Sustainability

Commencement Sustainability Initiatives

No Single-Use Plastic Water Bottles

Eco-friendly Regalia

Digital Programs

No Single-Use Plastic Water Bottles

The university avoids single-use plastic water bottles during all Commencement ceremonies and celebrations!

Tips for Hydrating Like a Husky

Locate one of our nearly 300 water bottle filling stations on campus using this map.

Take your reusable coffee cup to the many coffee shops, including Starbucks on campus, and receive a discount (even for online orders!).

Eco-friendly Regalia

GreenWeaver cap and gowns

All student cap and gowns are made from Oak Hall’s GreenWeaver material, which is polyester completely made from post-consumer plastic bottles. It takes an average of 23 to 27 bottles to make each cap and gown, so just think…for every 100 students wearing GreenWeaver, that’s up to 2,700 plastic bottles being diverted from landfills! Cap and gowns can also be recycled after commencement.

Oak Hall GreenWeaver

Digital Programs

As of 2020, Northeastern moved to produce digital programs for all ceremonies and celebrations to reduce paper waste across the Global University System.

Programs and Livestreams

5 Ways Huskies Can Celebrate Sustainably

Click each topic below to learn more about how you can contribute to a more eco-friendly commencement!

Keep or Recycle Your Gown

All cap and gowns are for students to keep forever! Please save your regalia for memories, or recycle regalia at a textile recycling points. More information about drop-off points will be available at a later date.

In November 2022, Massachusetts banned textiles from disposal. Textiles include clothing, footwear, bedding, curtains, fabric, and scraps of all sizes that are clean and dry. Even if your textiles are worn, torn, or stained, they can still be donated to a textile recycler.

Green Your Graduation Commute

Take public transportation to your ceremony to reduce our carbon footprint during high-traffic commencement season.

Click here to learn more about alternative transportation options to campus.

Eco-Friendly Celebration Decor

Consider recyclable or reusable graduation decorations for your personal parties.

Sustainable Menu Choices

Use reusable tableware if possible or compostable or recyclable options. Consider plant-based menu options or give guests the choice to opt into meat/dairy.

Digital Invitations

Instead of mailing paper invitations, consider creating a digital graduation invitation. Consider ordering custom digital designs through platforms such as Canva or Etsy.

Northeastern University’s Sustainability

Let’s work together to make Northeastern and our world more just and resilient. We partner across our global university system to connect student projects, teaching and research, community initiatives, campus operations, and capital investments to inspire solutions to the climate crisis. Together, we can generate new ideas and create change. Click the link below to learn more.