150+ Ways to Be Green at Festivals Acadiens et Creoles

Because I've been a little preoccupied lately (T-minus 10 days!), Festivals Acadiens et Creoles has majorly snuck up on me. It's like the midpoint tide-you-over-until-Festival-International and the get-your-fill-of-the-best-Cajun-and-Zydeco-music!

Festivals Acadiens 2015.

With festivities kicking off tomorrow evening, the air in Acadiana will have a decidedly more carefree (and dusty) feel. Catch all the free music, food and shopping at Girard Park through Sunday! The weather looks like is going to be sunny and dry, so you have few excuses to keep you away.

As with Festival International, it's very possible to be greener while partaking in Festivals Acadiens.

Bike corral at Festivals Acadiens 2015.
  • Ride your bike and use the free bike corral for safe parking.
  • Skip the paper guide by using the handy Festivals PDF Guide. It's got all your stage locations and musician schedules, the map and menu for your food, and list of all vendors selling their creative goods.
  • Bring a cloth bag for all your shopping!

A foldable cloth bag is the perfect and convenient alternative to plastic bags.
  • Carry a cloth napkin so you don't have to use a ton of paper ones, which can't be recycled. Bonus points for bringing your own, or reusing your utensils.
  • Pack a reusable water bottle so you can stay hydrated (at least in between cups of beer).
  • RECYCLE!

For the second year, Bayou Vermilion District will be setting up more than 100 recycling bins throughout the festival grounds to collect bottles and cans and divert them from the landfill. Members of the UL Lafayette Biology Society, Festival International staff and Project Front Yard are assisting with the setup and maintenance of the bins. Project Front Yard is also putting up an additional 50 bins.

150 recycling bins at Festivals Acadiens - you know what it means! You have no excuse for littering! If you see one of these blue bad boys (and the Project Front Yard ones are red), then you know this is where your plastic and aluminum goes.

While photo is from Party in the Park last May, this is what you'll be seeing a lot of throughout Girard Park - hopefully with as many recyclables as possible in the bag!


BVD purchased these recycling bins last year through a Keep Louisiana Beautiful Healthy Communities Grant, intended to provide direct support to both FAetC and Festival International in an effort to combat waste produced by large festivals. In addition to providing durable recycle bins to these two major events, the BVD recycle bin loan program is available to provide recycle bins to all Lafayette Parish event organizers committed to being cultural and environmental stewards.

Read all about the recycling bins in my blog post from last October.

Recycling during Festivals Acadiens 2015.

"Eco Cajun" patches, reusable water bottle, reusable utensils, cloth napkin, cloth shopping bag, and backpack made of recycled cotton. How I roll!

Still one of my favorite Festivals Acadiens finds, from Adorn & Conquer out of New Orleans.

So, head on out to Girard Park this weekend and enjoy the beautiful weather and great music! Support the free festival by purchasing your food and drinks there, check out the local arts and crafts vendors, and ride your bike down the St. Mary bike path to cut down on parking costs and fuel emissions.

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