Blessed Bounty: Sustainable Design Competition Anniversary A Message from Matt On the week we marked the 6th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we celebrated the 5th anniversary of our Sustainable Design Competition for New Orleans. It was amazing -- truly representing the best of humanity and the design community -- with more than 130 designs representing visions for rebuilding New Orleans green, starting with an empty brownfield lot in the Holy Cross neighborhood of the Lower 9th Ward. When we chose a winning design, it marked the beginning of our work rebuilding green in New Orleans. Read the full story.       Tale of Two Hurricanes Katrina, Irene and Climate Change Speaking of Katrina, Hurricane Irene was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it hit New York City on the anniversary of Katrina, but it still left parts of the East Coast flooded and devastated. We cannot control hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters, but we can control the mark we leave upon this planet and we need to work together to fight climate change so that we can guarantee a secure, safe, and healthy future. Find out more.      Supporting Global Green 5 is the Magic Number Global Green is tackling the climate threat while improving the lives of families, communities, and cities throughout the country -- and we count on your support to help us make a difference. We are asking you to Give $5 a month to help sustain our efforts; Share this with 5 of your friends; and Take 5 actions to reduce your carbon footprint.      Green Your School Easy as 1-2-3 Did you know that green schools can increase student performance by 25% and reduce utility bills by 20-40%? We have 10 steps for you to green your school, along with a chance to win more than $100,000 for a school project with our Green School Makeover competition. Enter before September 30!       Monthly Road Report Making Moves with Global Green Across the Globe   We had our annual staff retreat, with strategizing, team-building, bonding, and some impressive sketch comedy routines…. Mary Luevano attended the Women in Green forum in Los Angeles…. Paul Walker spoke on the "Two Decades without Nuclear Weapons Testing" panel at the Atomic Testing Museum in Las Vegas (pictured). More updates and reports on the work of GGUSA are posted on our blog daily.   Green Jobs  Good news received the week before Labor Day: Global Green was awarded a $100,000 grant from the EPA to help grow the green economy in New Orleans. NY Awards  Just announced: Honorees for the 12th Annual Sustainable Design Awards in NY on November 14 are Adrian Grenier, Fisker Automotive, Starbucks, and Sprint. Click here for table and sponsorship info. Double Down  More than 450 corporations match charitable donations of their employees. Find out if your donation to Global Green can be matched. Action Alert!   Join Global Green USA in urging President Obama to invest in responsible, clean renewable energy production and say no to dirty tar sands oil and the Keystone XL pipeline.      We're working on your behalf for a sustainable and secure future.                              Global Green USA is fostering a global value shift toward a sustainable and secure future.