Everyone in the area has their fingers crossed that Mardi Gras will once again roll in full swing, but is this a choice good for the city? Mardi Gras has a catastrophic environmental impact, and if changes are not made, the event may not sustain itself among future generations.

Think of all the waste that lines the streets after a parade; all the beads weighing down trees, and all the plastic wrappers littering the streets. All this waste is preventable. Steps towards the sustainability of Mardi Gras throws will go a long way to reduce Mardi Gras’ overall environmental impact.

In the last few years, many steps in the right direction have been taken by individuals and organizations that move towards a more mindful Mardi Gras experience. One such organization was founded by Brett Davis, a Newman graduate.

The organization Grounds Krewe focuses on both preventing the introduction of more trinkets, such as beads that often have no use past Mardi Gras day, and helping people to reduce their own waste during parades to prevent waste on the streets.

A recent step the organization took was to supply Iris with a sustainable throw that people will be able to enjoy past Mardi Gras day. One such throw is the bags of coffee that upper school students helped package. The packaging became an interactive activity for each advisory because boxes were delivered with instructions of how to put together each bag. Once packaged, the bag of coffee was then returned to the original box which was given back to Grounds Krewe. So now we hope to see some of the bags of coffee during the Iris parade when Mardi Gras rolls around.

Although this throw may seem like a small step towards the sustainability of Maris Gras, it is a step in the right direction. Hopefully with crews such as Iris beginning to take steps towards making Mardi Gras more sustainable, these innovative ideas will hopefully reach lots more crews in the years to come.