Mardi Gras can make a lot of trash, adding up to millions of pounds each year. Now, some parades in New Orleans are cutting down on their environmental footprint by banning plastic beads.

So what is the meaning behind the beads at Mardi Gras? Here's what we know about why the beads were incorporated into this celebration and why the festival was created to begin with. Here's the ...

NEW ORLEANS — You probably have a big bag of Mardi Gras beads in your home right now. Or maybe you've already recycled them to one of the non-profits. But now one krewe hopes to lighten your ...

This is an excerpt from the book “Mardi Gras Beads,” by Doug MacCash, part of LSU Press’ series “Louisiana True." By the late 1800s, the tossing of trinkets was already an established part ...