As Carnival celebrations swell with exuberance, the focus on sustainability grows, driven by community efforts to reduce waste and promote eco-friendly practices in a cherished tradition.
**Trinidad Carnival's Eco-Friendly Transformation: A Sustainable Future**
**Trinidad Carnival's Eco-Friendly Transformation: A Sustainable Future**
Trinidad's Carnival is evolving, adopting greener practices amidst a waste challenge. Local initiatives aim to mitigate environmental impact while preserving cultural heritage.
Trinidad's Carnival, heralded as "the greatest show on Earth," is filled with dazzling costumes and vibrant festivities. However, the environmental impact of this beloved event is becoming increasingly evident, with estimates revealing that it generates around 3.4 tonnes of waste each year, according to the local group Carnicycle, which aims to address these sustainability concerns.
Danii McLetchie, co-founder of Carnicycle, highlights the cultural significance of Carnival but emphasizes the negative environmental consequences linked to events, textiles, and costumes used by masqueraders and vendors. For instance, the creation and transportation of a single costume bra can lead to an impressive 37.68kg (83lb) of CO2 emissions, as calculated using information from the Swedish tech firm Doconomy. Given the participation of tens of thousands of revellers annually, the potential emissions draw significant concern.
In response, Carnicycle has initiated a recycling program to collect used costumes that might otherwise be discarded. This project involves placing collection bins at strategic locations, allowing for the repurposing of costume materials. Danii shared that, until last year, they managed to recover around 10,000 costume pieces, painstakingly deconstructing them to salvage materials like feathers and beads, which can then be sold to designers and the burlesque industry. Moreover, Carnicycle offers a rental service for popular backpack pieces of costumes, alleviating the heavy load for participants.
Beyond Carnicycle, other initiatives are also emerging, such as 2nd Closet, founded by lawyer Aliyah Clarke and fashion designer Kaleen Sanois. This pop-up thrift shop allows individuals to buy and sell pre-owned clothing, creatively repurposing costumes for future use. They also produce video tutorials to demonstrate how to transform carnival outfits into beachwear or everyday apparel.
In addition to recycling costumes, certain Carnival events like Fete with the Saints are adopting sustainable practices by using biodegradable cutlery and reusable cups. The organizers have introduced "bin detectives" to assist attendees in sorting waste, leading to a significant increase in recyclables captured compared to prior years. Together, these efforts have successfully diverted over one million single-use plastics from landfills within just three years, as reported by Vandana Mangroo of Close the Loop Caribbean.
Party co-chairman Joseph Hadad acknowledges that while these initiatives may involve increased costs and effort, they have proven effective and sustained the festive atmosphere. Patrons, including Roland Riley, have praised these green initiatives, signaling a broader recognition of the importance of eco-friendly practices amidst the colorful cultural celebration of Trinidad's Carnival.
