02/02/2005     

Beyond the Page
By Doug Gruse

It’s Mardi Gras time again in South Louisiana. From the Courir de Mardi Gras in Church Point to La Grande Boucherie in St. Martinville to the long stream of parades rolling through Lafayette, 2005 promises to be a memorable season.

The Times Mardi Gras guide (page 33) lists all of the excitement in an easy-to-read format. With a little planning, your Fat Tuesday is sure to be a success.

But how exactly do you measure the success of Mardi Gras?

In New Orleans, city officials used to determine attendance by weighing the amount of trash that was left behind in the city as Lent began. According to Arthur Hardy’s Mardi Gras Fundamentals, during some years the total weight of garbage for the 12-day parade season topped the 2,000-ton mark.

Acadiana could never compete with that — not that we should.

As you’re out enjoying the parades and festivities, think a little about the environment. For years Acadiana has strived to clean up the land and waterways that have made the area one of the most beautiful regions in the country. Although pollution is often blamed as the major force behind the destruction of our natural resources, trash is actually a large contributor.

When we don’t properly dispose of cans, bottles and other garbage, our waterways act as landfills.

In From Trash to Treasure (page 15), contributing writer Marie Elizabeth de Mahy takes a close look at the noble efforts of the Bayou Vermilion District (BVD) to preserve the natural beauty of the river that winds through our region. Organized in 1983, the BVD was crucial in bringing the dying body of water back to life. But it’s a continuous battle for the agency.

According to BVD Community Outreach Coordinator Sanjay Kharod, much of the garbage that is improperly discarded eventually makes its way to the river through drainage canals. BVD has a team of workers who regularly go out and pick up “barrels and barrels of trash.”

Thanks to the efforts of the agency, the Vermilion River has regained much of its natural beauty. Once thought of as a hopelessly polluted canal, the bayou is again a safe place for canoeing and fishing.

Although the river has come a long way, BVD Executive Director Kerry Collins says it will take public education to combat the bayou’s biggest challenge — fecal coliform bacteria.

Until individuals accept the responsibility of upgrading their sewer systems and septic tanks to keep waste from flowing into the water, the river will remain unsafe for swimming.

As we’re out over the Mardi Gras season celebrating all of the good things Louisiana has to offer, we should make sure we give back to the state we call home. Through simple gestures like recycling and picking up litter, we all can help in the effort to preserve the beauty of Acadiana.

Mardi Gras happens only once a year, but our rivers, lakes and bayous are here for us to enjoy every day.

Doug Gruse is managing editor of The Times. E-mail him at doug.gruse@timesof-acadiana.com. Want to share with a friend? E-mail from our Web site: www.timesofacadiana.com.