Mardi Gras Ballin on a Budget

Now that Mardi Gras season is in full swing, Mardi Gras balls seem to be a weekly occurrence.

Lafayette's Krewe of Rio kicked the festivities off this past weekend with their ball. I'm not a regular ball-goer, but I know it's a lot of fun to find the perfect formal gown for the occasion.

However, finding a gown can be sometimes difficult or expensive...and it doesn't have to be!

Shopping sustainably can help save you money and save a dress from being worn once and stashed in the back of your closet for years. Here are some options if you're shopping for a Mardi Gras ball, or any upcoming formal, including prom! These also work for finding accessories and shoes to complete your outfit.

Rent the Runway

Rent the Runway is my go-to source when I have an out-of-the-ordinary occasion coming up. When my husband and I attended a ball three years ago, I found this gold sequin Badgley Mischka gown with a rental cost a fraction of the retail price. This dress was higher than my usual rental budget, but I'm also not usually renting formal gowns.

When I rented this dress, Rent the Runway's customer service was extremely helpful in sending me a third size when the original two sizes didn't work out for me. It wasn't the most eco-friendly option to have a dress overnighted, but it was better than losing out altogether and being without a dress days before the ball.

It's best to shop Rent the Runway early, now that it's one of the most popular shopping spots for Mardi Gras, but even closer to the event date, you can find a dress that works for your budget.

Local consignment shops

The Clothing Loft in Lafayette has a formal gown section, and although I've never shopped it, I've found some great cocktail and party dresses there. I feel like this is a fun hidden gem in Lafayette, and it may still have a great selection of dresses and accessories. With many designer names, the price tag can be a little higher, but you're still getting a great deal on a secondhand dress.

Clothes Mentor is another secondhand shop that has a selection of formal gowns at great prices.

Goodwill

While each Goodwill retail store carries slightly different items based on their donations, at least some stores in the region carry formal gowns. If you're interested in thrifting at Goodwill, give the store a call first to confirm they have gowns available. This is a great budget-friendly option.

Friend/relative closets

One of my friends attended the Krewe of Rio ball this past weekend, and last week, shared that she hadn't found a dress yet. She ended up finding a fabulous and classic dress in one of the best places - her sister's closet. Borrowing from a relative or friend's closet is awesome because it's almost always free, and you can return the dress so it doesn't sit in your closet.

I've borrowed cocktail dresses from friends for weddings before and it's one of my favorite eco-friendly options.

If you do borrow from a friend or relative, be courteous and have the dress cleaned before returning it. Check out this blog post I did on GreenEarth Cleaning and find an affiliated dry cleaner near you!

Facebook

Facebook Marketplace and your friend feed can both be great resources to find a secondhand gown. Every year, I see a lot of friends posting that they're in search of a gown in a particular size, and their friends will come through with store recommendations or offers from their own closets. The Marketplace has plenty of dresses for sale, and the bonus is that you can pick it up locally.

Reuse bridesmaid gowns

Bridesmaid gowns are notorious for only being worn once, but they can make great options for formal events. Break out that dress from a wedding you were in a few years back and accessorize it to work for Mardi Gras.

The Lafayette Mom even has a post today from a local mom about how she's reworn a convertible bridesmaid dress for numerous Mardi Gras balls over the past few years. A great eco-friendly and thrifty way to go.


If you've got dresses in the back of your closet that you no longer wear, help complete the loop and donate or sell them so others can wear them!

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Mardi Gras Festivities

How is everyone hanging on this Lundi Gras? The weather has certainly not been friendly to the festivities this year, but it seems like everyone still has that Mardi Gras spirit going strong!

My favorite parts of Mardi Gras this year have definitely been the unique sustainable initiatives of Krewe de Canailles and Project Front Yard.

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Krewe de Canailles: A Sustainable Mardi Gras Parade

Mardi Gras is now less than a week away, and this weekend is packed with events around Acadiana. Unfortunately, the weekend also looks packed with some rain, so you better break out the rain jackets, ponchos and rubber boots.

With Lafayette's usual Friday night kickoff parade being moved to Lundi Gras, it opened up an opportunity for a group of determined and creative Lafayette residents.

Krewe de Canailles is Lafayette's newest parade, and it was made possible through funding from Civicside's 24 Hour Citizen Project, an event held last July. Since then, Krewe organizers have brainstormed, worked out the logistics, and enlisted sub-krewes to take part in a unique walking parade.

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Photo Friday | Project Front Yard + Krewe of Rio

Since January 6, Mardi Gras season has been in full swing, with balls just about every weekend. Lafayette's first parade rolls this Saturday, as Krewe of Rio kicks off the parade schedule.

This year, Krewe of Rio has teamed up with Project Front Yard to help make their parade a little less wasteful. Last weekend, Skyra and Lisa with Project Front Yard visited the krewe's float staging space and helped collect cardboard boxes and plastic bags as krewe members loaded up their beads for throwing.

The cardboard boxes were saved for recycling collection, and the plastic bags will go toward Project Front Yard's school project Plastic Bag Roundup.

Collecting the trash at the start will make a huge impact on the amount of waste left behind by the floats.

Tomorrow evening, Project Front Yard volunteers will serve as the final float, walking the parade route to pick up recyclables and waste. The cleanup aims to help divert parade waste from becoming litter on our streets, in our yards and in our waterways, and to help divert recyclables into the recycling stream.

“The Krewe of Rio is proud to partner with Project Front Yard to set an example of how to have fun and also be environmentally-conscious. “We recognize that Mardi Gras is an important component of our community culture and a huge tourism asset. We want to maintain the beauty of our neighborhoods and streets as well,” said Larry Comeaux, Krewe of Rio President. “We hope that our example creates a domino effect for other parades and events in Lafayette to follow.”

“Project Front Yard was founded on the principle of community pride and we are excited to work with Rio to create a sustainable approach to Mardi Gras. We love when community members take ownership and pride in showcasing a clean and fun way to ‘Laissez les bon temps rouler,’” said Skyra Rideaux, Project Front Yard Coordinator.

Three years ago, Project Front Yard held its inaugural Krewe of Rio parade cleanup, which I really enjoyed participating in. (Head into my archives for that recap blog post!)

We got a great workout, in addition to saving a ton of trash from becoming litter, and collecting a ton of beads to donate to LARC for their resale program (check out my blog post on LARC's efforts).

If you're heading out to the Krewe of Rio parade or any other parade in Acadiana, make sure to pack food and drinks in reusable containers and pick up any waste you may have before you leave!

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Behind the Beads | A Visit to LARC's Beads N More Shop

Now that Mardi Gras is behind us, it's time to handle some important business - getting rid of that pile of Mardi Gras beads collecting in that corner of your house. You know what I'm talking about - don't act like you don't have one!

Luckily, in Acadiana, you have a chance to get rid of your extra Mardi Gras beads while supporting recycling and a local nonprofit organization. Enter LARC, whose mission is to support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in reaching their goals of self-sufficiency, quality of life and self-worth.

LARC's services include community support, vocational and residential services. Plus, they operate Acadian Village, a Lafayette Christmas tradition slash photoshoot spot slash adorably cute wedding venue. And they operate Beads N More.

 

The Beads N More shop does more than just sell brand new beads to float riders and Mardi Gras krewes. For more than 15 years, LARC has collected donated Mardi Gras beads and recycled and repackaged them for resale. That's a lot of "re"s, but that's good, because it means that Mardi Gras beads can be reused for years upon years, instead of getting thrown away after one parade.

The work of recycling and reselling Mardi Gras beads is a year-round one, Beads N More Manager Carthy Guillet explained to me. All Acadiana Goodwill locations accept bead donations throughout the year, through a partnership with LARC.

In addition, LARC operates a trailer in the Youngsville, Carencro and Scott parades; sets up a truck for donations at Cajun Field in Lafayette; works with Downtown Lafayette to collect beads in the six-foot wire Y; has collection points at all branches of the Lafayette Public Library for the time-being; and receives donations from many area schools who set up drives.

The wire Y in Downtown Lafayette collected beads until last weekend for donation to LARC.

When the donations arrive the Beads N More shop next to Acadian Village, the real work begins. On average, 30 LARC individuals have jobs sorting, measuring and packaging the tons and tons of beads.

Photo courtesy: Carthy Guillet, LARC

 
There were about 15 workers there when I visited, and they put the biggest smile on my face. They were extremely proud to show both Carthy and me what they were working on, and what they had accomplished so far. One worker found some gold beads with a BOSS nameplate on them, and he announced to us that he was now the boss for the day.

The beads are measured by size and sometimes color, then bundled into a dozen of the same size and length. They are then bagged according to specific size. ​The sizes range from 33" length to 72" length. The shop is open all year long, so you're not limited to when you can shop for recycled beads.

In addition to the beads, Carthy says that the Mardi Gras grab bags are extremely popular. They can contain anything from cups to frisbees to stuffed animals, to other prizes.

In the Beads N More shop, you can find a smaller selection of new beads, but the recycled beads are the highlight and the biggest seller (as they should be!). There's a selection of specialty beads (the kee-yaw catches...yes I just made that up) and other necessities like baseball caps and bags.

I visited Beads N More less than one week after Mardi Gras, and the shelves were noticeably empty - and ready to hold the bags of newly donated beads.

 

As the workers fill up the bags, the shelves are stocked, and when they're full, there's a whole warehouse dedicated to holding more beads.

As we walked through, I truly realized just HOW MANY Mardi Gras beads exist in this world. Even when their stock is low, there's still a ton of beads in view. I can't even imagine how many strands of beads are in the warehouse on a full day - and this is just some of the beads thrown in one city. Carthy explained that they received 2 1/2 of these boxfuls (gaylords are the real term) from the Youngsville parade, two from the Carencro parade and one from the Scott parade.

Multiply the stock by Baton Rouge and New Orleans and other major Mardi Gras cities, and you'll realize just why it's so important that we donate and recycle as many beads as we can. There's already literally millions in existence - we do NOT need to add more new beads to the mix.

One interesting fact Carthy shared with me is that LARC and Acadian Village were not immune to the floods last August. The Beads N More store took on a few inches of water, and the beads on the bottom shelves were submerged. It set the workers back from their schedule of packaging donated beads, but the team cleaned and hang-dried all of the affected beads, so the inventory (and revenue) was salvaged. That's what I love to hear! Louisiana at its finest - the Mardi Gras show will go on.

So, with this firsthand look at the GOOD donating and recycling Mardi Gras beads does, I urge you to load up your piles and bring them to the nearest donation point. Help keep beads out of landfills, support employment opportunities for LARC individuals, and help float riders in future years choose recycled beads over new. All of the money that Beads N More brings in is used to support all of LARC's important services in Acadiana.

Mardi Gras beads might not hold much value to you, but to this important organization, they are almost as valuable as gold. Recycle dat!


Visit LARC's Beads N More: 303 New Hope Road, Lafayette, LA 70508
Facebook | Beads N More Website

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Photo Friday | Mardi Gras Weekend

Happy almost-Mardi Gras, y'all! How are you planning to party over these next five days?

I spy reusable mugs on the float!

Whatever your plans are, please remember to respect your city and our environment, and don't leave your trash behind. If you bring it, you pick it up!

On Instagram last weekend, I shared a few shots from the Krewe of Carnivale En Rio parade that rolled through Lafayette. It's always one of my favorite parades, but the litter left behind strikes a sour note. As a reminder, your trash is YOUR responsibility. Don't rely on Public Works to pick up your mess. Yes, they clean the route, but it's still your responsibility to clean up your own mess, especially when it's outside the barricades.

 

Read my blog post from last week for guidance on how you and your group can reduce, reuse and recycle.

And, check out this week's Times of Acadiana for a column by yours truly on how we can green Mardi Gras in Acadiana. Click here or on the photo below to read the column, or pick up a copy around Lafayette!

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How We Can Work Toward a Litter-Free Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras is one of my favorite times of year, especially as a native Louisianian. You can feel the energy and festiveness in the air, and everyone just seems a little prouder to be Cajun. We're all sharing in the excitement of a culture that's uniquely ours, and you can't help but smile a little when you hear the opening strains of Mardi Gras Mambo.

 

Sure, the barricades are a pain in the ass. The crowds can be overwhelming. But to me, the worst is the trash. Thousands of people flock to the four-mile parade route (in Lafayette alone...so multiply this by every city that puts on at least one parade), and after the last float has rolled past, you can't miss what's been left behind.

Beer cans. Soft drink and water bottles. Fast food containers. Pizza boxes. Toys. Stray bits of clothing. Plastic bags. And tons of broken and nonbroken Mardi Gras beads and throws that didn't make it from the float into the hands of a reveler.

Every year, I notice more and more how the streets look like a trash bomb has gone off. As I've gotten more dedicated to my own environmental passion and gotten more involved in my community, I've become that much more aware of how Louisiana's most celebrated time is also our most wasteful.

And the change starts on an individual level. You and your group can easily help reduce the amount of waste left behind, choose reusable containers, and recycle what you can.

• If you're able, ride your bike or walk to your favorite spot on the parade route. It will help tremendously with traffic and parking, you'll get some extra exercise, and you'll save a little gas.
• If you're heading out with a group of family or friends, carpool instead of driving separately.
• Bring only what you need for the parade. Instead of bringing a ton of single-use food packaging out to the parade, either eat beforehand or pack food and snacks in reusable containers. Especially on days with multiple parades, pack snacks in lightweight reusable containers that can be put back in your vehicle or your bag.
• Do NOT bring glass bottles out to the parade. If your glass becomes litter, it can be dangerous to car and bike tires, and someone’s feet. Pour your beer or other cold beverages into a reusable bottle.
• Addtionally, skip the Styrofoam or other single-use drink cups. If you’re stopping to pick up a drink on the way to the parade, ask the bar if they can pour it into your reusable container instead of a single-use cup.
• Don't forget a reusable bottle filled with water. 
• If you don't want to bring your own drink cup, choose the better option on the waste totem pole, and bring drinks in aluminum cans. Don't: leave them on the street or toss them in somebody's front yard. Do: save and recycle those cans.
• Use cloth bags or plastic bins/baskets to hold all of your beads and throws.
• Be responsible for what you and your group hauls to the parade. Bring an extra bag to keep your trash and/or recyclables in, or use your ice chest to hold your trash. If you bring it, you make sure it leaves, whether you throw it away or take it home to recycle.
• Pick up extra beads around you and put them in your bag. All beads, including broken ones, can be donated and recycled for cleaning and repair and resale in future years. 

So, about those Mardi Gras beads! Do some good, and keep beads out of the trash and the street, by donating them to LARC or Arc of Acadiana. Both nonprofits repair and resell beads, which brings them much-needed funding for the services they provide.

This weekend, LARC will have a trailer behind the Carencro and Scott parades, and next weekend in Youngsville, where parade-goers can toss their beads back for LARC to collect.

In Lafayette, you can donate any of your beads to LARC by depositing them in the bed of a truck located at Le Festival De Mardi Gras a Lafayette. The truck will be located near the stage.

If you are near Downtown Lafayette, head over to the LAFAYETTE sign in Parc Sans Souci and drop off your beads in the wire Y for donation. This is the third year the wire Y has been out for Mardi Gras, and it's been a very successful collection point.

There will also be bead drop-off points at area Goodwills.

Get your Lafayette Mardi Gras information here, and don't forget to download the Lafayette Mardi Gras app (keep up with the parade schedule and band schedule, and use the super-handy GPS Float Finder during the parades).

Let's work hand in hand toward a litter-free Mardi Gras!

• Do your own part to reduce your waste and litter, which helps LCG Public Works.
• Show the Mardi Gras Association that you support a cleaner Mardi Gras (and let's get float waste cleaned up!)
• Show your support for bead recycling by donating your piles to a nonprofit organization - and then, by purchasing your beads from them next year to throw.

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New Year Organization: Decluttering

Decluttering is always a popular topic around the beginning of the year, and as we move into spring cleaning season. In my Times of Acadiana column last week, I shared a few ways to donate or recycle items you don't need so that you don't just throw everything on the curb for the trash guys to pick up.

There are so many options that it can be overwhelming to send everything to its proper destination, but I'm aiming to make it easier for you with a list of common items and the places they can go, so you don't have to do the research. However, I won't be coming to your house to do your cleaning out, so you're on your own there.

From clothing to housewares to books to home renovation materials, there’s a place to donate and recycle just about anything in your home. Sort and group your items that can be reused so you can donate them to different organizations.

Clothing/Shoes/Accessories

Fairly new clothing (especially children’s and infant clothing), shoes and accessories can be brought to consignment shops, where you can make a small amount of money back. Some stores in the Acadiana area are Clothing Loft, Clothes Mentor, Plato's Closet, and Once Upon a Child.

Older clothing can be donated to organizations like Arc of Acadiana, The Extra Mile, Salvation Army or Goodwill.

There are also tons of online consignment shops, like ThredUp or Tradesy, although the process may take a bit longer than doing it locally.

Garage Sales

If you’ve got a large collection of a variety of items, consider holding a garage sale. You’ll get rid of a lot of stuff that can be reused, and you’ll make a little cash in the process. Garage sales can be kind of a pain in the butt to prepare for, from sorting through all your stuff, pricing everything, getting the word out, and then waking up before the sun on a Saturday, but the payoff is usually worth it.

Visit my blog post from last January that details how to host your own garage sale.

Online Exchanges

If a garage sale isn’t your thing, try selling items individually online through Facebook marketplace groups (my husband's site of choice!) or other exchange apps/websites like Ebay, Letgo, or Craigslist.

And if you exchange goods within Lafayette, take advantage of the new safe exchange location in the Lafayette Police Department parking lot, thanks to Councilwoman Liz Webb Hebert! The spaces are surrounded by cameras that capture images of the transaction, along with vehicle license plates. The goal of the safe exchange location is to make buyers and sellers feel more at ease while making sale transactions.

Household Items

Donate household items to Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore. They accept furniture, appliances, working light fixtures, home decor, hardware, and even some construction material. They’ll also pick up larger items if you call and schedule a time with them. If you're remodeling at home, donate old fixtures still in working condition - including fans, sinks, cabinets, or lighting. (The ReStore is also a great place to purchase items!)

If you’re decluttering later in the year, donate your stuff to Hospice of Acadiana for their annual thrift sale. Check out my blog post from last fall on the annual thrift sale. Last year, they accepted:

• Baby and toy items 
• China/crystal/collectibles
• Christmas and Mardi Gras decor
• Garden/outdoor items
• Home decor
• Jewelry/boutique items
• Kitchen items
• Small appliances
• Linens
• Bath items
• Small furniture pieces
• Wall art

Random, Miscellaneous Items

Freecycle! Offer good items to friends, family or neighbors. You never know who may be in need of something, and on the flip side, you never know when they might have something you need.

A few months back, I cleaned out in my office's copy room, and realized just how many notepads we had stored up that no one used. I simply posted a photo on my Facebook profile asking if anyone needed some spares, and the stack was spoken for within a day! Although the paper is all recyclable, I didn't want to dispose of perfectly usable items, and I knew that there would be places who would gladly accept free notepads.
 

Books, CDs, DVDs

The Friends of the Lafayette Public Library is a nonprofit organization that manages donations and runs a semiannual book sale to raise funds for the Lafayette Public Library.

Located next to United Way of Acadiana on Pinhook, and equipped with a handy dropbox, the Friends take books, CDs and DVDs, but not encyclopedias, textbooks or magazines.

Textbooks

Last year, I researched where to recycle textbooks, because it can be difficult to find somewhere to send them. While I believe many college textbooks these days are digital, there's still a good chance you've got paper textbooks taking up space at home.

• Books for Africa
• Green Textbooks
• Better World Book
• Textbook Recycling
• Recycle Your Textbook

Household Cleaners, Paint, Pesticides, and Chemicals

Collect any household cleaners, pesticides, paint or chemicals for Lafayette’s semiannual Household Chemical Day. Typically held in spring and fall, the event is open to residents of Lafayette and unincorporate areas of the parish. The collected materials are recycled or properly disposed.

• Chemical cleaners
• Gasoline
• Herbicides
• Mercury thermometers
• Paint and paint products
• Paint thinner and stripper
• Pesticides
• Photographic chemicals
• Pool chemicals
• Stains
• Turpentine

 

Electronics

Bring your electronic waste to Household Chemical Day as well, or bring items (like old computer monitors, keyboards, cords, cell phones or phone chargers) to Best Buy or Office Depot.

Electronic items that are accepted at Household Chemical Day:

• Laptops
• Computer hardware
• Computer accessories
• Telephones and telephone systems
• Cell phones/bag phones
• Security systems
• DVD movies and video games
• MP3 and DVD players
• XBoxes, Playstations, Wii
• Digital cameras and DVRs
• Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS)
• Circuit boards (any type)
• Networking equipment
• Fax machines
• Processors
• Telephone and computer cables
• Printers
• Toner and ink jet cartridges
• Stereos
• Portable GPS devices
• Flat screen monitors

Recycling information for these items (through medication) is courtesy of Lafayette Consolidated Government.

Televisions and computer monitors smaller than 32"

Best Buy
Office Depot (fees may apply)

Rechargeable Batteries

Best Buy takes lithium ion only
Batteries Plus

Automotive Batteries

Louisiana Scrap Metal
Most Automotive Stores (AutoZone, Firestone, Advance Auto Parts, Pep Boys)

Motor Oil or Antifreeze

Most automotive stores
Wal-Mart

Compressed Gas Cylinders

Ameri-Gas: 2317 N. University Ave.

Tires

Public Works South District Yard, 1017 Fortune Road (ph: 291-7072)
Colt Inc. Scrap Tire Center

Compact Fluorescent (CFL) Bulbs

Home Depot
Lowe's

Appliances

Louisiana Scrap Metal
Once a month curbside collection (check LCG's Bulky Waste map for your designated week)

Fire Extinguishers

Gulf Land Fire Safety Inc., Carencro, La.

Medication

Most local pharmacies (call ahead)

Mardi Gras Beads

Donate them to LARC or Arc of Acadiana. Both organizations repair and resell beads, providing employment and proceeds for people with developmental disabilities. This is one of my favorite things to do every year after Mardi Gras, so that beads can be reused and not trashed. (And if you're riding on a Mardi Gras float - purchase your beads from one of the two retailers!)

In Lafayette, if you're going to be at Le Festival de Mardi Gras at Cajun Field, drop your beads in the truck near the stage - all collected beads go to LARC for sorting, repairing and reselling.

Plastic Bags

As I wrote more about in last week's Photo Friday post, recycle your plastic bags at:

• Rouses Markets
• Robie's in Abbeville
• Target
• Albertson's

As always, be sure to check with any organization to confirm they can accept your donations or items for recycling - before you load up the car.

Is there an item you want to get rid of that isn't in the list above? Leave a comment here, or email me, and I'll do some research for you, and add it to the list!

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Post-Mardi Gras Ideas

It feels like Mardi Gras was already a month ago, even though it's only been eight days. Too many holidays and festivities happening all at once!! I'm still not back to my normal (hectic) routine.

As the Mardi Gras celebrations wound down, and we made our final bike ride home, I started thinking of ideas to make the holiday more sustainable. The trash issue is so disgustingly apparent after five days, especially at Cajun Field. But it's not just festival-goers dropping their half-eaten funnel cakes or beer cans. A lot of trash comes from the floats, whether it's those darned plastic bags or unwanted broken beads.

City workers and cleaning crews do go through at night and sweep the streets following parades, picking up the majority of what's left in the middle of the road. (Here's a great Gambit article about New Orleans' Mardi Gras cleanup workers.)

We spent most of Mardi Gras in the same spot, and after each parade, my fiance and I would collect left-behind beads for donation to LARC, and I would pick up all the plastic bags nearby and bring them to the trash can.

I write a lot about what we can do as individuals to be more eco-friendly, but in times like Mardi Gras, it's apparent that sometimes, we just need a larger-scale effort. How can we really work to keep our city a little cleaner during our favorite time of year?

Krewes

• As I learned last year, a huge amount of trash is generated before the floats even start rolling. Krewe members spend a lot of time bringing and stocking their beads and throws on the float. Unfortunately, everything is packaged, leaving behind cardboard boxes and plastic bags. Could having extra dumpsters or recycling bins nearby at the parade start, or even the float garages, help? 
• I actually don't know if most floats are stocked with trash cans, but they may help with the amount of plastic bags being thrown during a parade. At the very least, they can be thrown on the float floor to be collected and properly thrown away once the parade is over.
• Once Mardi Gras is over, volunteers can assist in cleanup, similar to what Project Front Yard did last year. Maybe krewe members can volunteer, or organize external groups to help out.
• Use the cardboard boxes from packaging as trash receptacles on floats.

Photo courtesy: Bill Riehl, who says: "The significant portion of the waste that I picked up this morning could have been prevented, if only the krewes would keep what is already on their floats in the first place. These bags are light and easily transported by the wind into areas where it is not picked up. Please! If you are in a krewe, practice good housekeeping by providing proper on-board trash receptacles that are appropriate for the activities you participate in."

Parade trash photo courtesy: Bill Riehl, via Facebook

The city/waste companies

• City workers and cleanup companies already go through at night and sweep the streets following parades. Most of the trash left is found on the edges of the streets and on the sidewalks. Many times, it's difficult to find an available trash can (outside of the businesses along the parade route), so maybe extra bins can be placed directly along the route for the duration of Mardi Gras.
• In addition to parade route trash cans, what about adding specialized bins for bead collection? As parade-goers leave, they can dump what they don't want directly into a bin, which would be emptied by volunteers or a company, to be donated and resold. It would also be easier for people to pick up beads on the ground and throw them into the bin, instead of leaving them behind.

Retailers

• Reduce the plastic bag packaging! It can't become litter if it isn't on the float at all.

Each of us

• Follow the reduce, reuse, recycle principles to reduce our own waste as we attend parades.

However, ideas don't always equal possible action, especially when looking to an organization or city government. There are understandable issues, from money, time, available resources, people or contracts, to deal with and work through.

But from this point, we have a year to take these ideas, talk to people in charge (from the krewes, the city and organizations like Keep Lafayette Beautiful or Project Front Yard), and see if/how we can implement some of them! What can we make happen for 2017?

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