Big City Sustainability: New Orleans
If you were to listen to the media reports, you would think that New Orleans is a hot bed of sustainable ideas and the city might be leading the way in sustainable building. However, after investigating what is really going on in New Orleans, I’m left with mixed emotions and more questions than answers. Hurricane Katrina not only wiped out the land and its structures, it erased the local municipality and its capacity to govern. New Orleans is a natural disaster area and the only thing that the local government can focus on is getting help.
The city does have an official plan called GreeNOLA which was created by The Sustainable Energy and Environmental Task Force. The task force is made up of local city leaders and business people who want the cities recovery efforts to be as green as possible. GreeNOLA has a plan to achieve sustainability goals in six broad program areas: Green buildings and Energy Efficiency, Alternative Energy, Waste Reduction Reuse and Recycling, Transportation and Clean Fuels, Environmental Outreach and Justice, and Flood Risk Reduction. The Transition New Orleans Task Force is a similar group that has given Mayor Mitch Landrieu a list of recommendations for the city that they think his office should achieve in 100 days. Some of the recommendations are: Create an office of sustainability and resiliency, mandate 30% energy use reduction in all municipal buildings by 2020, coordinate energy and environment agendas with the city council, mandate and enforce a LEED Silver design level requirement for all new and major renovations of city buildings that cost more than $100,000, just to name a few. The city uses examples set by other big cities (New York, Chicago) to shape its plan and to motivate the residents. As I read the plans, I realized that the city is starting from square one. One of the recommendations to the mayor is to re-establish recycling at city hall. Most of the basic services (electricity, garbage, sewer, etc.) that we take for granted in America( let alone a big city) are still not available to some residents in New Orleans. The local government in New Orleans short and long term goals are simple: get as much help from whomever they can get it from.
Federal government agencies seem to be helping the local government out the most. The Department of Energy’s Solar America City program named New Orleans one of its 25 solar cities in America, and has given grants to the city to help accelerate the adoption of solar technology. The city has also seen a host of non-profit organizations that have set up shop in the city to make the recovery effort a green one. One organization getting a lot of attention is Global Green. Global Green is a national organization based in Los Angeles and has superstar Brad Pitt as its spokesperson. The organization works with low income families through greening affordable housing, creating sustainable neighborhoods, and advancing climate solutions that work for communities. . The organizations showpiece is the Holy Cross Project which is located in New Olean’s infamous lower ninth ward neighborhood. The project is to include an 18 unit apartment building and a community center. The goal is to achieve zero energy usage, be carbon neutral, and LEED platinum certified. Home Depot and famed New York City energy consulting firm Think Energy are major sponsors of the project. The city of New Orleans is in definite need of help; however, the lack of city oversight and the true intentions of the organizations “giving” to the city makes me wonder about the cities long term sustainability.
Some in the United States have likened New Orleans to a “third world country”, the title westerners have given to places with no resources, no laws, and no hope. The title is definitely a slur, and unfortunately fits what New Orleans is going through right now. The sustainable plans that the city has are indefinite. With no real resources to implement and enforce the plans (or anything else), and the population at a devastating low, the city stands in a collective limbo. The municipality is relying on the federal government and outside organizations to become the driving forces that bring the city back from the brink. As the feds and private agencies become more involved with shaping the city, the more power and influence they have in the local government. A big question on a lot of residents minds are who they are selling the keys to the city to and at what cost to whom.
Bibliography
City of New Orleans, GreeNOLA””, City of New Orleans 2008, Web Jan 19, 2011.
Habitat for Humanity,” Katrina & Rita: Five Years Later”, Habitat for Humanity 2010, Web jan 19, 2011
City of New Orleans, Carbon Footprint Report July 2009, One New Orleans 2009, Web jan19 2011
Transition New Orleans Task Force, “Sustainable Energy and Environmental”, Transition New Orleans Task Force 2010, Web jan 19, 2011
U.S. Department of Energy, “Solar Powering Your Community: A Guide for Local Governments. Second Edition”, U.S. Department of Energy 2011, Web jan 19 2011
Web Sites: www.GlobalGreen.org
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