BOONE—Students graduating in December from Appalachian State University will be the first on campus to wear a different kind of graduation gown.

While the gown looks like that worn by past graduates, it’s made of fiber from renewable, managed forests. The gown and its plastic packaging will decompose in a landfill in a reasonably short period of time, according to the manufacturers.

Bailey Belcher, center, models the new gown that will be worn by students graduating in December from Appalachian State University. The gown is made from wood fiber. Belcher is a senior marketing major from Mooresville. Also pictured are University Bookstore co-workers Emily Antolic, left, a junior psychology major from Orlando, Fla., and Matt Beecher, a junior sociology major from Concord.

Going green at graduation is a trend occurring at colleges and high schools across the nation.

Those wearing the environmentally friendly gowns will be hard pressed to tell the difference from last year’s gowns, which were made from polyester.

“The change was spurred by the campus’s focus on recycling and sustainability,” said Amy Carson, a buyer for University Bookstore. While the gown is designed to decompose when discarded, it will last as long as any other garment when stored under normal conditions.

The gown costs only $3 more than last year’s polyester gowns.

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