Residents Embrace Green Rebuilding Four Years Post-Katrina
The New Orleans Examiner
August 27, 2009
Saturday, August 29th, marks the four year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Four years ago, an incomprehensible man-made environmental disaster struck New Orleans. Many of the cities residents, unable to flee, were left to brace themselves against the high waters and strong winds as the rest of the country looked on.
Shortly after the waters receded, many claimed that the city was unsalvageable and should be left in ruins. Four years and 1.3 million returned residents later the rebuilding continues. An army of environmentalists, green non-profits, and everyday citizens have since banded together to promote green rebuilding and defend the wetlands.
Non-profits groups like The Gulf Restoration Network, The Green Project, and the Louisiana Green Building Council have led the charge, mobilizing young people and organizing neighbors to push politicians to invest in the wetlands and renewable energy, such as solar power and energy saving buildings.
These groups see the anniversary of the storm that has spurred a green revolution as the perfect opportunity to engage New Orleanians, young and old, progressive and conservative, in rebuilding the city one day at a time.
This Saturday, the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation is partnering with a host of grassroots organizations to hold a city-wide day of service. Teams of volunteers will meet at 7:30 a.m. in Armstrong Park and then disperse across the city to take part in various non-profit projects assisting in the recovery process. Volunteers and the public are also invited to a celebration in Armstrong park with music, food, and cultural activities from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Later that night the Gulf Restoration Network is sponsoring house parties across the city to screen "Paradise Faded: The Fight for Louisiana." The documentary chronicles the vanishing of the Mississippi Delta wetlands, and the "loss that threatens the future of Louisiana, the environment, and the economy". Visit the GRN site to find a screening or volunteer to host one.
A new generation of New Orleanians and non-profits have harnessed this crisis and seized on the opportunity to rebuild New Orleans stronger than ever. New Orleans has the opportunity to lead the country and the world in creating green jobs and a sustainable, environmentally sound infrastructure. However, this kind of rebuilding is not possible without federal aid and strong leadership.
Days after Mardi Gras 2007, Barack Obama visited New Orleans, and spoke to an auditorium full of Tulane students and residents. On that day Obama pledged that if elected president he would ensure that the federal government would not leave New Orleans in the cold, like it did four years ago. It is about time the president renew that promise and makes a significant public commitment to the people of New Orleans by investing in reconstruction and renewable energy, and the Gulf Coast to make New Orleans a leading city in the future green economy.