Go Green! Reycle Your Graduation Gowns!
May 10, 2010 | ama83
We all know to recycle paper, plastic… and graduation gowns? With all of the enthusiasm to go “green” within homes and industries, who knew that we would actually be looking into recycling graduation caps and gowns? Yes, even schools are going green. Well, apparently plenty of people have been looking into the hundreds of thousands of graduation gowns and caps that go to waste every year. Graduates wear them once, and then have no other use for them than to hang them in their closet or merely toss them in the garbage. Obviously, this is a waste of resources and money. So, people have been looking into alternatives to cut the waste. Caps no longer need to be tossed in the air and then into the garbage.
Instead of the typical polyester gown that we are all familiar with, a manufacturer has developed a graduation gown made out of recycled plastic. What is interesting is that people who have worn these gowns say they are far from uncomfortable. Reports from CB Online showed that the people who tried on the recycled gowns felt the material was actually an improvement of the polyester, feeling lighter and softer.
Another option for a “green” graduation gown is using biodegradable material, which is supposed to decompose after roughly a year. There’s little harm trashing the gown if it is merely going to dissipate after a matter of time.
The idea of reusing gowns is also an important part of going green for graduation. Many schools encourage their students to return the gowns afterwards, so the material does not go to waste… literally.
Despite their similarity in appearance to the original, the unfortunate part about these degradable and recycled plastic gowns is that they are more expensive for students. This probably explains why so many schools have opted to stick with polyester instead of following this new recycled fashion.
Old habits die hard, I am afraid. Every new innovation has to start somewhere. I believe that if the recycled gowns prove to be a smash, we will all be seeing much more of them in future graduation ceremonies. However, considering the current economy, perhaps this new wave of “green” graduation gowns will become popular once the prices begin to drop.
If anyone has tried one of these “green” gowns, please feel free to let the rest of us know what you think of them. Are they actually comfortable? Do they look cheap? Do you feel good knowing that you are helping to preserve the environment?
Softer than polyester??? How is that possible?? Jk. haha. Something needed to be done about the cap and gown issue!
This is a really good idea – I think I’ll actually propose this to my administration and the Student Senate (who has a Go Green initiative rolling) for future years.
what an interesting topic..i wonder if the plastic sticks to the body during summer though…what about cap and gown rentals?…like tux rentals for weddings?
Do you mean recycled plastic as in, like, hard plastic, like in pop bottles and whatnot? Because if so, I have a shirt made from recycled pop bottles and I can attest to its comfort. It really is soft and comfortable.
I like the idea of “going green,” but may I say that it doesn’t work with everything.
Example: the new toilet paper that is labeled “green,” is really horrific! It DOESN’T absorb, it doesn’t leave you clean. Sorry to be so blunt here, but it is the truth. But perhaps “green” caps and gowns will work better.
[...] Go Green! Reycle Your Graduation Gowns! May 13, 2010 | GlobalShift Guest Here’s another great post from our sister site StudentStuff.com. [...]
It is unfortunate that the comfort of recycled “stuff” seems directly related to cost. So hard, non breathing plastics can be turned into comfortable clothing for a price. Now what do we need to do to drive that cost down to an acceptable level?