A City Often Painted Red Comes Back Green

Four years ago, the world watched in horror and sadness as the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina unfolded to reveal an extent of destruction and tragedy almost too broad to wrap our minds around.

And while the process of rebuilding the city has itself been met with challenges and delays, Time Magazine reports on the efforts taking place across the Crescent City to rebuild new homes and businesses, and to retrofit many that survived the storm, with sustainability as a guiding principle.

New Orleans may have become an unwitting poster child for climate change, and the fact remains that the city remains below sea level and at risk for damage from future storms. But a sense of responsibility, a need to achieve long-term savings, and a refuse-to-quit attitude combine to motivate many of those rebuilding New Orleans to do it right, and to do it green.

With the support and direct involvement of Global Green USA — an affiliate organization of Green Cross International, founded by former Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev in 1993 — a number of development projects proceed with renewable energy front and center.

The Holy Cross Project will bring to life a sustainable Ninth Ward community providing not just housing for low income residents, but education and instruction on green building methods as well — invaluable guidance for rebuilding activities elsewhere throughout the city.

Global Green USA's efforts in New Orleans also include the Green Schools Initiative. Two school retrofits have been completed, and include energy systems upgrades, solar panel installation, solar shades, lighting modernization and several other improvements. As a result of the comprehensive upgrades, both schools are slated to save more than $20,000 each on annual energy bills.

The underlying and motivating sense here is one of durability. The city indeed took an incredible and devastating hit four years ago, but what's coming back in the place of destruction is being built in the spirit of durability, of sustainability — of a city intent on returning permanently.

Photo courtesy of Justin Watt, via Wikimedia Commons