Challenge 2 | Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Welcome to the middle school challenge page for Challenge 2 of the Fairchild Challenge! Read below to find challenge information, entry requirements, resources and more for the challenge.

Challenge 2: Sustainable Design

Title: Sustainable Style Remix
For individuals or groups | Maximum points: 200
Due Date: Friday, Dec 11th, 2026 by 5 p.m.

Download challenge rubric here

Your Challenge:

“Fast fashion”. This term may be familiar to you, but what does it really mean? Fast fashion companies are defined by their abilities to rapidly keep up with trends, offer a variety of products, and manufacture large volumes of textile products in a way that’s affordable to both the producer and consumer. Unfortunately, there are significant drawbacks to this process.

In both production and disposal, fast fashion products have a significant impact on environmental and human health. In a 2026 Worldmetrics Report, it was recorded that the fashion industry’s water usage is equivalent to what 28 million people consume annually. Cotton production alone requires 2,700 liters of water per T-shirt (Worldmetrics). According to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report from 2024, textile waste has risen by over 50% between 2000 and 2018, and it continues to rise. The excessive amounts of water, use of synthetic fabrics, unethical human labor, and intensive energy required to power fast fashion manufacturing continues to affect both environmental and societal health.

While fast fashion can be hard to avoid due to its high volume and broad accessibility, there are many steps you can take as a consumer to be part of the solution! In this challenge, we are asking you to take a creative, solutions-based approach to dealing with “fast fashion”/textile waste. Conduct research and write a page-long proposal for how companies can mitigate future emissions, and how we can reduce waste as consumers. In addition to your proposal, please also submit a clothing item that you have repurposed or turned into another piece of art. This could mean an accessory, a stuffed animal, a blanket, a wreath, placemats, or even a new wearable item. Your project should be made primarily out of recycled textiles/fabrics.

Entry Requirements:

Deliver to the high school programs coordinator at Phipps in person or via certified mail (electronic submission is not accepted for this challenge):

Challenge Entry Form
Original artwork that is labeled with student’s name and school name
Schools can submit a maximum of 3 original projects
Works Cited with at least 3 sources

Address:
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
The Fairchild Challenge c/o Alyssa Mulé
One Schenley Park
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Resources:

The following list of online resources may be used when preparing your entry:

Standards:

Read below to find the standards for each grade level for Challenge 2 of the Middle School Fairchild Challenge

Grades 6 – 8

Grades 6 – 8

CC.1.2.6.B Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences and/or generalizations drawn from the text.
CC.1.2.6.D Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.
CC.1.2.6.H Evaluate an author’s argument by examining claims and determining if they are supported by evidence.
CC.1.2.6.J Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
CC.1.2.6.L Read and comprehend literary non-fiction and informational text on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.
CC.1.2.7.B Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences, conclusions, and/or generalizations drawn from the text.
CC.1.2.7.D Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author distinguishes his or her position from that of others.
CC.1.2.7.E Analyze the structure of the text through evaluation of the author’s use of graphics, charts. and the major sections of the text.
CC.1.2.7.F Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in grade-level reading and content, including interpretation of figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.
CC.1.2.7.H Evaluate an author’s argument, reasoning, and specific claims for the soundness of the argument and the relevance of the evidence.
CC.1.2.7.I Analyze how two or more authors present and interpret facts on the same topic.
CC.1.2.7.J Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
CC.1.2.7.L Read and comprehend literary non-fiction and informational text on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.
CC.1.2.8.A Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
CC.1.2.8.B Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences, conclusions, and/or generalizations drawn from the text.
CC.1.2.8.D Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.
CC.1.2.8.E Analyze the structure of the text through evaluation of the author’s use of specific sentences and paragraphs to develop and refine a concept.
CC.1.2.8.F Analyze the influence of the words and phrases in a text including figurative and connotative, and technical meanings; and how they shape meaning and tone.
CC.1.2.8.H Evaluate authors’ argument, reasoning, and specific claims for the soundness of the arguments and the relevance of the evidence.
CC.1.2.8.I Analyze two or more texts that provide conflicting information on the same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation.
CC.1.2.8.J Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.
CC.1.2.8.L Read and comprehend literary non-fiction and informational text on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.
3.3.6-8.F Students who demonstrate understanding can develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth's materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.
3.3.6-8.H Students who demonstrate understanding can develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth's systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.
3.3.6-8.K Students who demonstrate understanding can construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how the uneven distributions of Earth's mineral, energy, and groundwater resources are the result of past and current geoscience processes.
3.3.6-8.I Students who demonstrate understanding can develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.
3.3.6-8.O Students who demonstrate understanding can ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.
3.3.6-8.L Students who demonstrate understanding can analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to forecast future catastrophic events and inform the development of technologies to mitigate their effects.
3.3.6-8.M Students who demonstrate understanding can apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing human impact on the environment.
3.3.6-8.N Students who demonstrate understanding can construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.
3.4.6-8.B Students who demonstrate understanding can analyze and interpret data about how different societies (economic and social systems) and cultures use and manage natural resources differently.
3.4.6-8.G Students who demonstrate understanding can obtain and communicate information to describe how best resource management practices and environmental laws are designed to achieve environmental sustainability.
3.4.6-8.H Students who demonstrate understanding can design a solution to an environmental issue in which individuals and societies can engage as stewards of the environment.
3.4.6-8.I Students who demonstrate understanding can construct an explanation that describes regional environmental conditions and their implications on environmental justice and social equity.
CC.3.5.6-8.A Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts.
CC.3.5.6-8.B Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
CC.3.6.6-8.C Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CC.3.6.6-8.D With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.
CC.3.6.6-8.E Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas clearly and efficiently.
CC.3.6.6-8.G Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
CC.3.6.6-8.H Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and research.

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Challenge 2: Sustainable Design

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