Clothing company emphasizes social consciousness

Sub-Saharan Africa. Poverty. Desolation. While these words have grown increasingly synonymous, the difficulties of the men and women in that area are seen as a distant and helpless problem to many in the Western world.

However, the members of EDUN LIVE On Campus, a student-run company out of the Gonzaga School of Business, are seeking to change that mindset.

The organization's goals are to promote sustainability and to raise awareness and support for the economic hardships suffered by many in the African region, which it does by selling T-shirts made from cotton grown organically by sub-Saharan farmers.

Supported by Bono, the lead singer of U2, students at the University of Miami (OH) started the first chapter in 2006. With an ongoing emphasis on creating and encouraging commerce in Africa, there are now multiple groups nationwide.

None, however, is quite like this one. "We're the only Jesuit university with a chapter," said Dr. Paul Buller, the group's adviser since its inception. "We're also the only school west of the Mississippi [River] with one."

Started by a group of Hogan honors students a few years ago, the organization provides multiple benefits for the world and students alike. "Being involved in this allows us to have real-world business experience in running an organization," said ELOC President Corrine Gould. "But at the same time, it allows us to be a part of something that benefits society as a whole."

From growing the cotton to making the cloth to sewing it together, each shirt is made entirely by locals in sub-Saharan Africa. Instead of the miniscule wages and harsh working conditions typical of factories and sweatshops in their area, these workers are paid a fair wage, allowing them to provide for their families long into the future.

"It's a social venture," Buller said. "There is a societal need, and we are attempting to meet that need by creating economic development and encouraging a sustainable and profitable life for those in Africa."

In addition to the economic benefit, the organization also emphasizes the environmental impact of its sustainable and eco-friendly policies. Farmers use organic growing methods that result in high-quality cotton and maintainable farmland for ongoing use.

The completed shirts are then shipped to the University of Miami, where they are held and distributed to other chapters when needed.

Upon arrival to the Northwest, these plain shirts are printed by BlueButton, a local eco-friendly printer that supports at-risk youth through employment opportunities. "It's almost like we're helping society twice as much," Gould said. "Once in Africa, and then again right here in Spokane."

The completed shirts are then delivered to the campus chapter and distributed to the purchaser.

The main focus for ELOC is targeting other clubs or organizations around campus, as they are the ones often looking for group shirts to be made, and will be able to buy in bulk.

The organization has partnered with the bookstore in years past, and is hopeful that one day it may even have business from the Kennel Club, the Orientation group and many others.

According to Buller, ELOC is still a relatively young organization with modest goals for the year, specifically hoping to create more brand awareness throughout the school.

"Eventually we would like to become the major T-shirt company for Gonzaga," Gould said. "That's the ultimate goal; but for now we just want to get our name out there and bring awareness to the great cause we support."

As a nonprofit organization, everything earned goes to supporting the lives of the sub-Saharan African people.

"Our biggest selling point is that students and faculty have a socially-conscious option," Buller said. "We may not be the cheapest T-shirt company around, but for those who want more than just a discounted rate, they can have the satisfaction of knowing that their few extra dollars are a noble contribution to help the development and sustainability of less-privileged countries."

In an organization that teaches students business skills through real-life experience, while also engraining a sense of social consciousness and sustainability into their lives, the group stressed a sense of satisfaction and purpose.

"The goals of this organization are so similar to Gonzaga's emphasis on social consciousness," Gould said. "It really feels great to be a part of something that has such a lasting impact, and to know that what you're doing has an immediate impact across the world. That's a great feeling."