新澳门六合彩内幕信息

Graduate Without the Glitter

5 Alternatives to Confetti and Glitter Litter

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A "congrats" plastic cutout litters the ground
Outdoor confetti often remains on the ground as litter. Luckily, there are sustainable alternatives. (Laci Gerhart/新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis)

鈥淧OP!鈥 Every commencement season, hundreds of confetti poppers go off, and handfuls of glitter are thrown into the air by excited loved ones photographing new graduates. But whether it鈥檚 for a photo or just for the thrill, the impact after this split-second moment lasts much longer. 

For commencements, weddings, birthdays, or baby showers, alternatives to confetti and glitter can add extra happiness to pictures and moments while still being kind to the Earth. Let the legacy of your celebratory day be a trail of memories, not a trail of glitter. 

A lasting impact   

Confetti may be tiny, but its impact can be huge. 

Glitter itself takes about to fully decompose. Every piece of glitter and plastic confetti ever created is still here鈥撯揵ut now it鈥檚 not as fun. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 harmful to wildlife,鈥 said Kelli O鈥橠ay, 鈥檚 assessment program manager. 鈥淎ny plastic confetti or glitter left on campus can flow through storm drains and end up in the Arboretum Waterway or Putah Creek.鈥 

Wildlife can mistake shiny metallic confetti for food. Even paper confetti can contain harmful chemicals and dyes that contaminate the environment.

Metallic confetti covers the ground in front of the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis sign
Evolution and Ecology Professor Laci Gerhart has documented campus litter with her Wild Davis class for the past few years. (Courtesy Laci Gerhart).

Plastic confetti and most glitters are also microplastics. According to the , microplastics are any plastic fragments less than 5 millimeters. Whether they were once tiny clothing fibers, a plastic bottle now broken down, or confetti around a 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Egghead, they have a cascading and long-lasting effect. 

Given how small they are, it may be hard to imagine their capacity for destruction, but microplastics have been from deep oceans, to rain, table salt and Antarctic ice. Microplastics can end up in our food, carry toxic chemicals or pathogens that stick to their surface, leach chemicals into the environment, impact soil and drinking water, and hurt the digestive systems of animals that mistake plastic for food, according to 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Associate Professor Karen Shapiro.

Wild Davis students used to document cleanup of graduation photo confetti on the campus and ! Grads: **congrats** on your degree!! 馃帗馃嵕 But when you celebrate, remember 馃帀馃帄

鈥 Dr. Laci Gerhart (@LMGerhart)

Toxic compounds like plasticizers, stabilizers, and pigments 鈥 all of which may be found in confetti 鈥 are also hazardous to human and animal health. 

鈥淭here is so much that we don鈥檛 yet know about the potential harm these particles may have on our natural environment,鈥 said Shapiro. 

新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis graduating student Alexa Carter in white dress and graduation sashpretends to speak in Egghead sculpture's ear for a playful graduation photo
Alexa Carter in her graduating attire in 2023 shows there are many ways to have a playful, litter-free graduation photo. (Karin Higgins/新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis)

Alternatives to plastic confetti

It may seem like all the fun options are gone, but there are many alternatives to typical confetti, said O鈥橠ay. These options can make your pictures stand out from the endless social media scroll after commencement.

  • Flower petals. Fresh or dried flower petals can add the needed color pop to your picture. 
  • Bubbles. What鈥檚 more fun than bubbles? Plus, you鈥檙e guaranteed a great candid smile out of it. 
  • Other flowers and herbs. Lavender, baby鈥檚 breath, leaves 鈥  the opportunities are endless. You鈥檒l definitely smell good after your photoshoot.  
  • Hole-punched leaves can be super cute if you鈥檙e willing to put in the work with a heart- or star-shaped hole puncher. I did this for my aunt鈥檚 wedding, and it was adorable. 
  • Native bird and wildflower seed. Want to be extra sustainable? Contribute to the Northern California ecosystem by throwing bird and wildflower seed. But be careful! It鈥檚 important to do your research on native plant seeds in the area beforehand. The last thing you want is to have your end-of-college impact be the introduction of an invasive species. 
  • Biodegradable confetti. If you still want the thrill of popping a confetti cannon, there are eco-friendly poppers for sale on platforms like Etsy. Plus, you鈥檇 be supporting a small business! 
新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis grad jumps in front of Mrak Hall for a graduation picture
Emmanuel Fonesca, photographed in his graduation attire near Mrak Hall in 2023. (Karin Higgins/新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis)

O鈥橠ay also recommends renting graduation gowns instead of buying, avoiding balloons, and using paper cut-outs and props instead. Using sparkling water instead of champagne for photoshoots is not only cheaper, but also avoids leaving walkways sticky and stained: 鈥淭his adds a lot of extra work for our 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis grounds crews,鈥 O鈥橠ay said. 

A trail of glitter 

"She who leaves a trail of glitter is not ever forgotten" is a Kate Spade quote that鈥檚 true in too many ways. 

Our candid joy may generate a fun picture, but that split-second camera click will last for the next 1000 years. Stick to the bubbles. 

Want more inspiration? Check out the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Arboretum鈥檚 ideas in their

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Malia Reiss is a science news intern with 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Strategic Communications. She studies environmental science and management at 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis.

Media Resources

Kat Kerlin, 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis News and Media Relations, 530-750-9195, kekerlin@ucdavis.edu 

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