TObagonian Danii Mcletchie, a 20-year-old environmentalist, loves J’Ouvert. The early morning party parade, which kicks off the Trinidad & Tobago Carnival, is her favorite part of the festival.
“You come as yourself. You can dress up, you can dress up. You come as you like. No one is watching you. No one judges you,” she congratulates. “Carnival is freedom, liberation, happiness. And I think J’Ouvert is the epitome of that.”
It seems fitting that an environmentally and socially conscious person prefers J’Ouvert – where masqueraders are often covered in mud, paint and oil – to the parade of extravagant and expensive costumes seen on the second day of Carnival.
On the surface, it seems like J’Ouvert is more stable. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
Mcletchie and high school friend Luke Harris in 2018 co-founded a company, Carnicycle, to collect and rehabilitate used carnival costume materials — mostly beads and feathers — and resell them at reduced prices. They also sell fashion accessories such as bags and earrings made from the collected materials. They work to educate people about the importance of making the festival sustainable.
Having started with the Jamaica, Barbados and Miami carnivals in 2019, 2020 was the first time Carnicycle operated in T&T. Based on what was deposited in collection bins located around the islands, Mcletchie and Harris realized that J’Ouvert contributes a large portion of the 7,500 pounds of trash generated by Carnival each year.
“J’Ouvert groups will print T-shirts and bodysuits for people to wear, and some people wear them once and then just throw them away,” explains Mcletchie. “We were surprised to see all the shoes inside [the bins],” she said. “If you’re a foreigner, maybe you don’t have time to clean your shoes and you’re not taking your dirty shoes with you. It makes sense, but it wasn’t something we thought of initially.”
TTrinidad and Tobago’s carnivals are one of the most influential in the world, perhaps second only to Rio’s in terms of scope. It has released more than 100 copies across the globe. This includes North America, Europe and Asia. The latest Trini-style carnival was founded this year in Bali and took place over six days in September.
Carnivals are basically street parties with masquerades dancing with socks and pans. Festivities and other cultural activities lead up to the main event.
During the two days of Carnival more large crowds gather around T&T than at any other time of the year. More visitors come than at any other time. More disposable containers, cups and utensils are used and thrown away. More drinks and food are consumed in plastic, glass and aluminum packaging.
In a workshop co-organized by Carnicycle in 2020 to make Carnival sustainable, it was discovered that 52 materials used to make Carnival costumes were harmful to the environment.
If any event needs an injection of environmental consciousness, it’s Carnival.
Mcletchie and Harris hope the impact of the T&T carnival will mean a sustainability movement started here will spread to other carnivals.
“Carnivals are a global event. The Trinidad Carnival is supposed to be the biggest show on earth. What’s the greatest show on earth if you’re causing damage to the environment?” McCletchie said.
“COPEP [the Community-based Environmental Protection & Enhancement Programme, a state agency] he does his best to clear the road during the parade,” she continues. “But the truth is that there is a lot of waste that does not end up in the landfill. Where are you going? It goes down the drains and then it goes into our oceans and it’s damaging the environment.”
Carnicycle – which recently became a non-profit organization – operates through various corporate and NGO partnerships. For example, the collected clothes and shoes were cleaned by industrial washers and dryers at the Hyatt Regency, where a collection bin was placed during and shortly after the carnival.
Clothes and shoes were donated to the charity Barters for Babies to distribute to those in need.
Perhaps Carnicycle’s most significant partnership to date is the one it has forged with Tribe, the largest mass group in T&T. There was a collection bin at the group’s massive camp in 2020. Last August, Tribe donated 300 surplus costumes to Carnicycle.
The 17-year-old gang had previously taken action to reduce its environmental impact. In 2019, she swapped Styrofoam food containers and cups for compostable alternatives. That year at its annual Ice Party, it did not offer plastic straws and provided collection bins for recyclables.
A Tribe spinoff group started in 2015 – The Lost Tribe – does not use feathers and uses materials and designs that make it easier for maskers to reuse parts of their costumes. The Lost Tribe won Big Band of the Year in 2019. Its success opens up the possibility that other bands could adopt its approach.
Carnicycle interviewed Lost Tribe designer Atiba Borde for her blog: “The group has become a feather-free group – banning the use of feathers in designs. This has allowed designers like myself to be more sustainable and creative when sourcing materials,” Borde said. . “I try to replicate this way of designing when I design for other groups. I also try to create designs that makeup artists would want to incorporate into their costumes, so that the costume is not a one-use piece. “
TheThis is a similar approach to that of K2K Alliance & Partners, a mid-sized band founded in 2011 that has won the Band of the Year title several times in their category. They launched the group with a “365-day concept”, encouraging masqueraders to use their carnival costumes even after the season, for many years to come.
Mcletchie would like all groups to adopt a consistent approach to how carnival costumes are designed and constructed, as well as the materials used.
“The suits as they are currently designed are really disposable. What we call fast fashion. There is no actual reuse of costumes from last year to next year,” she said.
Carnicycle is currently looking to partner with other Carnival groups in collecting discarded costumes.
Sustainability would ultimately benefit everyone, Mcletchie said.
“It’s cheaper for the group not to pay these costs year after year because they’re reusing things,” she said. “And ultimately we hope it can be cheaper for people who play mas… Our ultimate goal is to make Carnival not only environmentally sustainable, but also socially sustainable, so that everyone feels like they have a place in the Carnival.”
