Graduating green: MSU's newest green tradition
Some 58,500 plastic 20-ounce bottles were recycled to robe the spring 2010 graduating class, saving 16,500 yards of fabric.- Thirteen plastic bottles equal a cap and gown.
- Token diplomas were made from 30 percent postconsumer content.
- Printed programs were made from 100 percent postconsumer content.
- Switching to e-mail invitations saved 7,288 trees.
- The Breslin Student Events Center, MSU Auditorium, and Wharton Center for Performing Arts have optimized heating and cooling systems.
At MSU, green is so much more than a school color. It's an attitude of personal responsibility shared by students, faculty, and staff who show daily how collective actions can make huge improvements for our campus environment. And it's helped us become one of the nation's top sustainable campuses. Whether transforming our facilities and operations to be more energy efficient or preparing students to be better stewards of our planet, Spartans work hard to make each day a little greener for all.
MSU began a new tradition in 2010 with the university's first green commencement ceremony. Graduates donned caps and gowns made from recycled plastic bottles, accepted diplomas containing postconsumer content, and heard inspiring words from former congressman and Citizen Energy Corp. founder Joseph Kennedy II—all in an energy-efficient campus venue.
On commencement day and every day at MSU, signs of our green way of life are all around and guided by our university-wide Be Spartan Green initiative. From the state-of-the-art Surplus Store and Recycling Center to 15 environment-focused undergraduate majors to miles of bike lanes and thousands of tree varieties on our park-like campus—Spartans can be proud of the green legacy they are creating. 
See more green
Learn more about the Be Spartan Green initiative.
Watch how MSU students, faculty, and staff benefit from solar-powered hoop houses that grow food year-round.
