Meet Our Partners: Aquinas College
Aquinas College(AQ), is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan just minutes away from the busy downtown yet still surrounded with
beautiful scenery. Aquinas was founded in1866 and still practices the Catholic Dominican tradition that it was founded upon. They
provide students with a liberal arts education and a global perspective that emphasizes career preparation, leadership and service to
others.
AQ Sustainability Efforts are just one of the many ways that Aquinas is at the forefront of sustainable colleges in Grand Rapids,
Michigan. There is a BYOM – bring your own mug - discount for students around campus, as well as a campus-wide sustainability
policy. This policy includes recycling of all materials, a community garden and student-led organizations like Students Striving for
Sustainability (S3) and EPIC.
We knew that Greener Grads needed to meet the team behind the sustainability movement that is taking place on Aquinas’ campus.
Aquinas is a leader in campus sustainability. A partnership between Greener Grads and Aquinas College would be a perfect fit as they
understand the importance of recycling, reducing consumption and eliminating waste.
Aquinas College is one of our Greener Grads partners that is helping us recover, repurpose and reuse graduation gowns. Partnerships
with colleges like Aquinas help to reduce the mass production and breathe new life into old gowns. After each Aquinas graduation
ceremony, a collection bin is placed in an accessible location for all graduates to drop off their gown. By donating your gown after
graduation, you are helping future graduates save money, while dramatically reducing polyester production and keeping landfill
accumulation down.
It may seem like a small contribution to you, but every gown counts.
Aquinas held their first gown drive on May 10th after their spring graduation. Hundreds of gowns were donated from this one event.
After the gowns are collected they are steam cleaned with the help of Goodwill of Greater Grand Rapids and kept for next years
graduates.
Without the help and support from partners like Aquinas College we wouldn’t be where we are today.
For more information on Aquinas College visit them on Facebook and Twitter.
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