Graduates gone green

In the U.S., college graduates are starting to use eco-friendly caps and gowns made from recycled plastic bottles. A good start indeed, but I personally prefer my university’s version.

The University of the Philippines in Diliman had its graduation rites just this weekend, and it’s always a nice event to witness. For many years now, the graduates no longer make use of the traditional cap and gown, but a sash known as the sablay, which features the school’s colors and the letters U and P written in baybayin, or the country’s indigenous script. The sablay began to be used because it’s more appropriate to the country’s weather around graduation time, plus it’s truly Filipino as well.

The reuse potential is also great, especially if you have a younger sibling who will graduate from the same school, or if you’re done with your masters or Ph.D. The design doesn’t change and it can pretty much lie in wait in your closet until it’s time for you to use it. Even if you never use it again, however, it’s a gorgeous enough piece that you just wouldn’t want to throw away, and it’s a really nice reminder of your university days, and much easier to store than caps and gowns.