The Planet We Call Home
It's never too late to take up your part in helping out sustainable efforts or extending your reach with ways to go green. New Orleans offers plenty of unique ideas and examples of positive community support that will inspire you this Earth Day.
While it may not produce such scares or dire straits as a scene from The Pelican Brief, environmental effects impact each of us in our everyday lives. From more common occurrences such as litter to larger ramifications such as land and coastal erosion, each brings its own negative consequences to the planet we call home. Despite having become ingrained in the zeitgeist, terms such as "reduce, reuse, and recycle" or, in more recent popularity, "sustainability" still leave many of us with much to learn. Yet, each individual can play their part to cultivate awareness and work together in supporting these causes. Here, Louisianians understand the rich biodiversity of their state and the importance in protecting this beautiful corner of the world. In New Orleans, these sustainable efforts have their own flair and fun.
When it comes to going green, out-of-the-box thinking can produce exciting solutions. After she couldn't find quite what she had in mind for volunteering, Alison Parker founded ricRACK in 2012 to utilize her extensive knowledge from her career in film and theater costume design for a good cause. The organization first provided sewing classes to children and then, as parents' interest grew, classes for adults, as well. In addition to utilizing donated fabrics in these classes, the fabrics they receive also go to two other avenues. One is their Creative Reuse Shop for all types of fabric art supplies. They also send what can't go into classes or the shop to a textile recycling facility, which then outsources it for anything from mattresses to sports equipment. They also have an exciting lineup to celebrate Earth Day. Their Earth Day Designer Challenge features local designers creating upcycled pieces using mystery items—such as Mardi Gras tunics for last year's challenge. Once crafted, they are displayed and then auctioned to support the non-profit. They'll also have a RE-Maker's market on April 22 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. with a plethora of vendors and educational booths to honor the day.
What began as a literal grass roots movement, having been founded in a backyard in town by Franziska Trautmann and Max Steit, Glass Half Full has now grown to encompass multiple forms of glass recycling and community partnerships. Their more traditional glass recycling programs serve residential areas and commercial pick-ups. Their commercial operations may serve your favorite restaurants or bars, having expanded operations across the city, as well as into Baton Rouge, the Northshore, and even areas in Mississippi and Alabama. They've also made strides in helping events go green with partnerships including French Quarter Fest. In addition, after receiving grant funding from the National Science Foundation, they developed research to create a sand from glass to serve as a support for restoration projects such as for marshland erosion. They've turned these wins into a wider reach by growing public awareness and understanding about glass recycling.
Research has shown plastics can take anywhere from several decades to 500 years to decompose. Finding ways for more and more people to reduce their reliance on them can lead to less plastic pollution. Vintage Green Review offers many plastic free and eco-friendly solutions for the home, personal care, and even pets, as well. While you'll be helping the planet, their refill bar is a great way for your wallet to thank you as buying in bulk can help cut costs. Small business owners can also check out their options to spread sustainability. As their name implies, we once went without plastics and can creatively find ways to use less of them once again.
Inspired by a way to make sustainability more accessible, Nola Cans 4 Good has created a holistic mission for eco-friendly solutions that serve the community. They bridge this gap by taking funds from recycling aluminum goods and using this cash to cook meals to stock community fridges. They offer free drop off sites or sliding scale pay options of $2 to $10 a month for collections of aluminum goods. To support their fresh meals in community fridges, they also look for donations of disposable utensils and undamaged reusable plastic containers. They showcase the ability to utilize social media in a positive manner to spread awareness of their work and sustainability. They are always looking for volunteers to help support their cause.
A little dirt never hurts anybody. Compost, which is a sort of dirt cousin made of decomposed organic matter, is found to provide numerous benefits. From reducing landfill waste to serving as a great benefit to soil health in gardens, Compost NOW offers several options for creating your own compost by applying for at home options or contributing to a community compost through food scrap collections with drop off sites. Check out their pop up booths around town or their volunteering opportunities to grow your knowledge about composting.
While individual efforts always create impacts when it comes to being more eco-friendly, finding ways to take part in your village extends the ripple effect of change. Volunteering your time at a local community garden can be one such impact, thereby supporting local produce initiatives. Due to less time that it has to travel on cargo planes or trucks, local and fresh produce is able to lose less of its nutrients and provide more health benefits. In town gardens such as Sprout Nola or Crown Community Garden in NOLA are great options for becoming involved and making access to fresh produce for all easier.
