Help Make the Commencement Ceremony “Greener!”
Donate your Gown and/or Cap after the celebrations!
Did you know that one American student could graduate up to seven times in their lifetime, each time wearing a different cap and gown?
Graduates usually wear the cap and gown only once. According to “Greener Grads” approximately 5 million students participate in the commencement ceremony each year, wearing a cap and gown. Only a very small percentage of students rent cotton caps and gowns, which are better for the environment.
The Kapi‘olani Community College gowns are made of a thin PET polyester material, which is not biodegradable and requires a lot of energy to produce. It is estimated that between 80 and 100 million graduation gowns are currently in landfills, which would fill 25,000 garbage trucks!
What can I do to help?
You can help make graduation “greener” by donating your cap and/or gown to the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society after the celebrations are over. The caps and gowns will be sanitized and cleaned by the Honor Society and will be available next year for rental. By renting a cap and gown, students will save almost 50% from buying it new at the bookstore and it will keep graduation regalia out of our landfills.
We need students to donate their caps and gowns or this sustainability program doesn’t work. Sign the Cap and Gown Donation Pledge and you will be entered to win one of three $50 Amazon gift cards. When you drop off your cap and/or gown, there will be a QR code posted. Scan it and you will get another entry into the drawing, increasing your chances of winning.
Donation sites will be in the Lama Library and outside the Honor Society office, Kalia 114.
You will receive a certificate for participating in the initiative, which you should list on your resume. Employers want to hire people who have community service experience and who have been involved in and care about sustainability.
If you are not graduating, you can still help by spreading the word to your friends and classmates who are graduating and encouraging them to sign the Donation Pledge and to donate their caps and/or gowns.