News | Sustainable Future Scenarios

April 25, 2013

A small orchestra is playing “Pomp and Circumstance,” everyone is in maroon, and your parents are waving their hands frantically in the stands. You’ve come a long way, kid. It’s time to graduate college.

You not only will be graduating from Arizona State University; you’ll be graduating with a degree from the School of Sustainability. We think that’s pretty cool. And to add to your efforts, we’ve made your graduation as sustainable as it can be.

Recently, ASU partnered with Herff Jones to offer caps and gowns made from 100% recycled materials. Called “Renew” caps and gowns, the Repreve® yarn is mostly sourced from post-consumer plastic bottles. Each gown removes approximately 29 plastic bottles from the landfill. How awesome is that? Even better, when you purchase your cap and gown at the Sun Devil Campus Stores or through Herff Jones, you receive a one-year membership to the ASU Alumni Association.

If you don’t want to hold on to your cap and gown after graduation (or turn them into a Halloween costume), you can drop them off at any Sun Devil Campus Store during May. Herff Jones’ Renew Recycling Program then collects the unwanted garments and makes them into new caps and gowns, completing the cradle-to-cradle process.

But if you’re feeling extra generous, you can help out the following class by donating your cap and gown to the School of Sustainability. After your graduation ceremony, you can take your cap and gown to the Student Services Office on the first floor of Wrigley Hall. Be sure to hang on to your tassel, though!