Providing free glass recycling across New Orleans AND converting glass into sand that's used for coastal protection/restoration, disaster relief and more.Did you know that glass will NEVER decompose? I am sure you already know that New Orleans is well-known for its excessive alcohol consumption, which includes using thousands of glass bottles. Did you also know that we do not have a reliable glass recycling program for the city? And even if we did have glass recycling, many programs end up just dumping that glass into a landfill. But glass is 100% recyclable and the products it makes can be used FOREVER on endlessly good things!That’s why we’re launching the NOLA Glass-to-Sand Recycling Program. We’re a NOLA-based non-profit 501(c)(3) called Plant the Peace, and we’re working to transform our city into a sustainable leader across the world. We’re implementing the first-ever pickup glass recycling program across New Orleans where anyone can drop their used glass off at, totally for free. We then convert this glass into sand where it will be used for critical disaster relief projects and coastal restoration/protection efforts.Our plan:1) We pick up glass around NOLA (for free). We provide 20+ (free) glass recycling hotspots across the city where anyone can drop their used glass off.2) We convert the glass into sand. Using our glass-to-sand GLS-95 machine, we can turn any glass product into sand in seconds.3) We use the sand for critical coastal protection + restoration efforts, disaster relief and more - selling the sand at a below-market price.Our impact:- Thousands of pieces of glass saved from landfills annually- Hundreds of miles of coastal land protected and fortified using our affordable sand- Selling sandbags at a below-market price for disaster relief projects enables those who need the vital resource to receive it more easily and more affordably.Allocation of Fundraising:We are raising money to buy a glass-to-sand recycling machine so we can recycle glass and turn them into sandbags to be used to protect and restore our precious coastline. Louisiana loses an entire football field of coast every hour. Sand is a straightforward way to protect the coast against flooding, erosion, and much more, and a critical resource in disaster relief. Moreover, the price of an average sandbag costs $39! We will be selling our sandbags at a below-market price to ensure that our coast, and those who need it, have more access at a more sustainable and affordable price point.So… we need all the help we can get in order to divert thousands of pounds of glass from the landfill and turn that into something that will protect and restore our Louisiana coast.Our costs:- GLS-95 glass-to-sand machine: $5,995.00- Used tow-trailer to transport glass: $2,900.00 (amended due to size of trailer)- Burlap sacks for initial 5,000 sandbags: $1,250.00- Recycled oil drums for glass pickup: $440.00- New Orleans based workspace (4-months rent*): $4,450.00*Our projection is to be fully cash-sustainable within 4-months and therefore will not need to finance the project through donations. We are committed to making this project a longterm, sustainable initiative that profoundly transforms environmental standards across Louisiana and the larger Gulf South.Total Cost: $15,000.00Why support our campaign?- Radically transform recycling across New Orleans- Protect and restore critical coastlines across Louisiana and the larger Gulf South- Aid in essential disaster relief efforts by providing sandbags at a below market price- Completely cash-sustainable-initiative is not continuously dependent on donations or grants- All donations are 100% tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law - Tax ID number: 83-4524429Learn more at: www.plantthepeace.com/glass UPDATE:Thank you SO much to each and every person who has donated, shared, reached out offering advice and help, or sent kind wishes -- it truly means the world. The response we received is more than we could have ever imagined and we are truly blown away. From the bottom of our hearts - thank you.Due to the extreme excitement and evident demand for a glass recycling project in NOLA -- after countless hours of discussing, modeling and planning -- we've decided to amend our original target, and push the fundraising goal to $15,000 to have the capability to adequately support the entire New Orleans community. As a result, we need to lease a New Orleans warehouse to support the hundreds of thousands of glass bottles we will be recycling (and saving from landfills), while simultaneously producing tens-of-thousands of sandbags used for coastal restoration and protection, and local disaster relief efforts.We've outlined the allocation of our new fundraising goal below:- GLS-95 glass-to-sand machine: $5,995.00- Used tow-trailer to transport glass: $2,900.00 (amended due to size of trailer)- Burlap sacks for initial 5,000 sandbags: $1,250.00- Recycled oil drums for glass pickup: $440.00- New Orleans based workspace (4-months rent*): $4,450.00*Our projection is to be fully cash-sustainable within 4-months and therefore will not need to finance the project through donations. We are committed to making this project a longterm, sustainable initiative that profoundly transforms environmental standards across Louisiana and the larger Gulf South.Thank you once again!