them a new lease on life.
* To set up thrift and sustainable fashion markets to make conscious shopping more accessible and fun.
By promoting second-hand clothing, we’re helping to reduce demand for fast fashion. When demand drops, so does the need for mass production and that means fewer greenhouse gas emissions from factories and less polyester (made from fossil fuels) polluting our environment.
Why It Matters - At its heart, Conscious Clothing is about rethinking how we view and value clothes. If we can create a culture where reusing and repurposing textiles is the norm, we’ll see less waste clogging up landfills and a significant drop in the environmental damage caused by the fashion industry. It’s not just about changing what we wear but also changing how we think about fashion, consumption, and our role in protecting the planet.
This project has shown me that small actions can lead to big changes. By making conscious choices, we can start to shift the tide away from fast fashion and towards a future where sustainability is at the forefront of our wardrobes. And it all starts with students, people like you and me taking the first step towards a more thoughtful and sustainable way of living.

About the Millennium Fellow

Smruti Tripathy is an aspiring lawyer who's also interested in sustainable development. Deeply committed to the principles of environmental stewardship, Smruti has concentrated her studies on public international law and climate change law, aiming to address global challenges through a legal lens. Their passion for sustainable living extends beyond the classroom, driving them to explore and advocate for policies that promote environmental and social justice. Smruti views policy making as the foundational step in their journey to influence systemic change, with the ultimate goal of contributing to a more equitable and sustainable future.

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