Kara Parker is into the environment.
The Bordentown Regional Middle School student said she’s interested in anything that relates to protecting the planet. So, when it came time to complete her Girl Scouts Bronze Award, she channeled that energy into her service project.
Parker launched Project Bolsa, a nonprofit organization that converts old T-shirts into tote bags.
“Why can’t we just take old T-shirts that we don’t want to wear anymore and turn them into bags for shopping?” she said. “So, one night we all got together as a family, and we cut a bag. We tried it out, and I was like, ‘This is really cool.’ We started putting stuff in it, and it held everything. We started making more and more and asking for more donations, and we finally got really big.”
And the project is still going strong. Over the last two years, Parker has partnered with Mimosa Goods, the Bordentown City Green Team and the Bordentown City Farmer’s Market. She sponsored Bordentown’s Green Fair in 2018, and as of November, the bags are also available at the Bordentown Library.
“I think just because it was a simple solution,” said Raquel Parker, Kara’s mom. “It didn’t have to be this huge project. It was just a small, simple solution that anybody can do, even kids. A kid thought of it. People have been responding very well.”
Parker first collects used T-shirts of any size. To make the bags, she starts by folding the shirt in half lengthwise and then cutting the sleeves off. Then, she cuts the neck and waist stitching. Finally, the bottom of the T-shirt is cut into strips and tied together one-by-one to form a durable bottom. Ultimately, they wanted something that was easy to construct and didn’t require sewing but was still durable.
Parker gives away the bags for free at events.
All T-shirts are donated, Raquel said, and monetary donations go toward purchasing supplies like scissors. Project Bolsa also donates excess funds to Motel Meals, which helps provide food for families living in local motels.
Parker said keeping up with the project can be stressful, especially when they run out of T-shirts, but it always works out in the end.
“We rally the troops, try to get everybody to gives us shirts, and it always works out,” Raquel said. “There’s been many times at our pool club in the summer where we just bring the T-shirts and have everybody helping to make it. Kara was the mastermind, but she had friends help her. Her troop members helped her. She only needed 20 hours, but she’s done way more than that. She wants to continue it. She doesn’t want to let it go.”
Parker’s enthusiasm was recognized last month by Sustainable South Jersey. She was nominated for the #FindOurGreta contest, which honored young eco-warriors who embody the spirit of Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate change activist. Parker finished in second place.
“She keeps me busy, but she’s always since she was little been very community-oriented,” Raquel said. “This is just her next project. I’m really proud that she’s doing something for the community, and she’s doing something about others and not necessarily about herself all the time.”
Parker cites her science teacher, Cristy Ortu, as an inspiration.
“She’s a really good science teacher because she cares about the environment, and she loves helping us with anything,” Parker said. “When she found out I make the bags, she told my whole entire class, ‘Make sure you go see Kara and get a bag. You can even donate shirts like I did.’”
Ortu, a troop leader for her daughter’s Daisy troop, actually learned about Project Bolsa over the summer, before she met Parker. She realized Parker started the project early in the school year.
Ortu said Parker is an attentive, dedicated student, and her passion for environmental science is apparent.
“It’s exactly why I focus on environmental issues whenever I can in science,” she said. “We need her generation to make the environment a priority. She is paving the way, and I’m excited to see what else she has in mind. I see her being a leader in the middle school as she gets into the upper grades.”
For now, though, she’s proud of the impact Parker has made on the community as a young activist.
“Most importantly, I think it’s great for all her peers to see that little changes really do matter and that one person really can make a difference,” Ortu said. “I feel like so many kids know the environment is important and want to help, but they feel powerless because they are ‘just kids.’ We talk about riding your bike or carpooling as ways to reduce your carbon footprint but those are things really out of their control. Kara’s project shows that there are ways kids can take action and make changes and their actions can be powerful.”
Kara Parker (left, with Lily Glatz), a student at Bordentown Regional Middle School, started Project Bolsa as part of her Girl Scout Bronze Award requirement. She collects old T-shirts and transforms them into reusable tote bags.,
