Good Golly -- Green Graduation Gowns!

How many people out there remember walking across a stage on graduation day in your finery, accepting a diploma and chucking your graduation cap in the air like a frisbee?

Back then, I don't think very many of us thought, "Hmmm, I should really go pick that up."

In fact, I cringe while typing this, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I just ended up throwing my entire graduation ensemble away. (Back then, they didn't even rent them...)

Fortunately, Oak Hall,  one of the main manufacturers of graduation attire such as caps and student/faculty gowns, is now the only one to produce a line made entirely out of molten recycled plastic bottles.

After spending 14 months in research and development, far too easily wrinkled bamboo fabric made way for 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottle fabric.

According to the Clean Air Council, Americans throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour, 60 million per day and a staggering 22 billion each year.

Personally, I'm really happy that Oak Hall is making a conscious effort to turn this easily reusable resource into a practical consumer item.

As with many other plastic fabric items that we use in our daily lives, Oak Hall's Green Weaver pieces resemble polyester in appearance and texture -- they are soft, comfortable and a dead ringer for conventional versions.

The company says that approximately 23 bottles are used to create each gown and they will make a contribution to a campus environmental group (as directed by each university's administration) for each Green Weaver gown purchased.

If you're a student who will be graduating soon, please tell your school about this eco-friendly choice!

Also, parents...have you heard about Green Weaver? If so, are your children going to be graduating in this green get up?