Time to celebrate rainbow and green pride
By Ritika Sah
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) Pride Month is celebrated in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. Pride Month is celebrated in several cities across the globe with unity and inclusion by organizing pride parades. The parades show a vibrant display of community spirit and often feature vibrant costumes, music, dance, food and art. However, these parades often rely on single-use plastics. Even during the parades, the desire for self-expression through costumes and attire can lead to increased consumption of new clothing—that means buying clothes every year for just one time use.
While data on waste generated specifically by Pride parades is lacking, large gatherings and other parades produce significant amounts of waste. For example, Mardi Gras, a festival featuring parades, masquerade balls, music, dancing, and elaborate costumes generated 1,162 tons of trash in 2023.
Environmental impacts of Single-Use Plastic
According to a study done by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), the world produced more than 460 million metric tons of plastic in 2019, already double the amount produced in 2000. OECD also found that only 9% of plastic waste is recycled, while 22% is mismanaged. Single-use plastics in particular—especially small items like straws, bags, and cutlery—aren’t easy to recycle, and many recycling centers won’t even accept them. During these parades, water bottles, cups, and plastic bags are often used for convenience, but end up littering the streets or overflowing landfills. This waste problem was exacerbated by promotional trinkets such as plastic beads, flags, and other small items. An additional culprit in these celebrations is glitter, which is plastic and doesn't decompose, potentially harming wildlife if it ends up in water bodies.
So, what can we do?
It is our joint responsibility to reduce carbon footprints. Figure 1 suggests the key responsibilities of stakeholders for making the Pride parade greener.
Figure 1: Key responsibilities of stakeholders for reducing carbon footprints
Note- It is an indicative list and not an exhaustive list.
What can local governments do?
Governments can significantly contribute to celebrating environmental consciousness in pride parades by implementing various initiatives. They can promote sustainable transportation to reduce carbon footprints. Additionally, by working closely with local governments, the mayor's office, or municipal offices (context can vary from region to region), they can enforce rigorous waste management policies, ensuring that the event minimizes waste through extensive recycling and composting stations. Moreover, governments can educate parade participants about environmental sustainability through informative campaigns and prominent signage, emphasizing the importance of responsible practices during the event.
What can organizers do?
Organizers of pride parades can play a crucial role in promoting environmental consciousness through several proactive measures. They can provide water filter stations for reusable water bottles during pride parades, and opt for e-tickets instead of traditional paper tickets to reduce paper waste. Further implementing compost and recycling bins throughout the event for food scraps and beverage containers can effectively manage waste and encourage recycling among participants. Organizers can also collaborate with local civil society organizations that focus on environmental awareness and action. This can be complemented by organizing volunteer clean-up crews to thoroughly clean the parade route to ensure that the event cleans up the parade areas. In 2024, the Sacramento Pride Festival plans to make greener rules for the festival by increasing signage explaining what items are compostable and recyclable. The festival collaborated with Republic Services, a local waste service provider, to source fully compostable palm leaf containers for food vendors. The organizers hope their new approach will serve as a model for other events.
What can participants do?
Participants in pride parades can make a significant impact on environmental consciousness by taking simple yet effective steps. One easy step to help reduce plastic waste is to bring a reusable water bottle to the parade. It is also important to utilize compost and recycling bins available for proper disposal of food scraps, beverage containers, and recyclables. Reusing and up-cycling old costumes, shopping at thrift stores, or renting costumes can significantly minimize waste as well. Above all, the participants in Pride parades can enhance sustainability by choosing eco-friendly materials like organic cotton or recycled fabrics for their costumes and using biodegradable glitter made from plant cellulose.
World Environment Day (WED) is also celebrated annually on June 5th to raise awareness and encourage actions to protect the environment. Therefore, it is important to celebrate the spirit of pride with a conscious sense of a sustainable future. The initiatives mentioned above will not only enhance the environmental integrity of the Pride parade but also inspire participants to adopt eco-friendly practices in their everyday lives. There is a need to balance the celebratory spirit of pride with environmentally conscious practices. This includes exploring innovative solutions for waste reduction and collaborating with waste management services for efficient post-event cleanups. This blog is an initiative to ensure that Pride parades remain vibrant celebrations while minimizing their carbon footprint.
Ritika Sah is a Master of International Business: Quantitative Methods (MIB: QM) candidate at Fletcher School at Tufts University. She is interested in studding intersection of sustainability, finance and business.