WHAT You Caught
The purpose of these cups are to replace one time use plastic Mardi Gras for sustainable alternatives. They are made from locally sourced bamboo to support Louisiana bushiness’.
The cups are intended for pots, pencil holders, and of course, cups. It is advisable to wash the cup thoroughly before use to avoid ingesting dirt (ew).
If your cup has a small painted design on the side, congratulations! You have just caught a one of a kind, unique, Mardi Gras throw. During volunteer events hosted at local schools, students paint a little design of their choosing using sustainable paint, on the side of the cup. By engaging the younger crowd, we get kids interested in healthy sustainable business like this. Teaching them to learn from the mistakes of those who came before and improve.
The goal of this project is to leave the world in better condition then when it was found. The cup is hopefully just the start of a much bigger impact. It takes a lot of little things to make a big one. This is our Little thing.
How we got here,
where we are,
where we’re headed.
I’m Molly Reyher, and I started Carnival Kids at 13 years old in 2022. Growing up in New Orleans, I experienced firsthand the impact of Mardi Gras in my community, and not all of it good. I remember leaving the parade routes and looking back only to see sweepers, overflowing trash bins, and streets so covered in beads you couldn’t see the ground. Though I am young, I strive to have a small impact on a much bigger problem.
The goal of this project is to help prevent waste while getting younger people involved via volunteer oppurtunities. There is a Native American proverb that goes, We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. It is important to remember that. If we achieve our goal, the future of Mardi Gras will be sustainable and clean. We are not the only ones striving for this.
I could not have gotten here today if it weren’t for Grounds Krewe. After learning about them, I first went to them with bamboo windchimes, which I did not end up sticking with. I went to them because they are what we want to become. They have many sustainable throw alternatives that are fun to catch and will not be left around on post-parade streets to be collected as trash.
After that, with Grouds Krewe, we applied for the Youth Climate Action Fund supported by the City of New Orleans, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Greater New Orleans Foundation.
We source our Bamboo from friends out by Folsom Louisiana, Bamboo Company Nursery. They sell bamboo as a plant, in stalks, and even make their own products out of it. It has been easy to work with them and we truly appreciate their help.
