Let’s Talk Trash

ewalsh • April 28, 2016

By Brittany Gauthier, reSET Community Developer

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 75% of the American waste stream is recyclable, but we only recycle about 30% of it. Imagine the things we could do with all of that recycled material…

Art entrepreneur and member of reSET, Amy Merli, had a vision, and 6 years ago she brought that idea to fruition. Amy took her passion for fashion, art, and of course, environmental sustainability, and decided to blend them all together to create what is known today as The Trashion Fashion Show. That’s right, a fashion show where over 90% of the design must be from recycled materials. A Runway filled with bright and unique pieces made primarily from trash? Yes, please! 

As an individual that shares many of the same passions as Amy, I was excited when my friend asked me to go to the model call this year. I mean, every girl dreams of having the opportunity to walk down a runway as a model in a fashion show. To have the opportunity to wear a dress that was unique and beautiful in a show that was created to encourage body positivity, environmental sustainability and art, was a truly incredible experience. It’s all the things I love rolled into one. You know, like the first bite of your favorite meal at your favorite restaurant.

The dress I wore was made entirely out of Coca-Cola soda can boxes. It had an extravagant high neck design and was a huge hit on the runway. The dress was designed by the genius, Carmen Bermudez, who has had her designs featured all over the world. She has boxes of recycled materials at her house that she uses to create unique and beautiful dresses/costumes. Carmen was inspired to participate in The Trashion Fashion Show when she realized how much recycling she had accumulated as a consumer.

The experience I had with the Trashion Fashion Show was moving on so many levels. I feel lucky to have been a part of this important event. Congratulations to all of the designers, models, and of course the Trashion Fashion team! To find ways to get involved, please visit www.trashionfashion.org.

By awalsh February 13, 2026
Dear reSET Community, The Board of Directors today announces the departure of Sarah Bodley as Executive Director of reSET in a planned transition later this year. The Board has immense gratitude for Sarah and all her contributions over the years. Over the last seven years, Sarah has built an amazing foundation for the organization and she leaves reSET in a strong position for continued growth and service. Sarah joined reSET in 2018 and over the past seven years has solidified and expanded reSET’s mission of supporting impact-driven entrepreneurs throughout Connecticut. Here are a few key highlights from Sarah’s time here: Facilitated the acquisition of Collab New Haven, expanding reSET’s footprint to a statewide geography and further enhancing our mission Developed and implemented new core programs including the award-winning Food Incubator, as well as the Food Accelerator, Retail Incubator, Measure What Matters, and Digital Marketing Mastermind Established reSET as a founding partner of the Hartford Culinary Collaborative, enabling greater connectivity and cooperation among food-centric support organizations in our region Doubled the organization’s budget to over 1 Million Dollars, securing multi-year State government grants Won the prestigious Neighborhood Builders Award from Bank of America, and the Leadership Greater Hartford Polaris Community Award in 2022 Established an endowment fund thanks to support from the Zachs Family Foundation to support the long term sustainability of reSET’s mission Over the coming months, we will be continuing our search to find reSET's next Executive Director. Sarah will stay onboard through June to ensure a smooth handoff to our next leader, and will be available as a resource throughout 2026. It is the Board of Directors’ priority, along with Sarah's, to make this transition as smooth as possible to continue the great work Sarah has helped us do over her tenure. The Executive Director’s Job Posting can be found at this link, and we invite you to keep in mind any potential candidates in your community or network that you think might be a great fit. The Board of Directors wishes Sarah the best of luck in her future endeavors. We are appreciative of the dedication and enthusiasm she has given to reSET over the last seven years, particularly navigating our organization seamlessly during the historic times of the pandemic, changes in administration, and an ever-evolving landscape of opportunity for entrepreneurs. We are confident that with Sarah’s support, this transition will be a smooth one for our Connecticut entrepreneurs, partners, and generous supporters. We look forward to continuing our growth and to serving our mission of supporting the social enterprise sector. If you have any questions or concerns during this transition, please don’t hesitate to reach out via contacting admin@resetco.org to get in touch with the board. Sincerely, Ali Lazowski + Dave Menard, co-chairs, reSET Board of Directors
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