Mardi bar wars

Visual Identity & Social Campaign

A Glass-Recycling Showdown to Restore the Coast

Mardi Bar Wars is a first-of-its-kind recycling competition launched during Mardi Gras 2025 as a pilot initiative under Recycle Dat! The program challenged New Orleans bars to recycle as much glass as possible over Carnival season, diverting waste from landfills and repurposing it into materials for coastal restoration.

As part of the project team, we (Bywater Branding / Climate Culture / Creole Contemporary) collaborated with @glasshalffullnola, @pursuit.of.happiness.farms, @resilient_nola, and others to bring this campaign to life—from branding and communications to data storytelling, public education, and art-forward design.

Our role:

Campaign Design & Branding: Developed the Mardi Bar Wars identity, visual system, and activation toolkit for bar partners.
Community Engagement: Led creative strategy to activate the public with incentives like digital leaderboards, can MOSAIC, Recycling Rewards, UGC campaigns, and donation matching.
Content & Storytelling: Launched Instagram handle @recycledat, created and managed social media content on Recycle Dat!, impact reports, and visual communications that amplified participation and tracked bar-by-bar progress.
Climate Art Integration: Collaborated with artist Kalli Padgett and Creole Contemporary to create ReefBud trophies—regenerative sculptures made from recycled glass that double as prototypes for future coastal protection.

Mardi Bar Wars By the Numbers:

41,431 lbs of glass recycled
20+ participating bars citywide
3 champion bars crowned in a live awards ceremony at Green Drinks NOLA
1 new model for turning Mardi Gras waste into sustainable art and restoration materials

Mardi Bar Wars proved that even during the biggest party of the year, climate action, creativity, and culture can collide—and spark a movement.

Recycle Dat! Instagram