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Greetings from our New Orleans Green Building Resource Center
With this past week's newspaper stories of government officials who have been convicted or are facing charges of self-dealing, it is tempting to make the blanket assertion that many of our public servants are corrupt. And with our former recovery head continuing to compound the damage caused by his ineptitude by publicly blaming the victims, it is easy to adopt his blanket assertion that many of our citizens are lazy, illiterate and/or racist. We New Orleanians are probably just as fallible as the rest of humanity, but we cannot let the occasional bad apple sway us from our amazing journey forward. Although never as rapidly as we'd like, our city moves closer every day towards becoming a healthy and sustainable community. Informed citizen participation, true government transparency, effective public education, strong economic development, and sustainable affordable housing are no longer unattainable dreams - these are the goals that the vast majority of us now expect, demand, and are working towards. But there is one thing that has the power to destroy our communal dreams: a lack of trust. When we distrust our fellow citizens - whether we automatically assume others are racist, classist or corrupt, or we let other people fan the flames of distrust for their own personal gain - we weaken our personal ability to create positive change and weaken our city's ability to transform into the place we want it to be. Bigotry and greed will always handicap some individuals, but we can no longer afford to let their weaknesses prevent us from creating stronger bonds with our fellow New Orleanians. When we truly believe that most of us want the best for our city and unite behind our common ideals, we can rapidly effect changes that we desire. Rebuilding trust, just like rebuilding our houses and our communities, is hard work, requiring us to forgive old injuries and find the strength to open our hearts and minds to all of our neighbors. We have shown that we are more than up to the challenge of physically rebuilding New Orleans - now let us work to meet that next challenge of rebuilding trust. ~Beth Galante
On the third Wednesday of each month, Global Green is proud to partner with the United States Green Building Council, Louisiana Chapter and the American Institute of Architects, New Orleans Chapter to present a monthly panel series on issues of sustainability in the built environment. This month's panel discussion is hosted by the AIA, New Orleans Chapter, at their offices on St. Charles Avenue. Wednesday, November 18th US Coast Guard, Michoud Headquarters - A Case Study For it's new headquarters at Michoud, the US Coast Guard sought to create a LEED certified project which would include a sustainable, regenerative native landscape. The design for this landscape, presented by J.O. Evans of FutureProof, uses 100% native species to create an authentic Cajun prairie environment on land which otherwise would have been an industrial site. Sustainable strategies used in this project leads to the restoration of an endangered ecotype. Panel discussions are free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served beginning at 5:30pm, presentation begins promptly at 6pm. AIA Continuing Education Credits apply. With very special thanks to our good friends at Whole Foods Market and Atchafalaya Restaurant for their generous support. For more information, please contact Heidi Jensen at our Green Building Resource Center: hjensen@globalgreen.org, and for information on this and past panels, please see the Global Green website: http://globalgreen.org/events/13 __________________________________________________ Sustainable New Orleans
___________________________________________________ Being ‘green’ doesn’t have to cost a lot; in fact, having an energy efficient home can actually save you money on your utility bills! Build It Back Green is an outreach program that aims to help New Orleans residents achieve healthy, energy efficient homes by technical assistance, education, and home energy assessments. We recently helped three New Orleans families make their homes more energy efficient. For one family in the Milan neighborhood we decreased air leakage by 37%; this decrease was achieved by tightening the building envelope (the components of a house that make up its ‘skin’ like the walls and floors) through caulking around windows and electrical outlets, weather-stripping around window A/C units and doors, and foaming around major penetrations such as for drains and pipes. A decrease in air leakage means increased comfort in the house and less strain on your air conditioning or heating unit, which translates into saving on your utility bills. Other energy efficiency measures applied at the house that should also lower the electrical usage include an insulating blanket wrapped around the water heater, a radiant barrier installed in the attic that will reflect heat from the sun, and compact fluorescent light bulbs. For information on energy efficiency and the many affordable ways to achieve it visit our website at www.globalgreen.org/bibg, call 504-525-2121, or visit our Green Building Resource Center at 841 Carondelet St. Build It Back Green Outreach Events in Our Communities: For the most up-to-date events listings for Build It Back Green, please click here. Wetlands Loss Linked to Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Pipelines in New Study
The report is part of ongoing research by the Minerals Management Service to understand the effects of the production of oil and gas in federally controlled Gulf waters. Louisiana officials have long argued that the federal government should share a greater financial burden in restoring coastal wetlands and land areas because of the effects of such offshore development. For the study, the authors used computer models to interpret satellite and other data, gauging the impacts of pipelines and navigation channels on coastal areas in Louisiana, Texas, Alabama and Mississippi. They also conducted more in-depth reviews of the effects of individual pipelines and man-made canals. The study said that in Louisiana the Outer Continental Shelf pipelines covered 480 square miles of wetlands and land, and the navigation channels covered 137 square miles. That represents about 11 percent of the Louisiana coast. The biggest impacts were found to be the greater loss of wetlands and land areas associated with Outer Continental Shelf-related pipelines and canals in Texas and Louisiana. The effects varied according to the construction methods used. Please read entire article, here: timespicayune.com Think a tree is just a tree? Think again. A new United Nations study puts dollar signs on the services nature provides. With its legs buried underwater, the mangrove is a case study in evolutionary biology. Found mostly in coastal areas in the tropics, mangroves are essentially low-growing trees that blanket shallow waters with their roots. To small animals, the structures provide a haven and a food source. To the coastlines, they reduce the impact of raucous waves that could wash away beaches. Calculating what they do for humans, however, is a more dubious pursuit. They're nice to look at and cushion the impact of tsunamis, but if they disappeared, would there be a net loss? From an economic standpoint, what mangroves or other local fauna contribute has long been considered about equal to what they take away: roughly, nothing. Rarely is there a calculus of wider ecosystem services, like water purification or, on a larger scale, carbon emissions that affect agriculture, medicinal research, and global fisheries. But a new report from the United Nations Environment Programme identifies the economic contribution of ecosystems and biodiversity as significant—and lucrative. Mangroves in Vietnam, it turns out, save annual expenditures on dike maintenance of more than $7 million. And in another example: it would cost $200 million to replicate the services provided by natural springs in New Zealand. Commissioned by the G8 collection of environmental ministers, researchers on the project—labeled the Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB)—set out to attach dollar values to the planet's omnipresent structures and systems, which had long been considered an impossibility due to the number of variables involved. But measuring ecological contributions is becoming more feasible. By examining past data from industries that rely, directly or indirectly, on natural resources or systems, the analysts estimated the monetary equivalent of those resources or systems being wiped away. In one example, the plight of island communities dependent on fish protein and ecotourism can be measured. How? Researchers found that every hectare of coral reef—a modest area of land equal to just under two and a half acres—is worth more than $1 million annually. Please click here for entire article: http://www.newsweek.com/id/222701 ______________________________________________
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After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the inadequate response of the US Government, Global Green USA made a dedicated commitment to sustainable building in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. Through our green affordable housing community the Holy Cross Project, and our work on greening schools throughout the area, Global Green is committed to creating a green model for development and rebuilding for New Orleans; educating NOLA residents, the Gulf Coast and broader American public about the benefits of green building; and advancing smart solutions to global warming that both benefit communities and engage stakeholders in building will for action. Unsubscribe from email, or change your email preferences. Global Green USA | 2218 Main St. Los Angeles, CA. 90405 | 310-581-2700 | ggusa@globalgreen.org |
Rebuilding Trust for a Sustainable New Orleans
TONIGHT! 
Join us in celebrating New Orleans' neighborhood organizations and establishments actively participating in the sustainability of our community through everyday green practices. 
A new study for the federal Minerals Management Service concludes that the construction of pipelines related to oil and gas production in the Outer Continental Shelf of the Gulf of Mexico "can cause locally intense habitat changes, thereby contributing to the loss of critically important land and wetland areas."
Greening Your News: Global Green New Orleans Now Offering Weekly Green Building Updates