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Recycle Me Something, Mister!
02/26/2019
In 2018, 2.4 million pounds of waste was collected from the streets of New Orleans during Carnival season. A significant amount of these items could have easily been recycled.
This carnival season, paradegoers will enjoy more recycling options thanks to several initiatives underway, some of which were an outcome of The Future of Mardi Gras forum hosted by local organizations the Urban Conservancy and Grounds Krewe last fall.
“The forum brought 300 New Orleanians together to discuss ways to reduce the adverse environmental impact of Carnival season while growing the local economic impact,” says Dana Eness, Urban Conservancy’s director. “It encouraged New Orleanians to continue to share their ideas for more sustainable practices on and off of the parade route and launch initiatives that shift the focus away from trashing the city and toward uplifting more local, ethical, green traditions. This Carnival season, we’re seeing the results of connections made at the forum.”
“The success of each Carnival season has been traditionally measured by the tonnage of debris collected by the end of Mardi Gras Day, but it is clear from survey responses collected from forum attendees that the public is ready to measure our success using more sustainable metrics,” says Brett Davis, founder of Grounds Krewe, an organization focused on waste reduction at parades. “Fifty-six percent of survey respondents reported that their largest concern was reducing street garbage and increasing recycling during carnival season.”
"Supporting a recycling program that helps ensure the sustainability of an event like Mardi Gras, which is so closely associated with the city’s unique culture and appeal, fits well with our mission to add sustainable value to our communities and our commitment to protecting the environment."
- Chuck Barlow, Entergy’s vice president of sustainability and environmental policy
Entergy is working with both organizations to support “on the route” recycling efforts this year. The Urban Conservancy and Grounds Krewe, in partnership with Entergy Corporation, ArcGNO and Republic Services will recycle throws, cans and bottles during Muses (following Babylon and Chaos) on February 28 and during the Uptown daytime parades on March 3 (Okeanos, Mid-City and Thoth).
“New Orleans is Entergy’s corporate home. Supporting a recycling program that helps ensure the sustainability of an event like Mardi Gras, which is so closely associated with the city’s unique culture and appeal, fits well with our mission to add sustainable value to our communities and our commitment to protecting the environment,” said Chuck Barlow, Entergy’s vice president of sustainability and environmental policy. “We appreciate the leadership of the Urban Conservancy and Grounds Krewe and can’t wait to help implement this important and inventive initiative.”
Interested in helping? Check out our volunteer page. You can also look for the recycling bag pictured at right and pitch in on the designated parade routes!
Check out a WWLTV report about this project.
Learn more about Entergy's commitment to the environment.
