Katrina 5th Anniversary News Roundup

Here is a round-up of the news articles related to the 5th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina that Global Green USA has been a part of.

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR. AUGUST 28, 2010 - After Katrina, New Orleans housing goes green

Beth Teel Galante, a director for Global Green USA, which has built five homes in the city’s Holy Cross neighborhood and has plans for an 18-unit apartment building, says most people were “apathetic” regarding issues like sustainable architecture and building materials.

“We have never been critically engaged about demanding reform. So we learned the hard way the true value of community,” Ms. Galante says.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. AUGUST 27, 2010 - Obama to commemorate Katrina on 5th anniversary

VINEYARD HAVEN, Mass. — President Barack Obama will use the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina to reaffirm his commitment to the Gulf Coast amid lingering questions over his administration's response to the BP oil spill.

"He inherited a legacy problem with New Orleans rebuilding just like so many incredible challenges with the economy," said Beth Galante, director of the New Orleans office of Global Green USA, a sustainable building initiative active in the city since the hurricane struck. "It does really put the burden on him to acknowledge the failures and make sure there's a serious and ongoing federal commitment to righting those problems."

USA TODAY. AUGUST 27, 2010 - Hurricane Katrina anniversary: Ways to help with on-going rebuilding efforts

We wanted to additionally highlight several ways you can still get engaged and help out with rebuilding efforts that continue today.

2.Support California-based Global Green USA's efforts to build five sustainable homes, an 18-unit apartment complex and a community center in the Holy Cross section of the Lower 9th Ward.

THE HUFFINGTON POST. AUGUST 26, 2010. By Matt Petersen - On Eve of 5th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Green Renaissance Takes Hold In New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS - As New Orleans, the nation and the world prepare to mark the 5th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina on August 29 (and the devastating aftermath), I have been reflecting on the personal journey I have taken these past 5 years in my love affair with this great city.

Like many I started watching in horror as events unfolded on CNN, and every level of government failed to care for our own citizens as levees failed and submerged much of New Orleans. I felt debilitated at first, but a resolve grew in me. I began turning the shame I felt -- as an American -- into the ideas that formed my vision of rebuilding the first truly green city in the nation.

In rebuilding a greener New Orleans, we could help improve the homes, the schools, and most importantly the lives of those in need. We would be taking a step toward a greener future that includes clean energy jobs, healthier neighborhoods, and protecting our coastal cities from sea level rise due to global warming.

KLFY 10. AUGUST 26, 2010. By Associated Press - Climate change center to be in Lower 9th Ward

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A $3.2 million center where people will learn about climate change and the threat of sea level rise is slated to be built in the Lower 9th Ward with federal and private dollars.

The center will be constructed near a floodwall that broke during Hurricane Katrina, unleashing a torrent of flood waters that destroyed the Lower 9th Ward.

The neighborhood is still largely empty but a series of pioneering ecological homes are being built there. The rebuilding efforts are being spearheaded by environmental groups like Global Green USA and the Make It Right Foundation.

THE HUFFINGTON POST. AUGUST 26, 2010. By Laura Bassett - Post-Katrina, Global Green Gives New Orleans An Eco-Facelift

Before Hurricane Katrina struck, New Orleans was far from a model of environmental sustainability. The centuries-old houses with 10-foot ceilings that lend the city its charm were horribly energy inefficient, nearly every building in the city was vulnerable to heavy flooding, and the city had no LEED-certified buildings or an energy code before the storm.

Soon after Katrina and the inadequate government response to the disaster, environmental non-profit Global Green capitalized on the opportunity to rebuild the city as an international example of sustainability. Through green affordable housing projects, education initiatives to teach residents about global warming and sustainability, and efforts to green local schools, Global Green hopes to achieve the greatest impact possible on New Orleans while inspiring national and international governments to follow suit.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. AUGUST 26, 2010. By Tasha Eichenseher - Post-Katrina Green Homeowners Barred From Recycling Water

While the tragic disaster left a scoured slate for architects and developers looking to incubate sustainable building projects and ideas, innovative water re-use systems implanted in many of the new green homes have not been as well received as some of the other eco-friendly features, such as solar panels.

Several homes in the two most advanced green communities—the Make It Right development spearheaded by actor Brad Pitt, and Global Green, former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev’s project just a few miles south in the Lower Ninth Ward’s Holy Cross neighborhood—have 1,000-gallon underground cisterns to collect New Orleans’ copious rainwater. The plan was to use solar energy to pump water from the cisterns into a separate plumbing system that would be used to flush toilets.

WDSU.COM. AUGUST 25, 2010 - Holy Cross Neighborhood Gets 'Green' Face-Lift

NEW ORLEANS -- The Holy Cross neighborhood is getting a face-lift, one green home at a time. The Global Green project has constructed five green homes, and there's more housing in the works.

There is still a green apartment building with 18 units set for the area, as well as a community center. The new homes stand out in the older neighborhood, but neighbors said it's a look they are getting used to. "I think it might be a little unusual from the old traditional, houses but it's very beautiful," said Holy Cross resident Mamie Smith.

CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS. AUGUST 25, 2010 - It’s Easy Being Green: The Big Green Easy

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans five years ago, the devastation was heartbreaking. Residents lost homes, schools, and churches, and in some cases entire neighborhoods were destroyed. The city was in ruins by the time the water finally receded, leaving the task of rebuilding to those whose homes and livelihoods had been swept away by the massive storm. The Crescent City slowly but surely crept back to life, and in the process, New Orleans 2.0 is becoming better, stronger, and greener.

Global Green USA’s Build it Back Green program has helped set the standard for green redevelopment in the Big Easy. The group provides information and technical assistance to New Orleans homeowners and small rental property owners who have received Road Home Grants so that they can rebuild in an affordable and sustainable manner. They offer resources ranging from product information and how-to tips on sustainable insulation, lighting, and water and sewage systems, to lists of vendors and contractors who are green friendly. They even have a resource center where people can go to see samples of environmentally friendly building materials or get one-on-one green building consultations.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. AUGUST 26, 2010. By Marianne Lavelle - For Hurricane Katrina Victims, A Solar Restart

(Robert) Green’s home is one of 50 that have been completed so far in the Make it Right development, spearheaded by actor Brad Pitt, which aims to incorporate renewable energy and efficiency into every element of design. Similarly, former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev’s Global Green project in the Lower Ninth Ward’s Holy Cross neighborhood has five low-energy homes. And the Pontchartrain Park Neighborhood Association, organized by actor Wendell Pierce, also is aiming to rebuild with solar and geothermal energy in every home.

Global Green’s homes are estimated to be 70-90 percent more energy efficient, and Make It Right estimates that its homes are 70 percent more efficient.