Need: Despite the many positive cultural and economic benefits the city of New Orleans and visitors have come to enjoy from Carnival each year, the vast amount of unnecessary street waste it produces has unfortunately become one if its defining characteristics. The various hazards caused by a deluge of unwanted, imported, disposable parade throws, as much 2.6 million pounds left on the street in just 12 days, has been widely recognized as having reached a "tipping point" that can no longer be ignored and must be addressed.
Goal: Grounds Krewe seeks to help reduce the waste impact of Mardi Gras parades through the creation and sale of eco-friendly parade throws that are less likely to be left on the street. Several “value added” layers are built into the sourcing, design, assembly and benefit of each throw in order to encourage their purchase over the current low value, high quantity offerings. Fostering a local, sustainable throw economy encourages stakeholders, businesses, policy makers, parading Krewes and the media to attach their support to this cause.
Environment - waste accumulates in soil, waterways & landfills. energy & emissions required for production, hauling & disposal.
Infrastructure - waste hinders storm water drainage system, private trash bins, streets & bike lanes.
Health & Safety - throws contain toxins like lead, phallates & fire retardants.
Culture - litter normalization as waste is deposited in public spaces.
Economic - millions spent each year on foreign goods made with poor labor conditions.
Budget - ~1.5 million in taxpayer $ spent annually for sanitation equipment, labor, transport & landfill fees.
Residents - concerned about impact on environment, storm drains and “litter culture”.
Parents - concerned about children handling throws made with unsafe materials.
Taxpayers - concerned about sanitation costs and street flooding.
Parade Riders - weary of throwing low quality items that are ignored.
Local Business - would prefer millions spent annually on locally made products.
Media - looking to find positive, novel stories to cover about Mardi Gras.
Visitors - unaccustomed to local waste culture and may be put off if considering a return.
Environment - throws that are functional, consumable & made from biodegradable or recycled materials.
Economy - throws that spend money on and help develop local small businesses & artisans.
Community - throws that create wage earning jobs for low skill labor forces & engage youth/adult volunteers.
Health - Throws that are made with non-toxic materials and safe for children.
Education - throws that drive awareness towards problems & solutions.
Engagement: As a non-profit, Grounds Krewe is uniquely positioned to act as a bridge connecting local businesses, artisans and disadvantaged work forces to parades who are required by city ordinance to avoid any form of commercial sponsorship. As an example, Grounds Krewe will commission a local company to produce throw sized packages of their consumable product for purchase without branding, then work with volunteers or paid community members to sticker, stuff and tie the products into biodegradable jute fiber bags. The throws are then sold to parade riders with minimal mark up thanks to philanthropic support.
Measurements of Progress: As evidenced by the Sustainable Throw Catalog’s rapid growth and success, a major transition to the throw culture of Mardi Gras is already underway. With examples now available for how to realistically shift away from a reliance on disposable, plastic, imported trinkets, the prospects for waste reduction and a growing a fledgling local throw economy are promising. The source of Mardi Gras waste will be significantly reduced by substituting large quantities of cheap, disposable throws with fewer, quality sustainable throws that spectators will want to keep.
Plans for Publicity: QR codes thoughtfully designed into the artwork of each throw can be used by any phone camera to open a webpage about the item. The page contains information about the environmental qualities of the throw, what it can teach us about sustainability, how to properly dispose of its materials and which local organizations benefited from its creation. A "made possible with support from" section will display the logos and links of program supporters. Additionally, Grounds Krewe will submit annual press releases and infuse media coverage with partnership information.
Local Businesses - Camellia Red Beans, Jambalaya Girl, New Orleans Roast, Avanni Soaps, By Our Hands, KG Bath & Body, Louisiana Swamp Snacks, Glitter Nymph, Atlas Beads, Epiphany Throws, Pixie Dust
Paid Labor Forces - Arc of Greater New Orleans, Youth Empowerment Project, St. Michael School
Volunteer Labor Forces - Newman High School, Academy of the Sacred Heart, Ochsner Hospital, St. Mary’s Dominican, Native Plant Initiative
Financial Supporters - Entergy New Orleans, Keep Louisiana Beautiful, Garden Club of New Orleans, CleanUp NOLA, Private Donors
Sales - dollars & units sold per year through catalog
Wages - dollars paid to local labor forces for throw assembly
Awareness - trackable QR code scans, # of media mentions & presentations
Funding - support sources & dollar amounts
Partnerships - # of krewe branded packages, local business throw products, sponsors
QR Links - leads to webpage about program and supporters
Social Media - instagram & facebook
Media Coverage - local & national radio, tv and print press
Presentations - universities, schools, conferences, sponsor events
Program Area: New Orleans, Louisiana
Population Served: Beneficiaries of the program will be the 394,000 permanent residents of Orleans Parish and approximately 1 million visitors who come to New Orleans during Carnival season. Specific benefit will be to the residents and businesses along parade routes, those in close proximity to urban storm water infrastructure and food insecure residents who come from around the city as spectators for parades.
501(c)(3) Organization: Grounds Krewe NOLA Inc.
Tax ID: 84-1839692
Experience & Qualifications: Grounds Krewe is a 501(c)(3) non-profit with a mission to promote waste prevention, recycling and sustainable products at New Orleans special events. The organization has several efforts aimed specifically at Mardi Gras waste reduction including 6 years of an “on the parade route” throw, can and plastic bottle recycling program now branded Recycle Dat! and in partnership with the city of New Orleans, 4 years of an interactive recycling Marching Krewe, the “Trashformers”. In 2020 Grounds Krewe launched the ”Sustainable Throw Catalog” to meet a growing demand for affordable, eco-friendly throws that are biodegradable, functional, consumable or made from recycled materials. The catalog has sold over 560,000 throws to date and in 2022 created the first ever Krewe branded package of eco-friendly throws for the Krewe of Iris, the largest Krewe by ridership in all of Carnival. In addition to parade waste reduction, Grounds Krewe also works with festivals and events to implement aluminum can and plastic bottle recycling programs. The non-profit has provided recycling equipment and best practice guidance as a consultant for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival since 2022 and works with several other events around the city and region.
