“Jazz needs you, Creole cooking needs you, and New Orleans needs you now more than ever.” That’s the message on the Bring New Orleans Back website, as part of a commission appointed by Mayor Ray Nagin to create a blueprint for rebuilding the city. Since Hurricane Katrina devastated NoLa in 2005, some have questioned the sustainability of a city that sits partially below sea level on a Mississippi River Delta floodplain. Still, if any good has come from the disaster, it’s the city’s opportunity to rebuild green. The city’s new fleet runs entirely on alternative fuels, for example. And heavy-hitter green building advocates have taken a special interest in New Orleans as well, including the international organization, Global Green, whose newly-minted LEED Platinum home was built to withstand high water and 130 mph winds. The organization has pledged to build 23 of these homes as well as a community center in the Ninth Ward. Actor Brad Pitt is also committed to recovery and sustainable redevelopment in the city; his organization, Make It Right, plans to build 150 green homes in the Lower Ninth Ward.
(Photo by Lyndi&Jason)
City of New Orleans
Mayor: C. Ray Nagin
Sustainability Coordinator: Wynecta Fisher, Director, New Orleans Mayor's Office of Environmental Affairs
Mayor's Office of Environmental Affairs: http://www.cityofno.com/pg-47-1-environmental-affairs-home.aspx
City Website: http://www.cityofno.com/
Antonius P. says:
New orleans is beciming a great green city. Ray Nagin keep doing what you are doing. All the city needs to do i s cut dwon on waste, recycle. and go green.
Michael P. says:
This ranking is skewed. One major factor it doesn't take into account is the local culture. CNN travel and leisure rated NOLA #1. And as native New Orleaneans know, it is a great place to live and work. There is always something facinating going on. Most of the cities ahead of us in this ranking are the most boring cities on earth. The media will point to the crime, but the reality is the NOLA murder rate has been cut in half since Katrina. What major city can make that statement. NONE!
Jordana G. says:
Hey Michael -- in what way is the ranking skewed?
Michael P. says:
Jordana G.,
What I'm saying is that the ranking does not take into account all the environmental factors (i.e. quality of life). Green is not just traffic congestion and air quality, but also a sense of community which is directly correlated with community activity and culture). New Orleans has highest level of culture for a city it's size in North America. Community spirit is off the charts in NOLA. It is without a doubt the most sophisticated city of it's size in the USA.
Moreover, walking through New Orleans you feel like you are in someones giant garden. Especially, in Uptown, Mid-city, the Lakefront, Lakeview, the Garden District, the Marigny.
If you lived here, you would understand. I have lived for years in other places. Such as, Los Angeles , San Diego, Santa Barbara, Tampa, Philadelphia, and Paris France (For my MBA).
I lived all over but couldn't wait to come home.
Kind Regards,
Michael