Posted on Dec 19, 2024 | Blog,News
Greener Grounds Spotlight: Independence Sicilian Heritage Festival
In 2023-24, Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) and the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, awarded 25 organizations in 15 parishes a total of $141,133 in Greener Grounds Grants to implement best practices for litter and waste prevention and reduction at large outdoor events. One of the organizations that received the grant was Tangipahoa Parish and Keep Tangipahoa Beautiful for their Independence Sicilian Heritage Festival this past March.
Located in Tangipahoa Parish, the Independence Sicilian Heritage Festival attracts 15,000 attendees to celebrate Sicilian culture through a 3-day festival with music, food, and traditional activities. The downtown Independence-based celebration was awarded a nearly $6,000 grant to minimize litter, reduce waste, and promote recycling, with a focus on diverting materials from landfills and putting them back into production.
The parish worked with Osprey Initiative to collect a total of 1,117 aluminum cans and 1,014 plastic bottles for recycling during the festival. Additionally, trash receptacles were purchased for food and unrecyclable products. In an effort to reduce single-use bottle waste, Keep Tangipahoa Beautiful rented water refill stations to encourage participants to refill their bottles.
Grant funds were also utilized to provide T-shirts for local student volunteers and partners to identify them while working waste stations and providing assistance and education to festival-goers. Signage was used to raise public awareness about waste management responsibilities and to inspire visitors to recycle and refrain from littering.
Keep Louisiana Beautiful would like to congratulate Tangipahoa Parish and Keep Tangipahoa Beautiful on their Greener Grounds efforts! You are setting an example for other event organizers, and we appreciate your dedication.
The grant program was designed to complement the Greener Grounds Guidebook and Workbook developed by KLB and French Quarter Festivals, Inc. Both the guidebook and workbook can be downloaded for free online. To prevent litter and reduce waste at large Louisiana outdoor events, KLB’s Greener Grounds Grant provides the funding, resources, and education through the Greener Grounds Guidebook and Workbook to event organizers.
Watch this news story to learn more about the Independence Sicilian Heritage Festival’s waste reduction and litter prevention efforts.
Photo credit: AN17 News
