Arts & Community Education
WHEN is built on a strong foundation of community-led, multi-disciplinary, and arts-driven knowledge sharing. From our first documentary projects in the early 1990s, to our Wannabe Toxic Free Campaign and integrative partner events, WHEN teaches individuals and communities how to reduce their risk of illness and injury that can occur from the products we use, the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe in accessible, inspiring ways.
WANNABE TOXIC FREE
WTF? This affects my health. I #WannaBeToxicFree!
WHEN’s #WannaBeToxicFree campaign was initiated in 2016 and has taken many forms, featuring different environmental change makers who highlight the links between our health and the environment. At all our WTF events, we get down to the naked truth and dirty secrets about the toxic chemicals we encounter in our daily lives, and what sexy alternatives are available including actions we can take to reduce exposure and push for legislative change, corporeal citizenship, and decolonial perspectives on toxic mitigation.
WANNAbe Toxic Free 2025: Fashion Edition
Exploring the hidden environmental and health impacts of the fashion industry through education, action, and community.
Why Fashion?
The fashion industry affects far more than our closets. From textile waste and chemical pollution to excessive consumption and labour inequities, fashion has significant consequences for both environmental and public health. Fast fashion contributes to growing waste streams, carbon emissions, and toxic exposures throughout the lifecycle of clothing. (to read more; link enviro blog)
The Fashion Edition of WHEN's Wanna Be Toxic Free (WTF) event series was created to help community members better understand these connections and explore practical ways to reduce their impact through more sustainable and informed consumption.
About the Event
Talk. Swap. Create.
Hosted in partnership with The Good Swap Toronto and The Shared Bag, WTF: Fashion Edition brought together community members for a day of learning and action.
The event was intentionally designed as a full-circle experience:
🗣️ Learn through an expert panel discussion
👕 Swap clothing to extend the life of garments
🧵 Create and repair through hands-on upcycling activities
This structure encouraged attendees to immediately apply what they learned and explore alternatives to fast fashion.
Fashion Industry Panel
The event opened with an educational panel featuring experts from Threading Change and Fashion Takes Action.
Together, panelists discussed:
The environmental impacts of the fashion industry
Textile waste and overconsumption
Chemical exposures associated with clothing production
Social and labour implications of fashion supply chains
The importance of corporate accountability and policy change
Practical ways consumers can reduce their impact
A key takeaway for many attendees was Fashion Takes Action's "7 R's" framework:
Clothing Swap
Following the panel, participants took part in a community clothing swap hosted by The Good Swap Toronto.
Attendees brought gently used clothing, accessories, and footwear to exchange for new-to-them pieces. By extending the lifespan of garments, clothing swaps help reduce textile waste while promoting more sustainable consumption habits.
The swap provided an accessible and practical way for attendees to put circular fashion principles into action.
FABLAB Workshop
The day concluded with a hands-on workshop led by The Shared Bag. Participants learned creative techniques for transforming and personalizing clothing, including:
Embroidery
Screen printing
Vinyl printing
Lino printing
Patchwork
Appliqué
The workshop encouraged attendees to see clothing as something that can be repaired, redesigned, and loved longer rather than discarded.
Impact By the Numbers
150
Tickets Sold
110+
Attendees
48
Panel Participants
28
Volunteers Supporting the Event
4
Partner Organizations
30+
New Instagram Followers
WTF: Fashion Edition demonstrated the power of combining education, community action, and creativity. Through partnerships, hands-on learning, and meaningful conversations, the event helped participants explore how everyday choices connect to larger environmental and public health issues.
We look forward to continuing the WannaBe Toxic Free series and creating more opportunities for learning, action, and collective change.
WANNAbe Toxic Free 2024: Awareness, Agency, and Collective Action
In 2024, the Trinity College Integrated Sustainability Initiative became a partner in launching Wannabe Toxic Free 2024: Awareness, Agency, and Collective Action. This event and fair featured sustainable businesses and grassroots organizations, educational booths, two-panel discussions, environmental art, guided mindfulness practices, a silent auction, and live music.
Event Intentions:
i) Inspire embodied awareness of our health as an integral part of our environment through art and science,
ii) Reveal the social injustices of environmental degradation
iii) Promote systemic changes necessary for a better future.
“The fair provided a transformative experience where we began to reimagine our connection to the environment, ourselves and each other – not as separate experiences, but as fundamentally connected pursuits of community and holistic health that are informed by intersectional feminist thinking.”
Panelists discussed embodied and scientific awareness of toxic harm, their social inequalities, and necessary political change. The first panel is a powerful group of academics and activists. Watch the first Panel on Systemic Injustice of Toxics below!
The evening panel included Dr. Sat Dharam Kaur from the Compassionate Inquiry program with Gabor Mate, Dr. Elli Weisbaum of the Buddhism, Psychology and Mental Health Program at New College, and Environmental Justice Storyteller Anna-Liza Badaloo. Watch the second panel on Exposure Prevention in Practice below.
Events like this are made possible by contributions and support from our community. We extent our heartfelt gratitude for all who stand with us in fighting for a healthier planet.
Testimonials
“The positive energy and genuine curiosity of the audience was palpable, and the booths really brought everything together to complement the panels…The musical performances were amazing! I applaud you for overtly including arts-based approaches.” - Anna-Liza Badaloo
“It was a joy and inspiration to be there, and fulfilling to share knowledge. Congratulations on creating such a worthy, interesting, important and informative event…I came away from that event feeling amazed, hopeful, and positive.” - Sat Dharam Kaur
“I thoroughly enjoyed the whole day. The full range of Science, Art and Human Interconnectedness was enriching.” - Event Attendee
“It was a pleasure to represent WHEN on the Systemic Injustices of Toxics Panel and engage in important discussions with such knowledgeable individuals around environmental justice, intersectional feminism and the link between environmental and human health. The WTF event provided a valuable forum for multiple organizations to connect, and the interdisciplinary nature of the event created space for diverse perspectives to be uplifted. Congratulations to WHEN for putting together such a fantastic and well-planned event!” - Kanisha Acharya-Patel
