Oyster Shell Bagging Event

If you’re going to restore an oyster reef using discarded oyster shells, you’ll need to get a whole bunch of shells and a way to hold them. That’s the very basic idea behind Chef Brigade's partner, the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program, which collects oyster shells from Louisiana restaurants, cleans them and then puts volunteers to work bagging the shells that can be used to replenish oyster reefs and help battle against coastal erosion. 

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On February 3 as part of Super Bowl Week LIX, CRCL, Chefs Brigade, FORCE BLUE, NFL Green, Verizon, Entergy, and others will be teaming up to create a living shoreline at the public boat launch in Leeville, which is in Lafourche Parish. Leeville, like many of Louisiana’s coastal communities, has lost much of its land to coastal erosion. To build the living shoreline will require hundreds of volunteers placing bagged oysters in the water to create an environment for oysters to breed along with many other organisms and plants.

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So how many oyster shells does it require? In this case, the project will use 59 tons–each ton representing a Super Bowl–of recycled shells. In order for that to happen, you will, of course, need 59 tons of shells and volunteers willing to bag them. That’s why on a beautiful sunny December day, scores of volunteers, including many from Chalmette High School, were on hand at the CRCL headquarters in Violet to fill bags with shells recycled from Louisiana restaurants.

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The process went faster than you’d think and by lunch time, which was provided courtesy of Chefs Brigade and food service partner, Diva Dawg food truck, the task was completed.

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Next stop: Leeville, Louisiana on February 3. Read the full story by NOLA.com’s Josie Abugov.  

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Photos Credit: Emma Reid

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