Greener Grads: Changing the Way We Approach Graduation

Clouded by the excitement, success and celebration that comes with graduation, it never occurs to us the extreme environmental impact that comes with this major milestone. 

Graduation gowns have an immense weight in oil production and landfill waste. Producing one gown uses the same amount of material that it takes to produce 23 water bottles, with annual production using over 3.2 million gallons of oil. For one day in our life, a 90 minute ceremony … this seems a bit much.

Greener Grads is stepping up and making a change through their recover, reuse and recycle model. With their donation and rental system, graduates from middle school to PhD can rent a gently used gown for a low price, thus decreasing gown manufacture and reducing waste. 

With partnerships across the country, Greener Grads works with schools and colleges to set up collaborative relationships that make gown rental and donation accessible to students. Donation systems allow for gowns to come back into the system and keep them out of the waste stream. By involving student leaders, Greener Grads also gives students the power to start donation programs in their schools.

The inspiration behind our green mission was sparked by my early career working for a well-known graduation company. The emphasis on production and consumption in this industry, the sheer number of gowns produced simply to be worn and thrown away really opened my eyes to different ways of doing things. So I left the company and used this newfound awareness to make a change and founded Greener Grads. Through Greener Grads, I hope to change our approach toward graduation, and offer resources to make it sustainable while conserving the tradition and celebration.

In less than a year, Greener Grads has spread to over 22 states and made 100 partnerships nationally. With school and business partnerships in Oregon, California, Arizona, Kentucky, Michigan, and Massachusetts, to name a few, as well as student ambassadors and appearances at national conferences such as the Smart and Sustainable Campuses Conference and the Southeast Recycling Coalition Conference, Greener Grads is spreading their message of recover, reuse and recycle. 

Alongside its environmental focus, Greener Grads is aware of the cost of graduation and the burden of student debt. With its low prices, Greener Grads makes graduation a celebration ALL students can participate in, and not just open to those who can afford the investment.

Now that the word is getting out about Greener Grads’ efforts, more schools and nonprofits are signing on to collaborate and contribute. This means requests for bulk orders, as well as new connections in new states. To make this possible, Greener Grads is focusing on increasing its gown inventory, especially with the demand that graduation season brings. Bulk orders are currently going out to eager grads and schools, thus changing the graduation game and steering it in an environmentally focused direction. 

Greener Grads is offering the tools to change our traditions into less wasteful and more responsible celebrations.