Global Green USA\’s Vision, Leadership, Community Coalition Building & Persistence Helps Create Models of Climate Resiliency for NOLA and At-Risk Coastal Cities
Immediately after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Global Green USA responded with a greenprint for sustainably rebuilding NOLA\’s schools, homes and communities to be climate resilient. Global Green USA\’s goals were to save residents money, improve health and create model buildings that would reduce the CO2 emissions that contribute to global climate change. Time Magazine previously reported, “no organization is doing more to green New Orleans than Global Green USA.”
While 10 years ago, New Orleans embodied the dire threats and potential devastating impacts of climate change to coastal cities, today many NOLA neighborhoods reveal a green, hopeful future that especially benefits low-income and minority communities disproportionately harmed by climate change.
Today, thanks to Global Green:
• Tens of thousands of New Orleanians are enjoying healthier lives in greener homes, schools and other community buildings.
• Thousands of students and teachers now go to school in more energy-efficient classrooms, which save hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in reduced electricity expenses, thanks to a generous grant from the Bush Clinton Katrina Fund.
• More than 25,000 people have toured Global Green\’s Model Green Home Visitor Center in the Holy Cross Project of the Lower Ninth Ward to learn how to build and remodel their homes to be greener.
• The average monthly Entergy bill (including electricity and gas) of Holy Cross Project homeowners is less than $30.
• More than 20,000 New Orleanians participated in our innovative Build it Back Green (BIBG) workshops and community events.
• BIBG directly assisted over 3,000 New Orleans residents and saved approximately 1,713,500 pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere which is equal to the planting of 35,699 trees or taking 150 cars off the road for a year.
Over $1 million dollars in revenue was generated for local and small business contractors through Global Green\’s implementation of NOLA Wise that completed 170 single-family retrofits which will save a combined total of 763,170 kilowatt hours of energy per year for these families.
“As we commemorate the 10 year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and remember the extraordinary loss of life and unimaginable horrors caused by one of the first climate-related natural disasters in North America, we also reflect upon the remarkable resilience of New Orleans residents and the successful transformation of many neighborhoods, schools and communities that are now greener, healthier and more resilient,” said Dr. Les McCabe, Global Green USA President and CEO
To learn more about Global Green\’s remarkable initiatives over the past decade, visit our Katrina10 blog series at www.globalgreen.org/blog
Global Green USA also is commemorating the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and their efforts to rebuild a greener New Orleans by launching the Climate Champions fundraising campaign. The initiative recommits resources to NOLA and other at-risk cities such as New York, San Francisco, Miami, and Los Angeles in order to complete their Lower Ninth Ward Climate Action and Community Center, enhance their New Orleans-based Disaster Response Team, and educate and motivate people in other cities to make changes to prevent climate related disasters and become prepared before they happen, thereby lessening the destruction and shortening the reconstruction process.
To support the campaign, Climate Change Champions can log onto www.globalgreen.org to get more information or they can text CLIMATE to 77717 to get involved now.
Contact: Michelle Pyne
email- mpyne@globalgreen.org
phone- 484-832-1176
