Global Green News
Celebrities with a Cause: Rebuilding Homes
PointClickHome.com. January 6, 2008. By Jill Connor
In the world of philanthropy, celebrities are truly stars—bringing well-deserved attention to worthy causes. When the cause involves building or remodeling a home for someone in need, celebrities—from actor Brad Pitt to actress Kristin Davis—step in with architects, builders, and designers to make it happen, sometimes wielding hammers themselves.
In addition to nitty-gritty building and renovating work, celebrities also devote time to causes that raise awareness of green living issues involving the home. From actor Edward Norton’s involvement in a program that helps low-income households install solar photovoltaics on their roofs, to an Oscar night party featuring eco-friendly products, many green causes count on celebrity magnetism to spread the word. Read on to get the details on what home-related causes your favorite celebrities support.
Beanstockd Does Global Green’s Sustainable Design Awards
Beanstockd. December 22nd 2008
On Wednesday December 10th, A-list celebrities, high-powered environmentalists, NYC charity gala regulars, and the Beanstockd team, all descended upon Pier Sixty for the 9th annual Sustainable Design Awards hosted by Global Green USA.
ECO-FRIENDLY GIFTS CAN BE FOUND HERE AT HOME
TIMES-PICAYUNE. December 20 2008. By Molly Reid
...gifts with a green bent can set themselves apart from the same old sweaters and gadgets of the holiday season.
I'm not talking about gift baskets of compact fluorescent bulbs (though individually and with a little ribbon, they make great stocking stuffers).
A well-chosen, eco-friendly item can work from a number of angles: stylish but not too trendy, responsible but not sanctimonious, and money-saving without screaming, "I'm poor!"
To help in the search, the nonprofit Global Green recently held a panel discussion on green gift-giving, featuring several of New Orleans' environmentally friendly retailers.
Antarctica: A Call to Action
Few people have actually witnessed, first-hand, the effects of climate change on Antarctica. But Sebastian Copeland, an award-winning photographer, environmental activist and Global Green board member, has made it a personal mission to document this fragile and quickly changing part of the world.
Global Green to invest $17M in N.O.
NEW ORLEANS CITYBUSINESS. December 19, 2008.
NEW ORLEANS - Global Green USA, a group that has promoted the construction of eco-friendly homes in the 9th Ward in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, says it will invest $17 million in New Orleans.
"Green is not a trend for Global Green. It is a stalwart commitment to bring environmental consciousness to the center of local and national policy development,” said Matt Petersen, president and CEO of Global Green USA. “We will be bringing in an estimated $17 million in investment to New Orleans – leveraging tens of millions of dollars of investment beyond that through our impact on other projects including the Holy Cross Project, Build it Back Green, Green Seed Schools, green policy advocacy efforts and forums for professional builders and the public."
In 2009, among other things, the organization's Green Seed Schools program will retrofit and upgrade two more schools to make them more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
Also in 2009, the organization will continue its monthly educational panel discussions and add a do-it-yourself monthly panel that will be held in a different neighborhood each month.
“This year will be a boom year for rebuilding in New Orleans. We fully expect it to be a boom year for green building as well and, by example, for the rest of the globe," Petersen said.
Greening Hollywood: EcoTainment, Creating Good Content About Doing Good
Hewlett-Packard and GM were the title sponsors, again, this year, for the two-day conference held at Universal City put on by Zahava and Michael Stroud. "HGG was truly a top tier 'Green' event! The moment I arrived I was greeted with enthusiasm. The venue was lovely," said Cynthia Kiktavi of Kiktavi Design. "Topics were interesting as well as thought provoking and vendors were knowledgeable about their products. Zahava did a great job!"
GM's Dave Barthmuss said, "Let's just address the elephant in the room," when he delivered his keynote speech. Even in the midst of the current economy and the auto industry's bailout, GM still showed up with its new hybrid and fuel cell vehicles, offering all attendees the opportunity to test drive the alternative fuel and fuel efficiency vehicles. Global Green's Matt Petersen delivered his keynote address with colleague Sebastian Copeland, Global Green USA board member, who both pointed out that the Earth can live without mankind but mankind cannot live without the Earth.
Environmentally-Aware Stars Get Green At Sustainable Design Awards
ECORAZZI.COM DEC 12, 2008
On Wednesday night Ecorazzi had the honor of attending Global Green’s Sustainable Design Awards here in lusty, dusty NYC! Established in 1999, the Sustainable Design Awards recognizes specific advancements in industry, building, media, organizations, and public policy.
About the event, Global Green says, “ Whether they are helping to protect our air and water, eliminating weapons of mass destruction, stemming climate change, or raising the consciousness of millions, the ‘designs’ of these leaders — who were bold and courageous enough to undertake these acts or commitments deserve to be applauded and celebrated to inspire and encourage others.”
Katie Couric co-hosted the event along with David Hyde Pierce, Edward Norton (Global Green Board Member), Mel Gibson, and Brian Cox (Global Green New York Committee Member).
Al Gore Receives Honorary Doctorate from Poznan University
Al Gore called for more concerted action to save the planet yesterday as he addressed the audience at the University of Poznan, after receiving an honorary doctorate from the University during a side event to the 14th climate change conference taking place in the Polish city.
The former US Vice-President and climate change campaigner said that delegates in Poznan must wake up to the new reality of a world that is moving towards an apocalyptic future unless drastic corrective measures are taken immediately. Polish astronomer Copernicus showed that the world revolves around the sun at a time when common knowledge was that we were the center of the universe. Despite the evidence, the road to acceptance of this new reality was difficult and filled with setbacks. Similarly, Poznan delegates are also prone to misperceptions, despite the massive scientific information available, they fail to realize the urgency of the situation.
Gore thanked the university, the city authorities, and his friend Dr Jan Kulczyk, chairman of Green Cross International, for this honor and for the invitation to Poznan.
Tis the season: The stars shine at green benefits
PLENTY Magazine. Dec 9, 2008. By Roberta Cruger
Mel Gibson, Ed Norton, Katie Couric, David Hyde Pierce, and Deadwood’s Brian Cox are presenters at Global Green’s 9th Annual Sustainable Design Awards this week. Honors for Policy Design go to Bill Richardson, New Mexico’s Governor and newly appointed Commerce Secretary. Other kudos include Rabobank, which snagged The Founders Award for its corporate social responsibility and sustainability oriented banking, particularly exemplary in these financial times.
The same org also threw its 4th Annual “Gorgeous & Green” gala in San Francisco with actress Kate Bosworth hosting with Mayor Gavin Newsom at the LEED-certified Bently Reserve last week, the same night as the UN’s Climate Change Conference in Poland opened. Global Green Prez Matt Petersen spoke, American Idol finalist Elliot Yamin performed, and an eco-fashion show featured designs by Edun, Linda Loudermilk, and more than 12 other green labels. Bosworth wore a black dress made with hand-dyed hemp and free-range silk with recycled zippers, designed by 3.1 Phillip Lim.
Global Green Releases Solar Report Cards
Global Green has created Solar Report Cards for 16 countries, including the United States, as well as the State of California. These Solar Report Cards offer a snapshot of these countries’ efforts towards solar market growth to date, as well as policy frameworks moving forward.
A Look Back At the Inception of the Holy Cross Project
Global Green is ready to break ground on two more single-family homes, having completed construction on the first home. Here's a look back at the news coverage of the inception of the project, from the International Design Competition chaired by Brad Pitt, to the start of construction of the first home.
Sebastian Copeland on This Is America
On the Air America show "This Is America," host Jon Elliott is joined by Global Green Board member Sebastian Copeland who discusses his new book, Antartica: A Call To Action.
Good Housekeeping Green House Dazzles
THEDAILYGREEN.COM. NOV 13, 2008. By Brian Clark Howard
After months of planning, hammering and painting, the Good Housekeeping magazine Green House debuted as the first LEED-certified green private residence in all of New York City. The inspiring, pioneering remodel was undertaken with the expert assistance of Global Green (of Brad Pitt's New Orleans fame) and Connecticut's Steven Winter Associates.
Nestled in among other beautiful brownstones on a quiet, tree-lined street in eastern Harlem, the single-family home had been completely gutted. The property's owners, a pair of Israelis living in New York, had come to the project knowing they wanted a full green remodel. Yet no one involved with the extensive project knew quite how it would turn out.
U.S. Boosts Funding for Last Two CW Disposal Sites
Global Security Newswire. Nov 6, 2008. By Chris Schneidmiller
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Defense Department has received its highest-ever budget for preparing two chemical weapons disposal sites that hold the key to meeting the congressional demand to eliminate the entire U.S. stockpile by 2017.
The $427.5 million provided to the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives program for fiscal 2009 is a step in the right direction toward providing the money that will be needed to meet the deadline, one longtime observer said.
Paul Walker, security and sustainability program head for Global Green USA, estimated that the Army’s side of chemical weapons elimination is more likely to be finished in 2013 to 2014.
Los Angeles Launches Green Building Program
The Los Angeles green building program went into effect for commercial projects over 50,000 sf November 1. The standards require projects at that threshold to meet the intent of the United States Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, at the "Certified" level. The City also offers priority processing to projects on the path to achieving a LEED Silver rating.
Global Green conducted a workshop at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power for interested stakeholders on compliance features of the program. Global Green will continue to provide guidance to the City as the program moves into implementation.
GREEN TO THE PEOPLE: Low-income housing and sustainable architecture
KCET Online. OCT 2008. By Christopher Hawthorne
For this edition of Web Stories, we decided to turn the spotlight away from glitzy green design and look instead at the intersection of sustainable architecture and affordable housing. That intersection, it turns out, is busier than you might realize, and in the next five to ten years is poised to grow even busier. We developed material in four categories -- Community, Energy, Materials & Reuse, and Urbanism -- to help explore the ways in which architects, planners, public housing advocates and others are bringing authentic and effective green design to the masses.
L.A. council orders solar rooftop measure drafted
L.A. TIMES. OCT 28, 2008. By David Zahniser.
If the council OKs it by Nov. 7, the initiative to add solar panels would be on the March ballot. The panels would provide 400 megawatts to commercial and other buildings by 2013.
The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to draft a solar rooftop measure for the March 3 ballot, even though officials with the Department of Water and Power still don't know what the initiative would do to electrical rates.
On a 14-0 vote, the council instructed City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo to write the ballot language for the solar plan, which was crafted in large part by officials at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the union that represents DWP employees.
Although DWP officials said the plan could cost anywhere from $1.5 billion to $3 billion, they have not yet produced a rate study that explains whether it would lead to higher electricity bills.
"I'm still not convinced that the financing plan has been explained," said Mary Luevano, a legislative advocate for the group Global Green USA.
Global Green Cuts the (Green) Ribbon on Eco-Friendly School
TREEHUGGER, OCT 27, 2008. By Marissa Moss
Global Green, Hollywood's favorite environmental non-profit, is showing they have the substance to back the style: last week, they launched their pilot program to create five green schools serving low income children in the Los Angeles area. Along with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Global Green unveiled two of the finished projects with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Of course, the ribbon was green. Pics of the school after the jump.
On October 17th the ribbon was cut for Animo Ralphe Bunche and Animo Justice schools in Los Angeles. These schools are in lower-income areas of LA, allowing the students to experience not only a better work environment more conducive to learning, but to be exposed to the possibilities that a greener, more sustainable approach to construction and building hold.
Global Green provided, in conjunction with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a $75,000 grant to cover some of the increased costs of making the school green.
LISC, Global Green Move Forward With 'Green' Charter Schools in L.A.
LOS ANGELES, Oct 16, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) has joined forces with Global Green USA on a pilot program to create five "green" charter schools that serve low-income children in the Los Angeles area. Two projects are now complete, with children attending classes, and three others will be considered for the pilot in the coming months.
The LISC + Global Green partnership is intended to not only provide green funding and technical assistance to these new schools, but to also help develop best practices that can be implemented in other green school development efforts across the country. To date, LISC has invested more than $400 million to support green development in disinvested areas.
"Green schools are yet another way LISC is transforming distressed low-income communities into Sustainable Communities...good places to live, work, do business and raise families," commented Michael Rubinger, LISC president and CEO. "Schools are critical community assets, and our partnership with Global Green USA will help these facilities deliver better health, better academic performance and better school operations for their students and the broader community."
South Korea Completes Destruction of Its Chemical Weapons Stockpile
Environmental News Service. October 17, 2008.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands - In a step towards the global elimination of chemical weapons, South Korea has become the second country to destroy its declared chemical weapons stockpile. The country beat its December 31, 2008 deadline by at least three months.
The accomplishment, which took place since June, has not been announced publicly because South Korea has requested full confidentiality under the Chemical Weapons Convention, an international treaty that requires the destruction of all chemical weapons stockpiles worldwide.
Dr. Paul Walker, director of Global Green USA's Security and Sustainability Program, has been following this issue.
"The elimination of several thousand tons of deadly nerve agents in South Korea marks a major historic initiative in global abolition of chemical weapons, in implementation of the international Chemical Weapons Convention, and in demilitarizing the Korean Peninsula," he said today.
"South Korea deserves our sincere congratulations in destroying its entire chemical weapons arsenal and making the Korean Peninsula a more stable and peaceful region," said Walker.
Villaraigosa, 3 council members back solar power initiative
LOS ANGELES TIMES. OCT 15, 2008. By David Zahniser.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and three City Council members have thrown their support behind a proposal to install enough rooftop solar panels on buildings across the city to power 100,000 residential customers of the Department of Water and Power by 2013.
The proposal, which would appear on the March 3 ballot, was developed by Working Californians, a pro-labor advocacy group with strong ties to the union that represents DWP workers.
Working Californians is led by two high-level officials with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Under the plan, the solar panels would be installed by DWP employees and remain the property of the city's electrical utility once they were up and running.
The group also contends that the solar strategy will create jobs and boost the Los Angeles economy, according to position papers prepared by Working Californians.
Energy-efficient home projects dot New Orleans
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. October 13, 2008. By Eileen Fleming
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - About a mile from the Make It Right project is another energy-efficient residence, the first of five planned houses to be accompanied by an 18-unit apartment building and a community center. The Global Green Holy Cross project, like the Make It Right project, aims for energy self-sufficiency. Birgitta Bisztray of Global Green USA takes visitors on tours of the house. All the electricity comes from the 28 solar panels on its roof, she said. And knowing their house will have power when storms knock out public systems is reassuring for residents, she said. "It's important to continue life as normal," Biszstray said. The second floor has a deck that offers city views and a roof garden. Interiors feature non-toxic materials, such as paint with low VOC (volatile organic compounds) and natural-fiber carpeting. Bathrooms feature dual-flush toilets. Windows are double-paned. Appliances are Energy Star whenever possible.
Smarter Building: Lean and Green
Allianz Knowledge Partnersite. October 5, 2008.
Architect and urban planner Walker Wells talks about why building green is more than just following a checklist.
Are green buildings still affordable only to the rich?
It's true that green is more expensive, but it adds value, and generally things of greater value have a higher price tag, because it reflects the long-term value that you're going to derive from that initial investment. You will spend more money to get a more efficient air conditioner or better windows. However, that initial investment can be too big of a hurdle for many people, which is why we have historically seen the majority of green buildings built by people who are affluent.
Why is green going mainstream now?
It has really changed in the last three or four years, where a number of these strategies have become pretty affordable and commonplace. There used to be a 25-percent premium to get an efficient, EnergyStar refrigerator. Now there's so little of a premium that some government agencies don't think there's a need for rebates.
Compact fluorescents are still more expensive than conventional lightbulbs, but not as much as they used to be. There used to be one manufacturer of low-VOC (volatile organic compound) paint; now there's four or five.
REBUILDING GREEN WILL GET A LITTLE EASIER THIS WEEK
TIMES-PICAYUNE. October 4, 2008. By Molly Reid
Rebuilding a home after a major hurricane while holding down a job and keeping a family together is difficult enough. Rebuilding a home sustainably, using energy-efficient products and materials with a low environmental impact, is even harder.
Energy-conservation advocates and architects agree that investing extra time and money into a stronger, greener home yields significant rewards in energy savings. But green building poses questions -- "What makes a home green?" "Where do I find bamboo floors?" "How long will it take this tankless water heater to pay off?" -- that many homeowners may not feel equipped to answer.
To make fact-finding easier, the nonprofit Global Green will launch its "Build It Back Green" initiative Wednesday. Made possible by $400,000 in grants awarded earlier this year from Greater New Orleans Inc. and the Surdna Foundation, the initiative will target Road Home recipients with information and technical assistance to make green rebuilding easier.
Abolishing Chemical Weapons Globally: Successes and Challenges - An NGO Perspective
OPCW. September 24, 2008. By: Dr Paul F. Walker, Legacy Program Director, Global Green USA
The successful, verified elimination of some 40% of the six declared chemical weapons stockpiles in the first 11 years of the Chemical Weapons Convention represents a major achievement for the treaty regime and its implementing body, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The primary goal of the Convention – the total elimination of existing chemical weapons stockpiles – is well on the way to being met in the foreseeable future.
GLOBAL GREEN MAKES TOP 25 OF MEMBERS PROJECT
Our Rebuilding New Orleans Green project made the Top 25 of the American Express Members Project. Thanks to the efforts of our supporters, our project garnered over 4,000 votes. While that was not ultimately enough votes to get into the Top 5 and win funding, we thank everyone for rallying for the green rebuilding of New Orleans.
Green Affordably
CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Sept 21, 2008. By Chuck Greene.
Owners of existing homes also can improve the energy efficiency of their homes, Miller said, with projects such as window replacements, new appliances and insulation, as well as landscaping to take advantage of sun and shade.
It's worth noting that reduced utility costs increase the amount people can afford for rent or mortgage, said Walker Wells, director of the resource efficiency and sustainable communities program for Global Green USA.
For example, a typical green apartment will have electricity and gas costs of at 15 percent less than a standard project, a significant savings for a group that he says typically spends more for utilities than for health care, education and higher-quality food.
"When money is spent on items that create value to the family, there's a net societal benefit."
Green Building Resource Center
SANTA MONICA MIRROR. Sept 19, 2008. By Lynne Bronstein
In the midst of Main Street’s “green area,” near the communal garden and several yoga centers, is the Green Building Resource Center (GBRC). Open since April 2004, the Center is a partnership between the City of Santa Monica and Global Green USA, an organization that helps people with the design and construction of green buildings.
GBRC offers free design advice for building projects, information about environmentally friendly building materials, publications and technical information for design and construction, references to local design and construction professionals, samples of building materials, and monthly workshops about green building topics.
Hopeful Gorbachev receives Liberty Medal
Philadelphia Daily News, Sept. 19, 2008. By Stephanie Farr
Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev accepted the 2008 Liberty Medal last night at the National Constitution Center after delivering a sharp rebuttal to remarks made earlier in the day by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Nobel Peace Prize winner, Gorbachev was honored with the 20th Liberty Medal for his role in ending the Cold War and bringing "glasnost," or political openness, to the former Soviet Union.
"He knew it was up to him to lead this revolution," Mayor Nutter said.
Global Green Works on National Energy Efficiency Campaign
Global Green Policy and Legislative Associate David Fink will be in Minneapolis from Sept. 17th through Sept. 23rd for the culmination of a nine month campaign aimed at updating the most utilized residential building code in the country to make it 30% more energy efficient.
Modifying the International Energy Conservation Code is one of the most cost effective and practical ways to help mitigate the potentially devastating impact of global warming. The proposal will also save home owners and tenants considerably on their utility bills. Global Green has been working as part of a coalition called the Energy Efficient Codes Coalition on the campaign. The body that votes on code change proposals is the International Codes Council who only considers proposals once every three years making this one of the most important votes anywhere this year.
Walker Wells blogs on building green
Walker Wells, AICP LEED AP, is Director of the Green Urbanism Program at Global Green and the editor and co-author of Blueprint for Green Affordable Housing. He is blogging about green building for the new two months on the Island Press website.
Reflections: New Orleans and China
THE NEW YORK TIMES. Sept 14, 2008. By Nicolai Ouroussoff
Not surprisingly, what little progress has been made has been the work of a few determined nonprofit organizations. In the Holy Cross neighborhood, Global Green built a prototype for a sustainable shotgun house, complete with solar panels, natural ventilation and recycled materials. The house is the first step toward creating a planned sustainable community, organized around a town green that is designed to collect runoff water during a storm.
What I've Learned: Mikhail Gorbachev
ESQUIRE. Sept 10, 2008. By Cal Fussman
That Louis Vuitton ad? The proceeds go to Green Cross International and its American counterpart, Global Green. Also, I travel a lot, and a good bag comes in handy.
Look at what happened in New Orleans. Look at how big the blow was and how difficult the consequences are in dealing with such a blow. Imagine what would happen in a situation where nuclear weapons were used. Imagine the effect of the radiation. It's been years since the Chernobyl accident, and there are towns and villages where people do not live. The towns are still there. They haven't been torn down, but not a single person lives there. So this is a very serious matter--more than serious.
THIRD SEASON OF CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED PBS SERIES E2
e2 (pronounced e-squared)is a critically acclaimed PBS series about the innovatiors and pioneers who envision a better quality of life on earth: socially, culturally, economically and ecologically.
New Orleans: The Water Line explores the efforts to rebuild New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward in a way that is environmentally, culturally and socially sustainable. It features Pam Dashiell - formerly of the Holy Cross Neighborhood association - who has worked closely with Global Green on the Holy Cross Project, as well as Global Green CEO Matt Petersen, and our New Orleans Director Beth Galante.
Vista Dunes housing complex is affordable and 'green'
THE DESERT SUN. Aug 31, 2008. By Maricar Mendoza
Vista Dunes,off Miles Avenue near Adams Street, received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Homes Platinum certification for green building standards in August.
Vista Dunes is the first project in the Coachella Valley to receive the certification, which also made it the nation's largest multi-family affordable housing project to achieve the Platinum level of certification, said Ted Bardacke senior program associate with Global Green USA, an environmental nonprofit organization that helped in the certification process.
The certification program, known as LEED, is run by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The more than 300 low-income renters are expected to benefit from energy- and water-saving features from the platinum-certified project.
New Orleans, three years after Katrina
LOS ANGELES TIMES. Aug 31, 2008. Editorial
No, the city is not restored. But there are many signs of progress.
This weekend marks the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's devastating foray through the Gulf Coast, and though residents of New Orleans need no reminder of how vulnerable they are, Mother Nature is providing one anyway in the form of Hurricane Gustav. With some portions of the city's extensive levee system still waiting for upgrades, a direct hit by Gustav could bring flood waters back to neighborhoods that haven't recovered from the last go-round.
Should that happen, some critics will no doubt argue that investing tax dollars in New Orleans is throwing good money after bad. The federal government has put up $126 billion for repairs to the region, including nearly $60 billion for New Orleans and surrounding areas. It would have to spend billions more to restore the region's natural defenses against flooding. Why not move everyone out of harm's way and be done with it?
Watch Bob Woodruff's interview with Matt Petersen on Planet Green
This week on the Planet Green show Focus Earth, Bob Woodruff and his team head to New Orleans for the third anniversary of Katrina, to check out green rebuilding in the 9th Ward, and talk to Louisana's governor about the state's ecological future. The show includes an interview with Matt Petersen, President of Global Green. Bob Woodruff met with Matt Petersen at the first home completed in Global Green's Holy Cross Project, which is located in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.
It’s Getting Easier to be Green
COMMUNITY INVESTMENTS. Aug 2008. By Naomi Cytron
Cultivating the intersections between community development and environmental sustainability
The construction and operation of the buildings where we live and conduct business consume over 60 percent of the electricity used in the U.S. and account for one-third of total greenhouse gas emissions. Inefficient heating and cooling systems, lighting, and appliances contribute to the carbon footprint of the built environment; an old or poorly maintained refrigerator, for instance, can emit over 1,500 pounds of CO2 annually—the equivalent of about 75 gallons of gasoline. Building construction, renovations and operations also consume vast amounts of raw materials and generate heaps of waste; while some building materials are recycled, millions of tons of wood, concrete, drywall, and asphalt shingles end up in landfills. Conventional building practices may also have negative impacts on our health; materials and finishes are thought to contribute to poor indoor air quality and resulting respiratory illnesses such as asthma. The negative impacts of conventional building practices on human and environmental health require that we rethink where and how to design, construct, operate, and maintain both residential and commercial buildings in more sustainable ways.
...While green affordable projects have started to spring up in larger cities around the country, the green revolution has not yet reached all corners. “In more sophisticated markets, the momentum will carry green building forward and it will become the standard,” said Rose Cade, Senior Program Director at Enterprise Community Partners. “But in smaller markets, nonprofit developers are often inexperienced and have limited capacity to integrate green practices. It’s a real challenge to figure out how to deliver the right resources, training, and funding to these places.” Access to environmental consultants, or even to green materials, might be limited, and additional work is needed in determining how to expand the capacity for green building in rural areas and smaller cities.
THE HOLY CROSS PROJECT: A LOOK BACK
In 2006, as part of our commitment to the sustainable rebuilding of New Orleans and to demonstrate green building as a solution to global warming nationally, Global Green and Brad Pitt joined forces to sponsor an international architectural design competition. Reporter Ann Curry of the TODAY show traveled down to New Orleans in July of 2006 to do a two-part interview about the design competition with both Brad Pitt and Global Green President Matt Petersen. Here's a look back at that coverage, plus other related articles.
Smokey on the Water: Rock Star Camp Rolls Into New Orleans
THE HUFFINGTON POST. Aug 20, 2008. By Karen Dalton-Beninato
When Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp rolled into New Orleans, the rock star counselors asked the New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund to fill some scholarship positions and show them the effects of Katrina three years later. Showing someone around New Orleans these days not only includes pointing out abandoned slabs where homes were washed away three years ago, it also includes touring the areas where the city is finally rising thanks to ongoing grass roots efforts.
Camp counselors were Elliot Easton (The Cars); Glen Hughes (Deep Purple); Gilby Clark (Guns and Roses); Dave Ellefson (Megadeath); Kip Winger (Winger); Mark Slaughter (Slaughter); Chris Slade (AC/DC); Marc Hudson (the Hudson Brothers); and Earl Slick (David Bowie). We visited Global Green, Make it Right, Furnishing Our Neighbors and the Habitat for Humanity Musicians Village the day before the show.
City of West Hollywood green building program wins award
The California Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) has awarded the City of West Hollywood a 2008 "Outstanding Innovation in Green Community Planning" Award for the West Hollywood Green Building Program to be presented at an awards luncheon at the State APA Conference on Tuesday, September 23, 2008 at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood. As an APA-State winner, the City has also qualified for submission to the National APA Awards Program.
The American Planning Association is a nonprofit public interest and research organization representing 43,000 practicing planners, officials, and citizens involved with urban and rural planning issues. Sixty-five percent of APA's members work for state and local government agencies.
The West Hollywood Green Building Program was written by Global Green USA. Newsweek wrote an article about the program late last year.
HOLY CROSS PROJECT SITE UPDATE
Global Green, in partnership with the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association, chose to build its green affordable housing development on a site that is immediately adjacent to the Mississippi River in the Lower Ninth Ward. At approximately 7 feet above sea level, this half city block is on the highest ground in New Orleans, and should therefore be safe from future hurricane storm surges.
In selecting a site next to the river, however, Global Green is encountering lead contamination - an additional hurdle to sustainable rebuilding that tens of thousands of sites in the city are also burdened with. Global Green has met the challenge of cleaning up a contaminated site in a sustainable way head on: rather than simply scrap the contaminated soils into a dump truck and ship them off to a landfill in someone else's community - usually a low-income and/or minority community without the power to protect themselves from toxic imports - Global Green has chosen to keep the soils on-site, but to do so in a way that ensures that they are safely sealed off from the community and the environment.
A STARTER KITCHEN
TRIBUNE MEDIA. July 27, 2008. By Anne Willan
New Orleans - Leaving downtown and the anonymous halls of a large conference hotel, I escape across the Mississippi to the other New Orleans, to the infamous Lower Ninth Ward, where the flooding from Hurricane Katrina struck at its most brutal. Many of the original residents have left. The roads are eerily quiet with few cars and scarcely a passerby; this could be deep countryside, green with the brilliant colors of spring. I am headed to a small experimental project nestled right below the levee bank that holds in check the treacherous, swirling river water, here up to 200 feet deep.
In the Holy Cross neighborhood in the heart of the Ninth Ward, Global Green USA and the Home Depot Foundation have recently celebrated the completion of the first green home as part of a low-cost housing project. This pilot three-bedroom house is already inhabited, and cheerful Mike Lopez gives me a tour. He points out how, with no trees in sight, the house is angled to catch minimum heat from the sun. Power is supplied by solar panels, with an energy monitoring system and energy-efficient appliances. But living is not totally Spartan. My eye is caught by my department: the kitchen, reassuringly equipped with an electric stove. But the countertop is empty and Mike smiles sheepishly. "I've been eating takeout," he says. "Haven't gotten around to pots and pans yet."
No problem. Within minutes, I'm planning a starter kitchen to suit seasoned cooks and novices alike, new brides and new homeowners. In keeping with Global Green's mission, I'm going for natural colors and materials. No plastics or bright reds or blues; colors should be white or beige. We'll have glass bowls, I tell Mike; spoons for stirring will be made of wood or sturdy stainless steel. I suggest chopping boards of ecologically friendly bamboo. Electric appliances can be kept to a minimum -- it's surprising how many tasks like slicing a few potatoes are just as quickly done by hand
JOHN EDWARDS SURVEYS 9TH WARD 'GREEN HOME'
TIMES-PICAYUNE. FRI, JULY 25, 2008. By Nicole Dungca
During his second visit to New Orleans this year, former U.S. Sen. John Edwards on Thursday toured a green home in the Lower 9th Ward and held a news conference to talk about efforts to combat climate change. Edwards will co-chair a national climate initiative that will focus on influencing civic leaders and lawmakers to push environmentally-friendly legislation.
Edwards, who last visited New Orleans in January when he announced he was dropping out of the presidential race, was joined in a news conference by Global Green USA CEO Matt Petersen, who spoke of the dangers facing coastal cities across the country.
GLOBAL GREEN HELPS N.O USE LESS ENERGY
2THEADVOCATE.COM. JULY 25, 2008. By Amy Wold
Urging the use of more energy-efficient homes and discussing how to cut climate change pollution are parts of a new national initiative announced Thursday to reduce global warming-related pollution.
“New Orleans is a front line for sea level rise in this country,” said Matt Peterson, president of Global Green USA.
Reducing the amount of global warming pollution could help reduce the projected sea level rise if nothing is done, Peterson said.
NEW ORLEANS REBUILD EFFORTS GOING FOR LEED PLATINUM
INHABITAT. JULY 9, 2008.
The opportunity to rebuild New Orleans as an international example of sustainability comes in the aftermath of what is increasingly being recognized as the tipping point for global awareness of climate change and its devastating impacts. Global Green is committed to helping New Orleans rebuild and to use the national and international attention on the city as a wake-up call to push urgently for solutions to global warming. Global Green is accomplishing this through many initiatives including The Holy Cross Project which is going for the USGBC’s highest LEED certification.
GRANT TURNING CITY ONTO SOLAR POWER
TIMES-PICAYUNE. JUNE 29, 2008. By Molly Reid
Gathered around a mock roof in the middle of a workshop at the Louisiana Technical College Jefferson campus this week, 13 potential solar panel installers analyzed a quartet of photovoltaic panels mounted in a continuous row. The group had spent the past two days in class learning the basics of solar technology installation, and they seemed ready to put their skills to use.
The training course, the first of its kind in the New Orleans area, was partially funded by a $200,000 grant from the Department of Energy, which was given in June 2007 to a total of 13 "Solar Cities" across the country to encourage the use of solar power. The grant was divided between the city's Office of Recovery and Development Administration; the New Orleans branch of Global Green USA; the Alliance for Affordable Energy, which organized the training course; and New Orleans-based sustainable design consultancy FutureProof.
Russia opens 4th chemical weapons destruction plant
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE. June 17, 2008.
Russia opened a fourth plant Tuesday to destroy its chemical weapons stockpiles, which are the largest in the world.
The destruction facility, located near the site of one of Russia's seven major chemical weapons arsenals, will help accelerate an ambitious effort to fully eliminate the stockpiles in less than four years.
The plant near Leonidovka in the Penza Oblast holds 7,600 tons (6,885 metric tons) of VX, sarin, and soman nerve agents, about 17 percent of Russia's declared chemical weapons stockpile, according to Global Green USA, the Washington-based affiliate of former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's Green Cross International environmental organization.
ARCTIC SEA ICE MELTING FASTER THAN EXPECTED
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR. JUNE 12, 2008. By Peter N. Spotts
Arctic Ocean sea ice – one of the most visible indicators for global warming – may be headed for another record-breaking summer decline.
If the pattern continues, new research suggests, its warming effect could reach up to 900 miles inland, melting permafrost and potentially altering weather patterns at lower latitudes. As of June 7, preliminary data show that the vast expanse of ice at the top of the world is some 55,800 square miles smaller than it was on the same date last year, according to University of Colorado researcher Sheldon Drobot. In May, sea-ice extent was slightly large than in May 2007. But the melt rate during the month – some 3,000 square miles a day – was faster, according to the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colo.
The ice’s seasonal shrinkage in 2007 smashed records, reaching a September minimum of 2.6 million square miles – some 23 percent smaller than the previous record, set in 2005. If it sets another record this year, it would mark the fifth season of record declines since 1998.
Spring Valley Weapons Search to Continue
WASHINGTON POST. May 30, 2008.
The cleanup of World War I chemical weapons buried under the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest Washington could last three more years, as crews search for more shells and remove tainted soil, officials said yesterday.
The Spring Valley cleanup began in 1993, after a construction crew uncovered buried shells from a former testing ground for chemical weapons near American University.
GLOBAL GREEN SEES RISE IN N.O.'S ECO-ACTION
TMES-PICAYUNE. MAY 24, 2008. By Molly Reid
Global Green USA and its New Orleans office last week celebrated the official opening of their first home in Holy Cross.
The house, built to platinum standards under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, will serve as a visitor's center and informational resource for residents interested in the rest of the Brad Pitt-sponsored Holy Cross project.
That effort will include four other single-family homes, an 18-unit apartment building and a community center.
For Matt Petersen, Global Green president and chief executive officer, and Beth Galante, New Orleans Global Green executive director, the grand opening was not just a landmark in the Holy Cross project, but also in the organization's history. After more than two years spreading the green word in New Orleans, the environmental nonprofit is seeing its dreams of a sustainable future for the city start to materialize.
California Building Standards Commission votes to adopt the nation's first statewide green building code
"California continues to be a national leader in addressing climate change. With the adoption of the new standards, builders and local governments have a sound foundation to create greener communities in the state." said Global Green staffer Walker Wells, an appointed member of the Green Building Technical Advisory Committee that helped develop California’s green building code.
HOLY CROSS PROJECT IS GREEN INSIDE & OUT
WASTE NEWS. APRIL 28, 2008. By Chrissy Kadleck
Avocado-painted walls in the living room are just one obvious sign that the first home of the Holy Cross Project is categorically green. This innovative two-story, three-bedroom home is not only a showcase of best practices in green building and materials, but also a model for environmentally friendly decor that is stylish and affordable.
Designed as a model of sustainability for New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, Global Green's Holy Cross Project is a prevately funded mixed-use residential development and one of the first new home construction projects to be built in the Lower Ninth Ward, one of the most decimated areas from the levee failure after Hurricane Katrina.
ON EARTH DAY, L.A. PASSES A 'GREEN' BUILDING LAW TO CLEAN THE AIR
LOS ANGELES TIMES. APRIL 23, 2008. By Margot Roosevelt
Los Angeles embarked on one of its most ambitious projects to combat global warming on Monday, becoming the biggest city in the nation to impose "green" building rules that would potentially cut millions of tons of pollution over the next decade.
In a unanimous vote, the City Council passed an ordinance requiring builders of large commercial and residential developments to adopt such measures as planting drought-resistant landscaping and using recycled materials and energy-efficient heating, cooling and lighting.
Noting "the Los Angeles tradition of smog and sprawl," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, wearing a green necktie in honor of Earth Day, signed the new law on a sunny terrace flanked by two model condominium high-rises, the Luma and the Elleven, off Hope Street in downtown, which were built to strict conservation standards.
The mayor has pledged to reduce the city's carbon emissions 35% below 1990 levels by 2030, an effort that will also require a crackdown on the city's coal-dependent municipal utility and a move toward electricity from renewable sources.
"We look toward the future through a greener lens," Villaraigosa said, "after decades of poor policies that neglected environmental concerns."
GLOBAL GREEN HOUSE UNVEILS ECO-FRIENDLY DECOR
TIMES-PICAYUNE. APRIL 12, 2008. By Renee Peck
Back in 2006, when we were rebuilding our house post-Katrina, the emphasis was on hurricane-resistant construction: SIPS panels and trusses, paperless drywall and borate barriers.
No one was talking VOCs or BLUwood, tankless water heaters or low-flush toilets.
My, how things have changed. If I had it do to all over again -- and luckily I don't, because who would ever go through all that again -- I'd get not only a strong house, but also a green one. In the past couple of years, green building and eco-friendly decorating have come of age.
Global Green and Domino magazine show how comprehensively and affordably it can be done in a new house in the Green Village going up in Holy Cross. The project, you'll recall, was designed by a New York architectural firm chosen competitively by a group that included actor/activist Brad Pitt. The Home Depot Foundation is the major underwriter. Ground-breaking was back in August; this week, crews were putting the finishing touches on things.
21ST CENTURY SHOTGUN BLENDS TRADITIONAL & MODERN
TIMES-PICAYUNE. APRIL 10, 2008. By Doug McCash
The design of the Global Green model home in Holy Cross is smart. I'm not talking about all the futuristic energy saving features; I'm just talking about the appearance.
To do its job, it had to be jazzy enough to draw attention to itself, but stay pretty much within the scale and prevailing taste of the neighborhood. I think it does both.
The general design is a two-story stack of interlocking boxes, open from front to back like an old-fashioned shotgun. The most striking feature is the conflicting roof angle. The slope of the main roof faces south so the solar panels can best soak up the rays. The New York-based architects -- Andrew Kotchen and Matthew Berman -- sloped the front porch roof in the other direction just to add some variety. I like the zigzag effect.
SCHOOL SAVINGS SPROUT FROM GLOBAL GREEN
NEW ORLEANS CITY BUSINESS. MARCH 3, 2008. By Stephen Maloney
A.P. Tureaud Elementary School on Pauger Street is a whole lot greener today even without a new coat of paint.
Santa Monica, Calif.-based Global Green U.S.A. designated Tureaud as its first Green Seed School in June and immediately went to work on the 69-year-old Seventh Ward building.
The International School of Louisiana and Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School have also been named Green Seed schools. Program director Beth Galante said more schools will be added as work progresses.
Each school will receive up to $75,000 from a $2-million grant Global Green obtained from the Bush-Clinton Katrina Relief Fund in September 2006.
Pioneers in the Green School Revolution
GREEN TECHNOLOGY MAGAZINE. FEB 14, 2008. By Racquel Palmese.
When a school district in California wants to build a green school or implement a green school program, they will often call Global Green USA, an organization, headquartered in Los Angeles, that is uniquely involved in the spiraling green schools movement.
Global Green describes itself as an organization that “establishes collaborative partnerships with local governments, affordable housing organizations and other public and private entities to facilitate the development, adoption and implementation of sustainable policies, programs and practices.” It traces its roots to 1993, when Mikhail Gorbachev, the former leader of the Soviet Union, and a man credited with helping to end the Cold War, created Green Cross International (GCI), an environmental organization. Global Green was established that same year, as the US affiliate of GCI.
Ted Bardacke, Senior Program Associate with Global Green USA, spoke with Green Technology Magazine about the organization’s work with California’s green schools.
Building a new home while dreaming in green
SACRAMENTO BEE. January 14, 2008. By Ngoc Nguyen
Annica Hagadorn is carefully building what will become more than just a rural dream home, nestled among pine trees near Grass Valley.
Instead of granite countertops or hardwood floors, she's installing more Earth-friendly cork flooring. She'll have solar panels on the roof to generate all of the electricity she'll need – which won't be too much, she hopes, given the energy-efficient appliances and a thick layer of insulation around her water heater.
Even the house, with its southern exposure, is positioned to make the most of nature's lighting and heating.
Like Hagadorn, more and more homeowners and buyers are interested in Earth-friendly dwellings as new materials and designs and big potential savings on energy make "green" homes more attractive to average buyers.
Small City, Big Impact: How West Hollywood is casting itself as a green leader
NEWSWEEK. Oct 18, 2007. By Andrew Murr.
Being green means different things in different parts of the country. In St. Louis, Seattle and other places, eco-friendly construction standards apply only to city-owned or city-funded buildings. In Boston and a few other cities, green construction codes also apply to major commercial or residential developments.
So which American city thinks it can lay claim to the most comprehensive green building standards? Look west to tiny city of West Hollywood, Calif., a 1.9-square-mile patch of Los Angeles with 37,000 people, making it the city with the highest population density west of the Mississippi. Starting October 1, every private and public development must meet the city's ambitious new green building requirements. The policy includes new construction, rehabs and additions. The only exemptions: duplexes and single-family homes. Requiring so many of the city's real estate projects to meet green building standards puts West Hollywood in the forefront of the move to thrust eco-friendly design closer to the mainstream of architecture and planning.
Brad Pitt Helps Out as New Orleans Rebuilds
THIS OLD HOUSE. AUG 28, 2007.
On the eve of Hurricane Katrina's second anniversary, Global Green USA toured progress of their first affordable green home under construction. The Holy Cross project is one of the first new home construction projects to be built in the Lower 9th Ward. It is being built with green products and energy efficient systems that will be included in the completed project of five single family homes, an multi-unit apartment complex, and a community center/Sustainable Design and Climate Action Institute. Here, Brad Pitt (initial sponsor and chair of the sustainable design competition jury), Global Green USA, and The Home Depot Foundation (lead funding partner) unveil the final design.
"What happened two years ago was a man-made disaster, and this building offers a man-made solution. This home proves we can build more thoughtfully, affordably and provide a better quality of life for the families within," said Brad Pitt.
Pitt envisions day when energy bills will be ‘useless'
TODAY. AUG 27, 2007. By Mike Celizic
Brad Pitt wants to make energy bills go away, and he doesn’t think that’s an outlandish pipe dream. In the second part of an exclusive one-on-one interview with TODAY’s Ann Curry, he showed how the new houses he’s helping to build in New Orleans will make a giant stride toward that goal.
The actor and activist sponsored a design competition for affordable apartments and houses along with Global Green USA. With the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina arriving next week, work on 18 apartments and five homes is nearing completion. Global Green is constructing the homes, which will be sold to residents, with preference being given to former residents of the neighborhood.
Brad Pitt shares hopes, dreams for New Orleans
TODAY. AUG 23, 2008. By Mike Celizic
Hollywood star lends his time, celebrity to rebuilding Ninth Ward
Brad Pitt doesn't pretend that the 18 apartments and five homes rising in New Orleans’ Ninth Ward are anything more than a start toward the massive job of rebuilding from the devastation inflicted by Hurricane Katrina. But the Hollywood star believes the project he's putting his time and celebrity behind is an important step toward shaping what the area could become.
“It doesn't feel like much of a victory when you look at the overall problem here,” he told TODAY’s Ann Curry during a tour of the construction site one week before the second anniversary of the killer storm. “Katrina was a manmade disaster. The misconception is that it was nature. But this is manmade — decades and decades of erroneous engineering moves and really, really bad, bad irresponsible moves that I believe government has a responsibility to make right.”
Pitt and his wife, Angelina Jolie, have adopted New Orleans. In January, they bought an early-19th-century mansion in the French Quarter. Not long afterward, Pitt teamed with Global Green USA to sponsor a competition to design environmentally friendly and energy-efficient housing for the Ninth Ward.
Pitt Power: Actor's fame helps build the first house in the Holy Cross affordable-housing project
TIMES-PICAYUNE. AUG 22, 2007. By John Pope
…Pitt showed up to check on the first house in a project he has been helping with his money and the power of celebrity. Accompanied by neighborhood residents and representatives of Global Green USA, which is sponsoring the initative, and the Home Depot Foundation, an underwriter, Pitt strolled through the two-story house, which will have solar panels that could reduce utility bills by 75 percent.
When Pitt emerged to face reporters in an open-sided tent nearby, he pronounced himself pleased with what he saw. The 1,400-square-foot house is designed to be a prototype for affordable homes for people whose homes were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding.
Brad Pitt aims to keep focus on Katrina recovery
REUTERS. AUG 21, 2007. By Russell McCulley
Pitt was in the Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood to tour an ecologically sustainable single-family being built by Global Green USA, an environmental group he backs.
The actor praised the house in the Holy Cross area of the ward as a “small victory” for efforts to rebuild the city, but said it’s hard to find an overall victory when you see how slowly everything is still moving. And Katrina was a man-made disaster. This house is a man-made solution.”
The house that Pitt toured, loosely modeled on the distinctive New Orleans “shotgun” style of long, narrow homes, will generate almost all of its electricity from 28 roof-mounted solar panels, said Global Green USA president Matt Petersen.
Energy-efficient affordable housing
THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. June 2, 2007.
In Solara, Poway has built an environmentally pioneering low-income apartment complex that basically powers itself.
Those involved with developing Solara say they wanted to achieve the important balance of providing solidly built low-cost housing to help their tenants, while at the same time making that housing ecologically friendly.
While Community Housing owns and manages 25 affordable-housing complexes countywide where they strive to save energy costs, Wilson said achieving climate neutrality was beyond its expertise. It hired as consultants Global Green USA, a Santa Monica-based nonprofit that combats global warming and nuclear proliferation.
Global Green spokesman Ted Bardacke said the organization helped find ways to make Poway's complex financially feasible, while still using the best materials and technologies available. It helped Community Housing solve problems such as where to find alternative air conditioners that don't run on ozone-depleting Freon, yet don't cost so much that they escalate the cost-efficiency of an affordable-housing project.
After the success with Solara, Bardacke said he's seeing its design become the new wave in public housing projects. His organization has been tapped to assist with several similar fully green projects in California and nationally.
Pitt's Green Building Project Begins
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. MAY 10, 2007. By Stacey Plaisance
With a brass band accompaniment, developers in this city’s devastated Lower 9th Ward celebrated the start of construction Thursday on an environmentally friendly new home, based on the winning design in a competition started by Brad Pitt.
The home will be made with energy-saving material such as metal roofing and recycled textiles.
“Hopefully this can be a model for the level of redevelopment that can be done here,” said Matt Petersen, president and CEO of Global Green USA, the environmental group working with Pitt on the project.
Brad Pitt Breaks Ground on Green-Housing Project
PEOPLE. MAY 10, 2007. By Mary Green
Brad Pitt may be halfway around the world with his family in Prague, but on Thursday, ground was broken on his green-housing project in New Orleans.
Pitt, 43, tells PEOPLE: "The greatest victory for me will be when the first people move into one of these green homes – when they can put their key into that lock, sit down at the table, have dinner with their families and live their lives. That's what we're getting closer to with this announcement today."
Last year, Pitt co-sponsored a competition with Global Green USA to find an affordable, Earth-friendly plan for building housing and community centers in neighborhoods ravaged the previous year by Hurricane Katrina.
In August, he announced the winners of his Sustainable Design Competition for New Orleans: New York City architects Andrew Kotchen and Matthew Berman of the firm Workshop/APD.
"Communities need to be rebuilt here and we hope this project points the way to how it can be done using smart sustainable design," Pitt tells PEOPLE.
Pitt on building an eco-friendly New Orleans
TODAY. SEPT 5, 2006. By Ann Curry
The ‘Today’ show’s Ann Curry talks with the actor about his efforts to bring housing to the region on the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina
All week, we've been looking at the shocking devastation that still remains in New Orleans, as citizens there mark one year since Hurricane Katrina struck. On Thursday, actor Brad Pitt announced a major step forward in his effort to bring back housing in one of the hardest-hit parts of the city. Not only did he vow that it will be built, ground-breaking is expected in a matter of months. I caught up with him in New Orleans on Thursday for an exclusive interview.
Together with the environmental non-profit Global Green, Pitt sponsored a housing design competition, and Thursday he helped select the winner.
This winning blueprint is low-income housing planned for the neglected, still almost deserted, lower 9th ward.
Global Green New Orleans Competition Winner Announced
TREEHUGGER. SEPT 4, 2006. By Lloyd Alter
And the winner of the Global Green competition is Andrew Kotchen and Matthew Berman of Workshop/APD. We might have rejected them just for the punny name GreeNOLA and the retro drawings, but the scheme has winning attributes-
"The winning design integrated the newest sustainable technologies while drawing upon the wisdom of the past," said Matt Petersen, President of Global Green USA. "The impressive innovations show how to rebuild a healthier New Orleans. These homes, once built, will help improve the lives of families by lowering energy costs and improving the health of the residents." ....Pam Dashiell, President of the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association served as one of the design jury members and described the role of the community process throughout the competition saying, "these green building designs breathe new life into our communities; the amount of community input was incredible."
Rebuilding a better, greener New Orleans
TODAY. JULY 18, 2006. By Ann Curry.
Global Green and Brad Pitt join forces to help bring housing to the Gulf Coast region. Check out the eco-conscious designs and video
To help encourage environmentally-friendly building, Brad Pitt, along with Global Green, announced a sustainable design architectural competition for the areas of New Orleans devastated by Hurricane Katrina. It drew 3000 registrants from all over the world, six finalists were chosen. Check out the designs, and watch video of Pitt, the “Today” show's Ann Curry, and Matt Petersen, president of Global Green USA, discuss the finalists.
All six finalists responded in different ways to our goal of demonstrating how green design and good design can be brought together in an innovative way, thus ensuring that housing is truly affordable and healthy. All of the selected designs express a clear understanding of the need to address rising electricity and energy costs and mounting health problems caused by exposure to unhealthy building practices. Healthy, energy efficient homes and affordable housing often have no or little increased cost, yet provide vast benefits through lower energy and water bills, increased durability, and improved health of the residents.
Pitt on rebuilding New Orleans, fatherhood
TODAY. JULY 18, 2006. By Ann Curry
The ‘Today’ show's Ann Curry talks with the actor about eco-friendly housing in the region, and the joys of being a dad
Nearly a year after Hurricane Katrina, Brad Pitt sat down with the “Today” show's Ann Curry to discuss the devastation in New Orleans, environmentally friendly development, and his new role as a dad.
The rebuilding process in New Orleans has been slow, so has the clean-up. The need for affordable housing is chronic. Brad Pitt recently teamed up with the non-profit group Global Green to try to spur green-friendly building in the Crescent City. As he tells us, it is a need that is way overdue.
To this shattered city, Pitt is bringing a new idea called green design — that is, a way to rebuild using materials that are less harmful to the environment, and cheaper for people to live in.
Joining the non-profit group Global Green, Pitt announced an architectural competition to green design a 12-unit apartment complex. It drew 3,000 registrants from all over the world, now narrowed down to six finalists.
The finalists suggested ways to build that could cut energy costs by as much as 90 percent, and to use materials that would decrease the risks of asthma and other health risks.
Pitt Shocked by Post-Katrina Devastation
FOXNEWS.COM. JULY 15, 2006. By STACEY PLAISANCE, Associated Press Writer
NEW ORLEANS — After two days of getting his first up-close look at post-Katrina New Orleans, Brad Pitt said Friday he was shocked at the devastation that remains almost a year later.
"I was not prepared,"the actor said, describing how he drove for miles and saw street after street of devastation.
Pitt was in New Orleans to give an update on a project he's promoting - a competition to choose ecologically sound designs for rebuilding neighborhoods.
"There's a big opportunity here,"he said, to rebuild the city using energy-efficient building materials and appliances that would improve quality of life, particularly in low-income communities.
Global Green USA, a national environmental organization, is working with Pitt on the design project. Pitt heads a jury of architects, city residents and others who decided Friday on the top five environmentally friendly designs out of more than 100 entries. The designs were submitted by individuals and architect firms.
S.F. MAYOR TOUTS 'GREEN' GOAL IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE. AUG 3, 2005. By Ilene Lelchuk
Standing next to some solar panels on the roof of the unfinished Plaza Apartments, where 106 new studios for poor individuals are under construction, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday that the city was the first in the nation applying high environmental standards to all its new affordable housing developments.
That means solar panels, recycled building materials, energy efficient appliances, bamboo floors, paneling made with recycled paper and wood products, more natural light and better insulation.
The nine-story Plaza Hotel, expected to open in November on the corner of Howard and Sixth streets, is Newsom's model. The builders say 94 percent of the building materials so far have been recycled from landfill and from the old two-story residential hotel that previously stood there.
"Cities are consuming 75 percent of the Earth's national resources and in turn contributing to 75 percent of everything that's wrong with the global environment," Newsom said. "That being said, it seems incumbent on us as mayors at the local level to recognize our responsibility to address the issues of global warming, environmental justice and stewardship."
Go Vertical, Young Green
LA WEEKLY. April 28, 2008. By Judith Lewis
With each passing hour in the United States, 365 acres of open space — wilderness, countryside, farmland and native habitat — disappear under the foundations of brand-new houses. ...Unlike so many other ecological nightmares these days, however, this one has a solution: apartment life. Where once the nature-lover’s imperative was to carve out a space in the wilderness and get off the grid, many now realize that polluting the air on long commutes and paving over open space so you can live on it is fast becoming unhip: The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club now hand out pamphlets and fliers on "smart-growth" and "transit-oriented" housing; New York City is heralded as a haven of greenness.
And density is the new Rocky Mountain high. "At a certain density you have many more opportunities for the kind of shared infrastructure that saves resources," says Ted Bardacke of Global Green USA, an affiliate of Mikhail Gorbachev’s Green Cross International, with offices in D.C. and Santa Monica. "Whether it’s heating or cooling or composting or [wastewater] recycling, as you get closer together and start linking apartments up it gets cheaper to do everything." Because apartments share walls, they also share heat in the winter and insulation from the heat in the summer. And unless you’re on the top floor, you don’t have a roof. In terms of maintaining a comfortable indoor temperature efficiently, he says, "that’s a major difference."
5th World Water Forum prepares its launch
Building on the success of the 4th World Water Forum held in Mexico City three years ago, Istanbul will host the 5th World Water Forum from 15 to 22 March 2009. Known to be the most important event on water in the world, World Water Forum 2009 organizers expect an attendance of over 15,000 people from 150 countries to discuss the strategies and solutions regarding water in the world. Turkey is known for its rich history in water resources, culture and technology and strategic tri-partite cooperation between the General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.
In preparation for the World Water Forum, a presentation on the Istanbul Water Consensus will be held in Singapore from 3 to 4 July 2008 in Macedonia during the World Cities Summit to plan the themes and topics under discussion in the World Water Forum.