Greetings from the New Orleans Green Building Resource Center.

Two weeks ago, Louisianans were handed a grim prognosis by the latest scientific study of our coast:  even assuming rapid and concerted government action to divert Mississippi River sediment to begin the restoration of our wetlands, 10% of our state will likely disintegrate into the Gulf waters by the end of this century.  Continued subsidence and the destruction of our wetlands caused by levees, hurricanes, navigation channels, and more than 20,000 miles of oil and gas pipelines were challenge enough.  The new LSU study indicates that rising sea levels and a greatly reduced amount of sediment flowing down the river each year to rebuild wetlands will make it impossible to maintain the Louisiana coast that we treasure, call home and rely upon economically.  While not as immediately devastating as hurricanes like Katrina, this slow motion disaster will eventually force the relocation inland of tens of thousands of our residents and cause economic impacts that will dwarf the damages that we've already suffered.  This is only one study, of course, and there are strong scientific arguments that swift and decisive government action to put wetlands restoration at the very top of the priority list can still protect Louisiana's wetlands in the decades to come.  What can no longer be denied, however, is that we are quickly running out of time to save critical coastal areas that protect New Orleans and numerous other communities and businesses in southeastern Louisiana. 
 
The very best thing that you can do to help is to let all of your elected officials - city, state and federal - know loudly and often that you expect them to make immediate and comprehensive coastal restoration one of their highest priorities, and enlist the support of friends and family around the country to do the same.  Join and support effective local non-profits focused on this issue, such as the Gulf Restoration Network, and the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana.  Be prepared to accept some tough decisions in the months and years to come - if we reach a point that we can no longer save the entire coast, what is the best way forward for us as a State, to protect our fellow Louisianans and to ensure a healthy economy so that we can not only adapt, but thrive in a changing world.  
 
We New Orleanians have accomplished truly amazing things in rebuilding our city in the past four years - the time has now come to direct this powerful communal force to empower our elected officials to finally act to save our wetlands, and so save our city.

~ Beth Galante

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 July's Monthly Panel Discussion

Solar and Our City - Your Most Affordable Time to Turn to the Sun

July's monthly public panel discussion will explore the latest topics involving national and local solar energy use. Scheduled panelists from South Coast Solar, Adams and Reese, and more will lead discussions involving current solar energy projects in the city, offering their perspectives as planners, installers and homeowners on the cutting edge of the growing solar trend. We will discuss the very latest information on solar: the cost, the use, and the politics, as well as highlighting information on the unprecedented combination of tax credits and incentives currently available to residents who chose to go solar in the city.

This month's panelists include Troy Von Otnott and Scott Oman of South Coast Solar and Benjamin Norwood, Adams and Reese.  Also on hand will be the latest information on the One Block Off the Grid Program(1BOG).

Light refreshments will be served starting at 5:30pm, and our panel begins promptly at 6:00pm. For more information, please contact Heidi Jensen at our Resource Center: hjensen@globalgreen.org, 504-525-2121.

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BUILD IT BACK GREEN: Community Events in July

Join our Build it Back Green team for these upcoming community rebuilding events:

The Greater New Orleans Housing Fair
Dillard University
Saturday, July 18th
2601 Gentilly Blvd
New Orleans, LA
10 am to 4 pm

The second annual community housing fair highlights residential and commercial rebuilding efforts with information sharing by non-profits, creditors, health screening and more! Be sure to stop by our Build It Back Green booth for the latest green vendor, energy efficiency and tax incentive information.

Renaissance Market
Near Lowe's at I-10
5700 Read Blvd
New Orleans, LA
Saturday, July 25th
5 pm to 8 pm

Brand new community market with a focus on our New Orleans East residents and business owners. Global Green will be on hand with energy efficiency tips, rebuilding resources and one-on-one consultations. Please join us and show your support for our rebuilding neighbors in Eastern New Orleans.

For our constantly updated events calendar please see our website: http://globalgreen.org/bibg/calendar/

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Installer Certification Study Session at our New Orleans Resource Center

Global Green will be hosting a "cram session" for individuals preparing for the North American Board of Certified Energy Practioners PV Installer Certification exam on September 12th.

If you’d like to participate, review of the NABCEP Supplemental References listed resource books is strongly recommended before the class. This course will provide a review of these materials in an effort to help you pass the exam. This class is recommended only to those who have studied these materials.

Remember, if you are eligible to take either of NABCEP’s Installer Certification Exams, you must fill out and submit the Exam Scheduling Form at least 30 Days prior to the exam date.

Forms: http://www.nabcep.org/wpcontent/uploads/2008/11/nabcepexamschedullingmarch091.pdf
Register: http://www.advenaes.com/.
Exam locations: http://www.nabcep.org/certification/how-to-apply-2/testing-location
How to Apply: http://www.nabcep.org/certification/how-to-apply-2

Advanced Class location and dates & times:

Saturday and Sunday
August 29 & 30^th
8 am to 5 pm
Green Building Resource Center
841 Carondelet Street
New Orleans, LA

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Sea Level Rise: It's Worse than We Thought by Anil Ananthaswamy, New Scientist 

FOR a few minutes David Holland forgets about his work and screams like a kid on a roller coaster. The small helicopter he's riding in is slaloming between towering cliffs of ice - the sheer sides of gigantic icebergs that had calved off Greenland's Jakobshavn glacier. "It was like in a James Bond movie," Holland says afterwards. "It's the most exciting thing I have ever done."

Jakobshavn has doubled its speed in the past 15 years, draining increasing amounts of ice from the Greenland ice sheet into the ocean, and Holland, an oceanographer at New York University, has been trying to find out why. Scientists like him are more than a little astonished at the rate at which our planet's frozen frontiers seem to be responding to global warming. The crucial question, though, is what will happen over the next few decades and centuries.

That's because the fate of the planet's ice, from relatively small ice caps in places like the Canadian Arctic, the Andes and the Himalayas, to the immense ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica, will largely determine the speed and extent of sea level rise. At stake are the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people, not to mention millions of square kilometres of cities and coastal land, and trillions of dollars in economic terms.

In its 2007 report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecast a sea level rise of between 19 and 59 centimetres by 2100, but this excluded "future rapid dynamical changes in ice flow". Crudely speaking, these estimates assume ice sheets are a bit like vast ice cubes sitting on a flat surface, which will stay in place as they slowly melt. But what if some ice sheets are more like ice cubes sitting on an upside-down bowl, which could suddenly slide off into the sea as conditions get slippery? "Larger rises cannot be excluded but understanding of these effects is too limited to assess their likelihood," the IPCC report stated.

Read full article: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327151.300-sea-level-rise-its-worse-than-we-thought.html?full=true

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Green Building Tip of the Month: Low or Zero-VOC Paints

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the levels of air pollutants inside the home may be 2 to 5 times higher than the levels outdoor. Considering the fact that most people spend up to 90% of their time indoors, indoor air quality is something that everyone should be concerned about.

Indoor pollution sources that release gases, known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), into the air are the primary cause of indoor air quality problems in homes. Some health effects that can be felt from indoor air pollutants include eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, dizziness, and tiredness.

Common sources of VOCs in the home include building materials such as paints, wood finishes, and carpets. You can reduce your exposure to VOCs in the home by getting rid of the products that have high levels of VOC and substituting new products that contain low or no VOC’s.

There are several logos that you'll find on the labels of paints, wood finishes, and carpets that will help you identify then as low or no VOC products. Paints and wood finishes that have been tested and certified low-to-zero VOC level will have the Green Seal or Green Guard label, while The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) Green Label and Green Label Plus logos identify carpets and carpet padding and adhesives that emit low levels of VOCs.

If your budget allows it, paints and finishes made from natural products such as water, plant oils, natural latex, milk casein, and beeswax are the least toxic and safest for your health and the environment. Also, there are carpets and rugs made from natural products such as wool, jute, and seagrass that do not “off-gas” like standard carpets.

For more information: http://globalgreen.org/bibg/

See our Green Building Vendors List for local and regional availability:
http://globalgreen.org/i/file/BIBG/BIBG_Vendors_List_2009_03.pdf

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