Anselm Gibbs (BBC News) “The Carnival costume is an elaborate issue in many dubs “the greatest show on earth.”
From dazzling outfits to enthusiastic parties, Trinidad’s carnivals are often referred to as “the best show on the planet.”
However, some of the elements are not exactly environmentally friendly and are estimated to produce 3.4 tonnes of waste each year, according to Carnicycle, a local initiative aimed at making the festival more sustainable.
Danii McLetchie, who co-founded Carnicycle in 2018, says that while carnival is a “big part of our culture,” it has “a very negative environmental impact from the event to textiles, textiles, costumes, costumes, audiences and vendors attend the annual Ash Wednesday parade.
The manufacturing and transportation of only one carnival costume bra can generate approximately 37.68kg (83lb) of CO2 emissions based on calculations created using online tools provided by Swedish high-tech company Doconomy.
Danii and her team work to verify the estimates by third parties, but say emissions are the source of concern as tens of thousands of masquerades parade each year. To reduce these emissions, Carnicycle has launched a recycling program, collecting unused costumes that are thrown away or burned by Masquerade bands, which use new costume designs each year. Carnicycle also has collection bins installed at hotels and other venues, allowing you to reuse discarded outfits. [. . .] The recycled material is sold to costume designers, laborers and people in the burlesque industry.
Danii and Carnicycle co-founder Luke Harris, both keeping full-time jobs in addition to environmental initiatives, but they’re not the only ones who devote their leisure time to making Trinidad’s carnival fun and eco-friendly. [. . .]
Lawyer Aliya Clark and fashion designer Kareen Sanova have started a side business called 2nd Closet, a pop-up thrift store where you can sell and sell second-hand clothes. The two are also creating video tutorials with tips on how to turn your costume into beachwear or outfits for other occasions. [. . .] They also offer closet-like services that include coming to people’s homes and rescuing items suitable for sale at pop-up thrift stores to sort unwanted clothes. [. . .]
“In the last three years, we have actually prevented more than a million single-use plastics from entering the landfill, and I think it’s over 10 tons of glass,” says Vandana Mangroo, co-founder of Loop Caribbean, who began working with Fete organizers in 2023. [. . .]
For the complete article, please refer to https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgy421gmy2o
