Support the environment by not buying a graduation gown
I am currently a Master of Science student in environmental science at Towson University.
I plan to graduate this May and, like most other graduates, hope to participate in the graduation ceremony.
However, one factor that may prevent my participation is the wasteful and environmentally harmful purchase of a polyester graduation garment that will only be used once. Approximately 5,000 students will graduate from TU this year.
There are 2,774 four-year colleges in the United States.
Most of these colleges have graduations with one-use graduation regalia.
How many thousands of pounds of CO2 are released in the production of these synthetic gowns? How many barrels of oil are used?
A rent and reuse system should be implemented for graduation robes.
My parents did not buy graduation robes new, and your parents likely didn’t either.
I think that this would be a valuable step toward making TU a green campus.
Since any more environmentally-friendly measures are unlikely to occur this academic year, I ask that students request permission to wear their own professional/nice clothing to the graduation ceremony in lieu of a robe.
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Sounds like an interesting plan. I kept my cap and tassel and threw out the gown. Only problem is where would the gowns be stored? Who would run the rental program? Would the cost be lower? Would a student having to drive from their home to turn in the gown end up being worse for the environment then just having a one use that they throw out? Add in having to move the gowns to another location for storage are you crossing into more energy to reuse the gowns.
Gowns could be stored on campus. A tent could be set up on campus in the Spring where the gowns could be brought out, distributed and then collected the day of the ceremony.
Most definitely this would be a lot less energy than having to make new ones every year.
Graduation gowns have a lot of sentimental value to a lot of people (myself included) and I think forcing people to turn them in is going to ultimately have a lot of backlash. For families that have multiple siblings/generations go to the same institution, gowns are often passed down – my sister will be wearing my high school robes when she graduates next month.
To reply to some of the comments above:
- A Google search brought up a handful of companies that provide this service. The University could continue on its Green initiative by setting up a large scale partnership with a company like this and bring prices down. And outsourcing this may mean that they could be stored off campus with the company that provides them.
- The University could also generate revenue from renting gowns. The return on investment would cover the cost within a few years (or sooner)
- For students that want a fresh new gown, or who want to keep it, an option to purchase (new or used) could be made available – thereby eliminating the backlash from those families.
For the least environmental impact I suggest going naked.
My school colors were clear. Hey, I’m not naked I’m in the band!
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