Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) has chosen Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government to receive a Greener Grounds Grant to support the Downtown Houma annual Christmas Parade/Festival’s litter prevention and waste management practices. Anne Picou announced today that Keep Louisiana Beautiful has awarded the $8,000 grant to help create and execute a plan focused on waste reduction. “This grant award represents an active partnership with KLB that will help our event organizers uphold their responsibility to do the right thing for the environment while we give our attendees all the fun and festivities the Christmas festival offers,” Picou said.

KLB’s Executive Director, Susan Russell explains that Greener Grounds is more than just a cleanup supplies grant, endeavoring to improve litter prevention and waste management practices at large, outdoor Louisiana events such as fairs, festivals, parades, and concerts. “Louisiana is home to more than 400 festivals and events annually attended by locals and tourists who come together to celebrate the state’s vibrant offerings of food, music, history, and culture. With these events often comes a completely avoidable and solvable issue:  litter. Keeping event sites clean not only enhances the attendee’s experience, but also helps stop the detrimental cycle of mismanaged waste becoming litter that will clog storm drains or enter waterways -- an issue that harms the state’s coastline, wildlife, and water quality.”

Made possible with funding from the State of Louisiana and the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, 25 Greener Grounds Grants totaling over $140,000 were awarded to eligible organizations including Louisiana non-profits, municipalities, and parishes that organize events of at least 1,000 attendees per day.  Anne Picou added. “Our grant will be used at the annual Houma Downtown Christmas Parade & Festival on December 2 to combat litter. This event generates over 9 tons of garbage.  Parish President Gordon Dove states “Being selected for the first-year funding for Greener Grounds is a great opportunity to showcase Terrebonne Parish.  We educate more people on the many events located in Houma, increasing the economic impact.  We also demonstrate our commitment to keeping the parish beautiful.”

Keep Louisiana Beautiful’s mission is to promote personal, corporate, and community responsibility for a clean and beautiful Louisiana. Through their programs and statewide network of affiliates and partners, the organization provides the tools and resources to prevent litter, reduce waste, increase recycling, and beautify spaces.

Additional Information

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