Graduation Goes Green

Wed., May 12

For the first time, Southern students will be wearing "green" caps and gowns when they march into the Connecticut Tennis Center for undergraduate commencement exercises. Not green in color, mind you, as the traditional black garb will continue to be the order of the day. But the attire will be green in the environmental spirit. 

The university recently opted to purchase environmentally friendly caps and gowns that are made from recycled plastic bottles -- on average, 23 bottles for each gown. Southern purchased the apparel from a Virginia-based company, Oak Hall Cap & Gown, and it is part of the company's "GreenWeaver" line.

Heather Stearns, the university's recycling coordinator, praised the efforts of Southern's Commencement Committee for "going green."

"As the university moves forward with sustainability efforts on campus, it only makes sense that we look for ways our students can see firsthand how their efforts to recycle have paid off," Stearns said. "The GreenWeaver caps and gowns are made of 100 percent post-consumer plastic and prove that our initiatives to recycle plastic bottles on campus have come full circle."

The following is a link to the article that appeared in the May 10 edition of the New Haven Register: www.nhregister.com/articles/2010/05/10/news/metro/aa1mongreengowns051010.prt