Driving Social Equity in New Orleans: Historic Green 2009
After the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association of New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward committed to carbon neutrality by 2020 and climate neutrality by 2030. In an area where 85 percent of buildings are listed in the national or local historic registries, the USGBC-sponsored Historic Green program was a welcome effort.
The aim of Historic Green is to revitalize communities through heritage conservation and sustainable action in a 100 percent volunteer effort. The second annual event was held March 10-20. Volunteers engaged the community in the construction of rain gardens to control run-off, installation of radiant barrier insulation, education sessions on money savings through energy conservation, sustainable deconstruction of buildings beyond repair, and the incorporation of recovered materials into new buildings, among other projects.
Spearheaded by leaders from USGBC’s Emerging Green Builders national committee, the volunteer team doubled from the inaugural year in 2008 to 400 in 2009 – some $600,000 in donated labor. An estimated savings of 752,540 kilowatt hours (or $87,860) was delivered to residents this year. In addition to USGBC, Historic Green also received support from the Make it Right Foundation, Preservation Resource Center, CSED and The Salvation Army.
The program is scheduled for March 9-20 next year and is expected to expand in scope. Ryan Evans, EGB representative to the Chapter Steering Committee, writes, “Our plans call for another 10 years of projects in the most devastated, historic neighborhoods of the city. And we will keep planning if you will keep coming. See you in 2010!”
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