Every year, millions of people travel to New Orleans to experience Mardi Gras. Stop and think about that for a minute. Millions of people, visiting one city, over the course of a week to celebrate and event that is known for consumption and overindulgence. If you’re the eco-conscious type, like us, this can be an overwhelmingly disturbing thought. But the city is aware of the issue and making efforts to improve the footprint Mardi Gras has on an ecological level. But not every part of the celebration has to be bad for the environment! Read on to learn how you can have an eco-friendly Mardi Gras and minimize your impact.
Walk/Ride Your Bike
New Orleans is the ultimate in walkable cities, from their wide sidewalks to their designated street walking areas (like Bourbon Street). And they know it! There are plenty of beautifully decorated window displays for passersby to enjoy as they stroll through the city. By hitting the pavement on foot, you’re adding to the experience, immersing yourself in the atmosphere and aromas (some pleasant, others less) that define New Orleans. Walking around the city makes for a more intimate experience of all the incredible architecture and art, and is truly the best way to take it all in. And you’ll find pedestrians filling the streets 24/7.
We strongly recommend spending some time aimlessly wandering the French Quarter to start and then branching out from there. But if you aren’t quite sure where to start, there are a variety of walking tours available, day and night. We recommend the French Quarters Phantoms Ghost Tour if dark tourism is up your alley. Did we mention the incredible murals the city also holds? There are several around the city which are easily accessible by foot.
If you’re looking to cover more ground quickly, bring or rent a bike! New Orleans, like most big cities these days offers a citywide bike rental program called Blue Bike. This bike share program costs around $8/hour and is pro-rated by the minute. This makes it a great way to get from A to B efficiently! Be sure to sign up through their website, at a kiosk or through the Social Bicycles app prior to hopping on. Alternatively, you can jump on a small group bike tour.
Or Use Public Transportation
New Orleans offers the usual suite of buses and ride shares, but you’ve never really seen New Orleans unless you’ve seen it from one of their trollies. There are a couple of these track restricted routes in the city, but we recommend the St. Charles trolly route. And you’ll want to make a full of it trip from Canal Street to Oak Street, another great part of the city to explore. And it’s super affordable! $1.25 gets you a one-way ticket on any of NORTAs public transport options. Or pick up a Jazzy Pass for $3 per day.
B.Y.O.Straw
While many of the establishments in the main part of the city won’t allow the use of a refillable cup, it doesn’t hurt to ask if it’s an option when you are ordering. What you can do is ask them to skip the straw and use your own! Better yet? Skip the straw all together! Every day in the USA, people use 500 MILLION STRAWS! SO why not do your part and make it a few less?
Sport Biodegradable Beads & Throws
The City of New Orleans is said to have removed tens of thousands of pounds of beads from catch basins along Mardi Gras parade routes EACH YEAR! These popular plastic beads are thrown as part of Mardi Gras celebrations by thousands of people onto the streets. As part of the chaos and street cleaning, these beads make their way into the catch basins and the water ways! THIS is the biggest ecological issue surrounding Mardi Gras celebrations each year and each of us needs to do our part to cut down on this waste.
As the years pass, more and more ideas for sustainably sourced beads arise and they are getting crafty ! Some companies are working on wooden beads and throws, and biodegradable algae-based beads! Or Atlas Beads, who make beads out of recycled magazine strips.
To minimize our Mardi Gras impact, we threw it back to elementary school and made out own out of pasta! Here we are proudly sporting our homemade, pasta, biodegradable Mardi Gras beads! They are super easy to make and went over really well! We had dozens of them for our group and we ended up handing most of them out to folks who complimented us on them during the festivities. And they make a great snack if you get hungry while you’re out about town (just kidding!)
Recycle Your Beads
If you’ve attended Mardi Gras before, you can plan to reuse beads you’ve already acquired/purchased. If you’re of the mindset that you won’t be taking any home, be sure to toss them in one of the recycled bead floats! This initiative by ArcGNO creates jobs for individuals with intellectual disabilities who sort beads to be reused. You can visit their shop for more information.
Reuse a Costume or Create an Organic or Recycled one
Just because it’s Mardi Gras, you don’t need to run out and buy a brand-new costume! Anything goes at Mardi Gras, so why not make do with stuff you already have at home? Maybe an old Halloween costume that you can wear again? Or a bridesmaids dress you can re-purpose? Wanna get fancy? Consider biodegradable ways to “bejewel” your outfit, like pasta, or beans (pictured below). Either way, be sure to minimize the amount of plastic your costume contains to ultimately minimize the impact your outfit will have on the environment.
Stay Hydrated
Whether or not you’re indulging in Mardi Gras to it’s fullest, it’s always important to stay hydrated. Be sure to bring your own reusable water bottle or mug along when you’re out and about. You can have it refilled at the bars and restaurants you visit throughout the day.
Eat Local
We get it, it’s easy to be tempted by all of the delectable delights that Mardi Gras has to offer, but why not focus on the local offerings? There are far too many local food options to be ordering imported goods during any of your meals in New Orleans. Be it local seafood, of the shrimp or oyster variety, you’ll want to take advantage of local flavours. You can do just that by jumping on a foodie tour!
Go Green
Green is one of the iconic colours associated with this celebration, so why not take it to the next level?! With the crazy numbers associated with waste at this annual festival, there is more and more pressure for locals to step up to the eco-friendly plate when it comes to celebrating Mardi Gras. There are even a couple ‘Green Krewes’ that have popped up over the years, and hey, you can even start your own!
Reduce your Overall Footprint
One of the most disturbing parts about walking the streets of New Orleans at Mardi Gras is the amount of trash that is discarded in the streets. Mind-blowing! And while disposing of trash in the provided trash bins along the street is a step in the right direction, a lot of the debris is recyclable. Maybe you’ll even be graced with the presence of the ‘TrashFormers‘ crew! This team of paraders cycle around the French Quarter with carts to collect recyclables from party goers.
Whether you exercise any of the suggestions we’ve made for an eco-friendly Mardi Gras, or decide to implement your own, know that you’ll be making a difference. And while Mardi Gras may not be at the top of your list, New Orleans itself should be, and we recommend experiencing at least once in your lifetime. From the incredible creole inspired food to the traditional New Orleans cocktails to the beautiful historic architecture, you NEED to visit New Orleans.
Ready to make your way to the Big Easy? These New Orleans hotels are waiting for you!
Have you ever been to Mardi Gras? Do you have any eco-friendly hacks for this major, annual celebration?
