Green Options » Louisiana

‘New’ New Orleans could be National Model for Green Building

Jeff Kart — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:43:31 +0000

Aug. 29 is the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and Kanye West’s “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” comment on live TV.

The rebuilding of New Orleans continues. And it’s being rebuilt in shades of green.

According to a “New Orleans Green Building Assessment” released by the Sierra Club, the devastation of 2005 has provided the city with a unique opportunity to develop a national model for rebuilding with sustainability in mind.

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Project Sprout Turns Vacant Lots into Sunflower Gardens

Becky Striepe — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:00:40 +0000

[Sunflower. Creative Commons photo by cygnus921]

Pittsburgh-based nonprofit GTECH Strategies is transforming empty plots of land in New Orleans into sunflower gardens! GTECH’s partner in Project Sprout, Green Coast Enterprises, is a local New Orleans real estate company that’s focused on sustainable development in the Gulf Coast area. GTECH’s vision is to reclaim abandoned land, like these “blighted” lots in New Orleans, to produce biofuels and green jobs for the community.

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New Orleans: a hotbed of entrepreneurship

Kelli Peterson — Fri, 01 May 2009 03:16:29 +0000

Three and a half years ago, not many would have suspected that New Orleans would ever recover, let alone demonstrate the promise of prosperity after Hurricane Katrina wiped out an already fragile economy. At the time the levee broke, New Orleans was already suffering from an exodus initiated in the late 80’s when the oil industry began its regional decline. But the very characteristics that have given New Orleans its unique disposition are those contributing to its stealth recovery.

Communities that support successful entrepreneurship exhibit a similar range of traits. Not surprisingly, many of them are emotional qualities bred by circumstance and history. New Orleans was a late addition to the United States, acquired as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Literally separated by swamps and rivers, New Orleans benefited from both a distance and unique geographic location. In combination with its very European roots, quite literally the city enjoyed a more laissez-faire approach to development which lent itself to a certain type of creativity and openness.

This same bayou location plus southern gulf weather has also not been kind to it, which has bred another entrepreneurial quality, emotional fortitude. One could argue that this is an innate quality but New Orleans has an extra high concentration of this, born of survivor-ship. From this comes a kind of optimism and resiliency that drives entrepreneurs ever forward.

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New Orleans: rebuilding a cultural economy

Kelli Peterson — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 01:29:08 +0000

Note: This is the first in a multi-part series reporting on how New Orleans is leveraging its own roots in culture and creativity to re-build commerce and community.

Jazzfest kicked off its 40th year anniversary this weekend under beautiful breezy blue skies. Despite the global economic mood, the festival goers seemed more upbeat this year as programs to rebuild the New Orleans economy are slowly taking root and beginning to yield visible results.

At the round table hosted by the Louisiana Office of Tourism on Saturday at the fairgrounds, Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu led a group of local culture entrepreneurs and artists in a discussion for the vision of re-invigorating the economy through New Orleans rich heritage. “We have our priorities right here in Louisiana, we treasure the arts. Our friends and family come first. We have a shared sense of stewardship to the community”, he said.

As Seth Harvey put it, also from the state’s Office of Tourism, “We have a lot of very different assets here in Louisiana. 50% of our revenue used to come from the oil industry, now that is down to 20% but revenue from the film industry is up to $800 million (up from $25 million in 2002)”. Louisiana has re-looked at cultural preservation and initiated the groundwork to re-build an economy that leverages its unique heritage. From reaching out to Hollywood to create the first ever Cajun and Zydeco music category in the Grammys (2008), to fostering international interest in Louisiana’s rich culinary traditions, New Orleans is building bridges back into the state through the promotion of culture not found elsewhere.

In an era dubbed “the creative economy”, Louisiana is an interesting example of innovation. By creating tax incentives for film production to passing legislation to help create districts or cultural hubs within the city, commerce is facilitated at a very grass roots level. Block by block, business is developing, not from harnessing the internet or technology but from the firsthand understanding of needs and limited available resources. By tapping into the population that was born and raised in Louisiana and providing them training and guidance, Louisiana is an example of bottom-up development instead of top-down governance, a recipe for resilience.

In fact, the festival itself is a mark of the type of grass roots success that the region seems to feel at home with. The first New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival was originally started to celebrate the indigenous music and culture of the region. 40 years later, the festival is expected to attract over 400,000 guests, 40% of which are expected to be from outside the state. In a down economy, this is a cultural success story.

In celebration of Jazzfest, this series of stories will focus on why and how NOLA is a hotbed of social enterprise, a check-in on the different housing re-build efforts 3 years after the storm, and a review of some of the unique sustainable community projects that just may have scalable applications. Stay tuned.

USDA’s People’s Garden Project

Becky Striepe — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 07:00:03 +0000

When times are tough, the tough plant victory gardens!

[Digging a Victory Garden. Creative Commons photo by Tavis Ford]

Last Thursday, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack began turning a stretch of pavement at the Department of Agriculture into a garden. They dedicated the land on the 200th anniversary of the USDA founder’s birth: Abraham Lincoln. Not only are they working on a garden at USDA headquarters, but Vilsack announced plans to start community gardens at all USDA offices across the globe! Is this the Obama administration’s answer to petitions from Eat the View and the WHO Farm on Change.org?

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Green New Orleans Updates: Good News in the Big Easy

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:43:57 +0000

Three and a half years after New Orleans was devastated by post-Katrina levee failures, the Big Easy is still working to bounce back … and it’s coming back greener than ever.

(Did you know, by the way, that President Barack Obama’s pick for head of the Environmental Protection Agency — Linda Jackson — grew up in the lower Ninth Ward?)

So what’s new and green in the Crescent City? Check out some of these developments:

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Louisiana Kids Work to Save Wetlands

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:43:25 +0000

What a great way to both help restore a critical ecosystem while teaching young kids valuable lessons about the real world: encourage schoolchildren to grow wetland plants at their schools for later planting in coastal habitat restoration projects.

That’s what Louisiana State University’s (LSU) Coastal Roots Project aims to do. Established in the pre-Katrina days of 2001, the program is now more vital than ever and — happy to say — schools across the state have come on board to join the cause.

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Solar-Powered, “Anti-FEMA” Trailer Stars in New Orleans

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:29:37 +0000

What’s the opposite of one of those formaldehyde-reeking FEMA trailers so many Katrina victims had to live in — and get sick in — for months and months? Check out New York artist Paul Villinski’s “Emergency Response Studio,” a solar-powered, refurbished, non-toxic and self-sufficient artist’s studio on wheels.

Set to go on display Nov. 1 as part of the Prospect.1 New Orleans art show, Villlinski’s trailer is a mobile testament to his mission of transforming trash into objects of beauty or functionality (he’s also created butterfly sculptures out of old beer cans and LPs, and wings, jackets, blankets and bags out of lost gloves).

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Campaign Aims for 3 Million Artworks to Clean New Orleans’ Toxic Soils

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:59:37 +0000

So many hard-working and innovative people have stepped in with projects to help rebuild New Orleans in the wake of the devastating 2005 levee failures, but the Fundred Dollar Bill Project is beyond unique.

The project’s goal is to encourage schoolchildren across the U.S. to create their own version of a $100 bill dubbed a “Fundred Dollar Bill” (a blend of “fun,” “fund” and “hundred”) … for a total of 3 million Fundreds in all. Once completed, those 3 million Fundreds will be collected for delivery to Washington, D.C., in a biofuel-powered armored truck in hopes of receiving in return $300 million in real currency to protect New Orleans residents — kids especially — from the toxic levels of lead found in the city’s soil.

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Keep Glass Out of Recycling Bins … and In Your Walls

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:50:35 +0000

My interest was recently piqued by an article at Inhabitat about a temple in Thailand built from one million — yes, that’s right: one million — used glass bottles. Building with glass sounds so intriguing, but does it really make sense?

A little online snooping helped deliver the answer: it sure does.

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Exxon Brings Hydrogen Pipeline To Gulf Coast

Jerry James Stone — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:57:51 +0000

Louisiana is oiling up for a hydrogen network.

Exxon Mobil has entered in to a long-term contract with Air Products for constructing a new Steam Methane Reforming (SMR) Hydrogen production facility in Louisiana. The facility will be connected to Air Products’ Louisiana Hydrogen Pipeline Network and will service Exxon Mobil’s Baton Rouge, Louisiana refinery.

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New Orleans Green Home Stands up to Gustav, Ike

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:55:38 +0000

Here’s a rare but welcome thing: good news from post-Katrina New Orleans. Global Green USA’s first ultra-green home in the Holy Cross neighborhood stood strong during hurricanes Gustav and Ike, both of which caused massive damage in parts of Louisiana and Texas, as well as elsewhere.

Global Green USA’s first house, which currently serves as a visitors’ center,”withstood the storm and is now open and ready to show others how they can rebuild stronger and greener,” said Beth Galante, director for Global Green USA New Orleans.

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Post-Katrina New Orleans Goes Energy Smart

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:23:55 +0000

With this week marking the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans residents are looking back … but they’re also looking ahead, to a more sustainable and energy-efficient future. (They’re also praying feverishly that Gustav doesn’t head their way.)

In addition to all the green rebuilding efforts underway throughout the Crescent City, existing homes that survived the post-storm flooding are also getting eco-friendly makeovers. Those efforts received a boost earlier this summer, when the New Orleans City Council approved the Energy Smart New Orleans Energy Efficiency Program.

Among the program’s goals

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Eco-Churches Take Action Across the U.S.

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:03:37 +0000

They might not garner as many headlines as big-name corporations when they go green, but many churches across the U.S. are tackling environmental challenges as a way to honor God’s creation.

Among those leading the way are groups like the National Council of Churches of Christ (NCC), whose Eco-Justice Working Group includes participants of every denomination from African Methodist Episcopal to Greek Orthodox and Mennonite. The NCC’s Washington, D.C.-based Eco-Justice Program also provides a wealth of resources to help churches and church-goers take environmental action.

Many of those actions are highlighted in the Eco-Justice Program’s guide to “Bottom Line Ministries that Matter: Congregational Stewardship with Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy Technologies.” Among the success stories held up as examples in the report:

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Walk This Way: ‘Big Easy’ Walkin’ in New Orleans, Louisiana

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 17:05:08 +0000

Few U.S. cities can appeal to walkers of all stripes like New Orleans. Even after the ravages of Hurricane Katrina, the Crescent City remains a destination that’s made for pedestrians.

For lovers of historic architecture, what can beat a stroll down one of the streets of the French Quarter or Garden District? And, of course, for people-watching, live music, a few of the good kind of Hurricanes (thanks, Pat O’s!) and general weirdness, there’s nothing like a walk along Bourbon Street, day or night.

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Making Old Bikes New for Post-Katrina New Orleans

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:30:48 +0000

I love discovering an occasional gem of a Website during minutes (hours?) of random Internet browsing, and today I found a real diamond: RUBARB, which stands for “Rusted Up Beyond All Recognition Bikes.”

Started by volunteers in March 2006 — about a half-year after Hurricane Katrina and the levee-failure flooding of New Orleans — RUBARB was inspired by a much-repeated experience of hurricane cleanup crews: pulling bicycle after unused, flood-damaged bicycle from the mountains of trash that covered the city. Rather than consign these flood bikes to the post-Katrina dump, these volunteers decided, why not clean them, fix them and then pass them along to residents and other volunteers who need them?

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UW-Madison Students to Restore Bayou in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 01:49:21 +0000

This summer, a group of students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison plans to travel to New Orleans to help restore an urban wetland in the Lower Ninth Ward, a neighborhood decimated by flooding after the post-Katrina levee failures.

The group of nine students expect to study Bayou Bienvenue, testing water, surveying vegetation and researching whether the area could be restored with a diversion dam that would help bring in fresh water and sediment. They also plan to talk with neighborhood residents about their concerns and will even host a crab boil to involve the community.

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The Ultimate Green, Renewable Fuel (and Food): Algae, Possibly

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 01:13:44 +0000

Across the U.S., researchers, startup companies and investors are exploring the potential of creating large amounts of green, renewable fuel from the humblest of sources: algae.

If you think the energy/food potential for hemp is underutilized, wait’ll you get a gander at algae. This little microorganism really packs a punch.

According to The Book of General Ignorance: Everything You Think You Know is Wrong (2006, Harmony Books) (I highly recommend it, by the way — it’s packed with fascinating information and weird insights), algae breathes out more oxygen than all the world’s land-based plants and trees combined. Certain types of algae also deliver a whopping amount of protein and nutrients per farmed acre (20 times more than soy beans, in the case of spirulina).

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Year Three in Rebuilding New Orleans: Taking More Green Steps, One by One

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 15:58:59 +0000

The post-Katrina rebuilding effort in New Orleans has a long way to go, but some residents, activists and volunteers are celebrating one small but noteworthy step after another toward a more sustainable city.

Their efforts take on a special poignancy with the start of yet another hurricane season (it officially began on June 1, though the tropical system Arthur formed a day early around the Yucatan Peninsula). With lingering La Niña conditions and water temperatures in parts of the Gulf of Mexico already a degree or two above average, there’s reason to be concerned.

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The Sustainable Hurricane Season Plan

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:27:02 +0000

While I’ve lived on the Gulf Coast for just a little over 10 years, I’ve already endured a more-than-fair share of hurricanes: Georges, Ivan, Dennis, Katrina, Wilma.

I’ve been more fortunate than many, but my post-hurricane experiences have actually raised my awareness a great deal about the importance of sustainability. Because few things make you understand the challenges of sustainable living more than a few days or weeks in a disaster zone with no electricity, no drinkable running water, no passable roads.

And so, with another hurricane season once again looming (it starts June 1), here are some of the sustainability lessons I’ve learned over the years:

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