“It’s so important to not just recycle but to reduce the need for recycling,” explained R. Scot Evans, the creative director for Green Is the New Blue. “The chilling facts are real! There are 8 trillion pieces of single-use plastic currently in the oceans around the world. “It’s no longer about just picking up a piece of plastic and recycling it, it’s about refusing to use it,” continued Evans, who explained that many plastic bottles never actually get recycled, even if placed into recycling bins.

With a limited water supply and  environmental conditions such as drought, natural disasters such as wildfires may become increasingly common. The availability of water is not only an environmental problem, but a social issues as well. Access to clean water is necessary for horse and human health, hygiene, and to grow the crops that feed us. At Green Is the New Blue, we encourage the responsible use of water within the wash rack and around the barns. Look out for signs at the wash racks reminding you to turn off the water when not in use and to minimize consumption when possible.

Green Is the New Blue works with horse show vendors to minimize waste and support the use of more environmentally friendly product packaging. 

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In collaboration with Green Is the New Blue, Aiken Horse Park food vendors Angela and Kory Merrill of Perks With a Twist solidified their status as one of the horse show world's leaders in sustainable food service. "Each and every product used in our café is now compostable," said Angela Merrill, referring to her serving products' ability to break down in approximately three months with the proper conditions. Many of these products consist of sugar cane as a base material, including the sandwich boxes, salad boxes, and soup bowls. Other materials, such as starches and chalk, are used in straws and utensils, while drinkware is 85% plant based.

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Green Is the New Blue has worked to reduce plastic waste at horse shows through the implementation of water refill stations. GNB encourages show participants to bring their own water bottles and refill them to minimize the sale and use of plastic water bottles. To limit the spread of Covid-19, Green Is the New Blue has temporarily paused this initiative.

In a modified effort, Green Is the New Blue has provided Boxed Water Is Better™ instead of water in single-use plastic bottles. Boxed Water comes in 100% recyclable packaging made from 74% paper sourced from sustainable forests, which offsets much of the company's carbon footprint. Boxed Water also uses local municipal water sources, while companies who use plastic often ship their product across the country, resulting in a large carbon footprint. Over a two week span at the Aiken Horse Park, Green Is the New Blue helped prevent the sale and use of over 2,200 single-use plastic bottles.

For many competitors, horse show ribbons are prized possessions that represent distinct moments and achievements. However, this is not always the case. Ribbons are often collected at the ring to display in a barn's setup, only to be discarded at the end of the show. To combat this waste, show organizers may place Ribbon Recycle bins around the show grounds for an easy return at the end of the show. Returned ribbons will be steamed, organized, and awarded at future competitions until they find forever homes with riders who will cherish the memories they represent.

Green Is the New Blue has worked with horse show venues and equestrian programs to provide access to recycling bins located in convenient places. Although our primary goal with the "Refuse to Use" campaign is to reduce consumption of single-use plastics, we acknowledge that there are many products we use in our lives and farms where we have not yet found a readily available alternative. Improving access to recycling bins can help divert plastics from landfills.