Earth-friendly commencement gowns: All the rage this spring at FIU


Forget twenty three bottles of beer on the wall. How about twenty three bottles of plastic in your gown?

It may sound a little odd, but come May, Florida International University graduates will walk across commencement stage wearing caps and gowns made completely out of recycled plastic bottles.

Nearly 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students are expected to attend commencement this spring and FIU will become the first in the State University System to graduate students in earth-friendly gowns thanks to the growing trend of turning plastic into cloth.

“This is an innovative way to show our commitment to sustainability and make an impact given the size of our graduating classes,” said Provost Douglas Wartzok. “Since we are also the most energy efficient university in the State University System, these gowns truly make us worlds ahead on our continued commitment to be an environmentally conscious university.”

Students will be getting their caps and gowns during Grad Send-Off, on March 7 to 9 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble FIU Bookstore, located inside the Graham Center at Modesto A. Maidique Campus. On March 12 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Broward Pines Center, located at 17195 Sheridan Street in Pembroke Pines; and from March 21 and 22, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Biscayne Bay Bookstore, located inside the Wolfe University Center, at 3000 N.E. 151 Street in North Miami.

Commencement ceremonies will take place May 2 and 3, 2011 at the U.S. Century Bank Arena, located at 11200 SW 8 Street on the Modesto Maidique Campus in Southwest Miami-Dade County.

The regalia, made by Virginia-based Oak Hall Cap & Gown, is called GreenWeaver and made from a fabric spun from molten plastic pellets. Each gown is made from an average of 23 plastic bottles and looks and feels like traditional fabric.

The manufacturer agreed to deviate from their standard black gown and produce blue regalia for FIU—the traditional color for graduating undergraduate students as well as FIU’s spirit color.

It’s not just the actual fabric that’s environmentally friendly. The plastic bags they come in are made from recycled plastic, also.

And the size labels on the back of the gowns? Ink derived from soy.

Media Contact: Jean-Paul Renaud at 305-348-2716.