The University of New Orleans joined community partners and city leaders on Nov. 17 to celebrate the conclusion of the Bloomberg Youth Climate Action Fund projects, including UNO’s recently completed food-waste reduction initiative supported by the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

Held at 5100 Orleans Avenue, the gathering recognized youth teams, project leads, and sponsoring organizations whose work advanced local sustainability efforts. UNO project lead Carol Tanya Lunn and members of the student-run Garden Club were among those honored for their role in piloting a composting and community-gardening model on campus.

The celebration brought together participants from across the city to acknowledge months of collaboration, culminating in light refreshments and a group photo with representatives from the Mayor’s Office of Youth and Families.

UNO’s pilot project, which ran from May through October 2025, partnered with campus housing to collect food waste for composting in the campus garden, an effort that strengthened community engagement while supporting environmental education. Administrators noted that the successful completion of the pilot provides a foundation for exploring future sustainability initiatives at UNO.