skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

MI Company, Schools Look To Make Graduation Season Greener

play audio
Play

Thursday, May 8, 2014   

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – 'Tis the season for pomp and circumstance and caps and gowns, and one group of Michiganders wants to make sure those gowns don't go from graduation ceremonies to garbage cans.

Seth Yon worked in the graduation apparel industry for years and says he launched Greener Grads because he got tired of seeing graduation gowns end up in the trash or in the back of closets.

"I thought, ‘Well, there's got to be a better way,’” he recalls. “’These products could easily be reused a dozen times.’

“And that's our goal. We want this spring to start recovering as many gowns as possible."

The group hopes to recover 1 million gowns from 2014 graduates, and will have recycling boxes at several ceremonies.

Greener Grads has also partnered with Goodwill Industries in west Michigan to allow past graduates to turn in their gowns at those locations.

Nationwide, an estimated 5 million graduation gowns are sold each year, with most made from non-biodegradable polyester blends.

Yon says trying to recycle them shows that helping the Earth doesn't have to be complicated.

"It's as simple as you and I brushing our teeth and turn the water off,” he says. “There's things environmentally that we can do that are really easy and responsible, and this to me is one of those examples in the way of graduation."

Yon says gowns of all sizes and colors will be accepted for recycling. More information is at GreenerGrads.org.





get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021