04/27/2026
Did you know that the clothes we wear contribute to one of the major pollution sources on earth? What can we do personally to reduce fashion pollution?
Join us this coming Friday, May 1, 2026, for Environmental Fridays (EF) Episode 17 of Season X, at 9:30am EST & Caribbean. See attached poster and feel free to share this announcement.
ZOOM MEETING LINK
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83688660774?pwd=Fp4ZmRCQkRO0gD2aBKyPjbhbCcjd2A.1
Meeting ID: 836 8866 0774; Passcode: 957246
Everyone is welcome. Environmental Fridays is a labor of love and free to all. Students, professionals, and community. Our tagline is: "It is personal."
This week's topic is Environmental Impact of the Fashion Industry. Our guest presenter is Andrew Burnstine. Our episode co-hosts are Armani Peterson and Lina Loi.
GUEST SPEAKER BIO
Andrew Burnstine is an Associate Professor in the College of Business and Management at Lynn University, where he has taught and chaired Fashion Marketing and Design programs for almost 30 years. He has also taught at various other universities and colleges, including New York University, Kent State University, and Berkeley College. Before his academic career, Burnstine spent 20 years as Executive Vice President of Martha Inc., an exclusive women's specialty store chain in New York City and Florida, where he served as a buyer and merchandiser. Notably, he also has a unique background as a professional circus clown with Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, and his Ph.D. dissertation from New York University was on the "History of Costume Design of the Big Apple Circus." Burnstine holds B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees in Education and Retail from New York University. He is actively involved in discussions about the fashion industry, including trends like AI-powered fashion and sustainability.
CO-HOSTS
Armani Peterson is an award-winning author, poet, humanitarian, and advocate whose voice is emerging as one of depth, courage, and emotional truth. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she has been writing since the age of eight, cultivating a literary voice rooted in empathy, resilience, and transformation. Her forthcoming debut collection, Diary of an Empath: The Burden and the Bloom (2026), is a powerful meditation on healing, heartbreak, faith, and the beauty that rises from pain. Armani first garnered literary recognition through her contribution to The Breakthrough: Beauty for Ashes, recipient of the 2025 African American Literary Award for Short Stories and Anthologies, solidifying her place as an award-winning author and rising voice in contemporary literature. Beyond the page, she is deeply committed to advocacy, supporting underserved communities and women affected by domestic violence. Currently pursuing her MBA, Armani seamlessly blends artistry, leadership, and service, embodying a new generation of impactful literary voices.
Lina Loi (https://www.instagram.com/linaloi/) is a celebrated R&B and soul artist whose distinctive voice and genre-blending style have earned critical acclaim across music, film, and television. Her debut album, Stranger on Earth (Atlantic Records, 2001), introduced her as a bold new voice, praised for its fusion of swing, jazz, and soul and named one of Billboard’s Top 10 R&B Albums of the Year. Her 2005 release, The Inner Beauty Movement, featured the Billboard hit “Smooth,” a beloved steppers anthem. Lina has also appeared in Sony Pictures’ This Christmas and contributed music to major studios including Disney/Fox, Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, and Columbia Pictures. She now returns with Still Got It, a Southern Soul project that pairs gospel warmth, blues grit, and heartfelt storytelling with her unmistakable artistry. For more on Lina Loi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lina_(American_singer)
