Over the past two years, Irvington seventh graders Hannah Leffler and Aria Arinella-Rashid have hosted two charitable benefits to combat climate change, raising $7,000 through donations and ticket sales. The pair founded their organization Wild Future to bring awareness to the issue and inspire hope. “We wanted to express that the future can be something to look forward to,” said Aria.
All the money has been donated to the Wildlife Conservation Society, headquartered in the Bronx Zoo and dedicated to saving wildlife across the globe.
The project was prompted when Aria came home from school one day and had told her mom she was “really scared about what was happening to the Earth.” Her mom, an actor, proposed a short film. Aria was quick to agree, and even quicker to call upon her friend Hannah to help with the task.
Together, they filmed, produced, and premiered their short film at the Irvington Presbyterian Church, which earned approval and appreciation from Irvington residents.
Now, two years later, the girls are putting on a third benefit at the same church. This time, instead of trying to alleviate the effects of climate change by donating to endangered species, they’re directly targeting a source of climate change: fast-fashion. As Aria said, “it’s also a really big contributor to global warming and climate change and we want it to stop.”
Fast-fashion is a business model aimed at producing clothes at a rapid rate to keep up with micro-fashion trends and therefore increase revenue. In theory it sounds fun – a constant stream of cheap, on trend clothes – but in reality it accounts for roughly 10% of global carbon emissions.
The pair have produced a fun, informative short film about fast-fashion and its effects on the environment. The film is entirely student made, with friends acting out scripts written solely by Hannah and Aria.
All proceeds from the event will be forwarded to the Sharing Shelf, a local clothing bank that provides free clothing for insecure households. Both the girls shared their appreciation for the concept, and Aria said, “it’s amazing.”
To maximize the reach and effectiveness of their benefit, the girls reached out to Eileen Fisher, an American fashion designer and entrepreneur whose headquarters is in Irvington. Fisher pointed out that hand-me-downs are a great sustainable option, and the girls have incorporated her advice into their benefit by accepting hand-me-downs to donate. Fisher added that the girls gave her hope for a sustainable fashion future.
The benefit itself is more complex than just a simple short film. The girls are planning to have a face-painting station, a bake sale, and performances where their friends will sing and perform magic in a talent-show-esque environment.
Additionally, Aria and Hannah have made posters detailing the status of endangered animals, weaving the theme that was so prominent in their last two benefits into their third. As the pair pointed out, the Earth and its animals are inextricably intertwined.
The benefit is being held in the Irvington Presbyterian Church on May 16 at 6 p.m., and the doors open at 5 p.m.
CAPTION: Aria Arinalla-Rashid (left) and Hannah Leffler. Photo supplied
