This Festival Season, Louisiana is Going Green
With its Greener Grounds initiative, Keep Louisiana Beautiful is helping reduce waste and manage litter at major outdoor events
Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) and Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser are calling on event organizers and eventgoers to do their part to keep our state clean.
“Parades and festivals are at the heart of Louisiana’s culture, but the litter and waste generated is unsightly and harmful to our environment if left unaddressed,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “Have fun, but don’t leave your trash behind.”
All too often, after everyone has left the party, litter is what’s left behind. Fast food wrappers, beads, cans, and plastic bottles enter our environment, harm our wildlife, clog our storm drains, and pollute our waterways. During Mardi Gras 2023, the City of New Orleans reported that 1,162 tons (2.5 million pounds) of trash were transported to the landfill in just 11 days. Carnival season is a statewide celebration spanning several weeks, so just imagine the astronomical amount of waste and litter that results.
Fortunately, our litter problem at outdoor events is entirely solvable, but it will take buy-in from event organizers and eventgoers. In 2023, KLB partnered with French Quarter Festivals, Inc., to create the Greener Grounds Guidebook and Workbook—offering a detailed roadmap to help outdoor event organizers better manage and prevent litter, reduce waste, and increase recycling.
Understanding the Severity of Louisiana’s Litter Problem
According to KLB’s 2023 litter study, Louisiana spends an estimated $91.4 million each year on litter prevention, education, remediation, and enforcement. This is a 65% expenditure increase since the 2010 KLB study. That’s taxpayer money that could be used to benefit the state in other ways if Louisianans put an end to our litter problem. Most residents are tired of living in a dirty state. In fact, 92% of KLB’s litter study survey respondents believe litter is a problem. Respondents also shared the reasons why they think people litter at outdoor events:
27% - Not enough trash cans
26% - Misconception that it’s someone else’s job to clean up
25% - Trash can not close enough
22% - Trash can was overflowing
“If adequate infrastructure is made available for trash disposal, we will experience less littering,” says Susan Russell, KLB Executive Director. “We must all adopt best practices for litter prevention in our daily lives, whether we are at home, at work, or at a music festival.”
Greener Grounds Guidance for Event Organizers
The Greener Grounds Guidebook and Workbook serve as a springboard for determining your tactics for minimizing litter and waste. Event organizers can download both publications for free online and reach out to KLB for printed copies. Topics covered in the guidebook and workbook include:
Determining your sources and types of waste
Achieving stakeholder buy-in
Goal setting
Waste stream selection
Sourcing materials
Managing your team
Creating your event footprint map
Start small or take your Greener Grounds efforts to the next level. To help support you, KLB has created the Greener Grounds Grant. In 2023, KLB awarded 25 organizations in 15 parishes a total of $141,133 to support large outdoor events in going green. The grant application will open on March 15.
Attending an Event?
Here are ways to help!
Take your trash with you, sort out your recyclables, and dispose of everything properly.
When you see litter, pick it up and throw it away.
Bring a reusable water bottle instead of plastic single-use bottles.
Use a pocket ashtray or ash receptacle to dispose of your cigarette butts.
Bring two bags when you go to a parade, one for trash and one for throws.
Donate your Mardi Gras beads and other throws to local organizations collecting such items.
Help by volunteering for an organization’s post-event cleanup.
Visit keeplouisianabeautiful.org and get more information about Greener Grounds and KLB’s other programs. KLB wants to hear from you at info@keeplouisianabeautiful.org.