environment – Uptown Messenger

‘Historic Preservation in the Face of Climate Change’ explored in three-part series

Posted by UptownMessenger.com at 4:07 pm environment, events, flood protection and drainage, land use & development

Apr 152019

(prcno.org)

The Preservation Resource Center is hosting a three-part series to address the risks and challenges climate change presents for New Orleans and the role preservation can play in creating a more resilient future.

The first event of the series, to be held Wednesday, is a panel discussion titled “Document.” As the PRC website explains: “As our climate changes, so do our natural, built and cultural landscapes. While we strive to save as much as we can, we must consider what we are poised to lose and how efforts to record and archive can help mitigate inevitable casualties.”

Tree planting and rain-barrel painting among the activities at Hoffman Triangle event

Posted by UptownMessenger.com at 10:47 am environment, events, flood protection and drainage, parks and greenspace, sustainability

Apr 052019

Hoffman Triangle (via Google Maps)

Hoffman Triangle residents are invited to come out to Taylor Park on Saturday, April 6, from noon to 2 p.m. for a family-friendly event to learn about ways they can reduce flooding by planting trees, installing rain barrels and reducing paving.

“Many neighborhoods in New Orleans, including the Hoffman Triangle, are vulnerable to repeated flooding,” said Dana Eness, executive director of the Urban Conservancy.

Tulane study says seas may be rising faster than thought

Posted by UptownMessenger.com at 1:40 pm coastal preservation, colleges, sustainability

Jan 302019

Lead author Molly Keogh shot this photo near Bohemia, looking northeast over the marshes of Breton Sound in southeastern Louisiana. (courtesy of Tulane University)

By Barri Bronston, Tulane University

A new Tulane University study questions the reliability of how sea-level rise in low-lying coastal areas such as southern Louisiana is measured and suggests that the current method underestimates the severity of the problem. The research is the focus of a news article published this week in the journal “Science.”

Relative sea-level rise, which is a combination of rising water level and subsiding land, is traditionally measured using tide gauges. But researchers Molly Keogh and Torbjörn Törnqvist argue that in coastal Louisiana, tide gauges tell only a part of the story.

City to establish ‘Do Not Toss’ registry for unsolicited papers in 2019

Posted by UptownMessenger.com at 11:19 am city government, environment

Dec 272018

The city aims to reduce litter that could end up in storm drains. (via New Orleans City Council)

Starting Jan. 31, New Orleans residents can opt out receiving unsolicited printed materials by adding their name to a new “Do Not Toss” registry through the city’s website, nola.gov or by calling 311.

Residents on the list may still receive unsolicited printed materials, including newspapers, but the items must be placed on a doorstep, dropped into a mail slot, attached to the door or hand delivered. The ordinance aims to reduce litter on streets and sidewalks and remove potential safety hazards.

The City Council unanimously passed the “Do Not Toss” ordinance on Dec. 20. It was sponsored by District C Councilwoman Kristin Gisleson Palmer, District B Councilman Jay H. Banks and District E Councilwoman Cyndi Nguyen.

Recycle Christmas trees for coastal restoration

Posted by tcworthy at 5:57 pm city government, coastal preservation, environment, good works, sustainability

Dec 172018

The City of New Orleans wants Orleans Parish residents to recycle their Christmas trees again this season to help coastal restoration efforts. Residents can place trees curbside before 5 a.m. on their regularly scheduled collection day between Thursday, Jan. 10 and Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019.

from the City of New Orleans

Mayor LaToya Cantrell reminded residents that the City will continue its program of recycling Christmas trees in an effort to promote the restoration of Louisiana’s wetlands and to assist in the protection of the Louisiana coastline. Continue reading »

Can Mardi Gras value artistry over excess?

Posted by Katherine Hart at 2:00 pm environment, Mardi Gras, sustainability

Nov 052018

By Jesse Baum
jesse.blacktree@gmail.com

The Krewe of Mid City rolls down St. Charles Avenue. (Zach Brien, UptownMessenger.com)

Parade throws, one the biggest draws of the Carnival season, have become one of its biggest sources of controversy, with a growing push to move Mardi Gras away from the waste and excess symbolized by the all the plastic beads filling our streets and catch basins after every parade.

An Urban Conservancy conference held at the historic Carver Theater on Oct. 18 was titled “The Future of Mardi Gras.” Its focus was on sustainability and culture; panelists and environmental advocates discussed how to return the focus to the local artistry that creates Mardi Gras’ most memorable floats, throws and costumes

The audience had gathered to hear about the Carnival’s future—but the panel discussion began with the past.

According to New Orleans historian John Magill, a panelist at the event, early Mardi Gras parades did not have throws. The tradition, Magill explained, began with trinkets that were dispensed by a Santa Claus who walked through the crowd—as Mardi Gras was a post-Christmas holiday, rather than a pre-Easter Holiday. A local toy store provided the parcels.

Fast-forward to today—Mardi Gras is a bacchanalian extravaganza that generates 900 tons of waste each year. Last year the figure was 12,000 tons, and the city made national news when 93,000 pounds of beads were pulled from catch basins along a five-block stretch of St. Charles avenue.

Faubourg Marengo neighbors seeking end to ‘noxious odor’ near the river

Posted by Claire Byun at 11:05 am city government, environment, Featured, neighborhood groups

May 182018

District B City Councilman Jay H. Banks speaks at a neighborhood meeting in December 2017. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)

Several residents in the Faubourg Marengo neighborhood say they’ve had to deal with a tar-like odor around – and sometimes within – their homes for several years, and their new City Councilman says he will try to find the cause of the smell.

About 10 people from the small community between Magazine and Tchoupitoulas near Napoleon Avenue have banded together to examine the source of the reported foul odor. The group, unofficially led by Eric Eagan, met for the first time Wednesday evening. Continue reading »

Danae Columbus: City Council must monitor Entergy more closely

Posted by UptownMessenger.com at 11:13 am city government, environment, opinion, politics

Mar 302018

Protesters hold signs during a March 28 meeting of the City Council utility committee. (submitted photo)

Danae Columbus, opinion columnist

Entergy New Orleans has the City Council just where they want them – frequently playing catch up. While Entergy came into existence to provide gas and electric services to the ratepayers, they also have an obligation to maximize profits for their stockholders. The more Entergy controls costs, the better stockholders like it and citizens lose. Entergy is a major player in the community through their grant programs, their sponsorship of non-profit organizations and their frequent — and often behind the scenes — political maneuvering. Angering Entergy can have negative financial repercussions, as WBOK recently discovered. Continue reading »

Danae Columbus: Northshore couple leads fight against sexual trafficking of children

Posted by Robert Morris at 11:40 am city government, environment, health, opinion, politics

Mar 152018

Danae Columbus, opinion columnist

Covington clinical psychologist Dr. Raphael Salcedo and his wife Beth don’t have much free time on their hands. They spend day and night working with girls at the state-licensed Free Indeed Home where victims of child sex trafficking come to rebuild their lives. As founders of the Louisiana Coalition Against Human Trafficking (LCAHT), the Salcedos created a state-wide advocacy program that provides information and referrals as well as training for local social service providers including police and social workers. Continue reading »

What do people want for Audubon Park? To stay the same (or maybe more of the same)

Posted by Robert Morris at 11:16 am environment, sports and recreation

Feb 072018

A lone waterbird stands at the edge of the lagoon at Audubon Park. (UptownMessenger.com file photo)

The more things change in the city of New Orleans, it seems, the more residents want Audubon Park to stay the same, based on comments Tuesday evening at the first public meeting about the park’s future.

City holds Catch Basin Cleaning Days for Districts A & D

Posted by tcworthy at 10:35 am blight and demolition, city government, environment, flood protection and drainage, good works

Oct 242017

via the City of New Orleans

Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s Neighborhood Engagement Office will hold Catch Basin Cleaning Days for Districts A and D this Saturday, Oct. 28. Volunteers will clean as many catch basins as possible in a two-hour span. Continue reading »

District A candidates debate park protections, greenspace sustainability

Posted by Claire Byun at 10:10 am city government, elections, environment, events, Featured, flood protection and drainage, neighborhood groups

Sep 152017

Candidates for the District A seat on the New Orleans City Council — Joe Giarrusso III, Dan Ring, Tilman Hardy, Toyia Washington-Kendrick, Drew Ward and Aylin Maklansky — debate during a town hall hosted by Carrollton neighborhood groups on Thursday evening. (Sabree Hill, UptownMessenger.com)

City Council District A is home to a plethora of the city’s parks and greenspaces, and their management and sustainability remains an important issue as the city grows. All six District A candidates said they’d fight to keep greenspaces across the city, though they presented different preservation tactics.

Two candidates stressed the importance of zoning ordinances and the city’s Master Plan in protecting current greenspace, while others argued for legislation protecting trees and living plants. Some candidates said they’d look into unifying park management into one entity, if it proves efficient. Continue reading »

‘Historic Preservation in the Face of Climate Change’ explored in three-part series

Tree planting and rain-barrel painting among the activities at Hoffman Triangle event

Tulane study says seas may be rising faster than thought

City to establish ‘Do Not Toss’ registry for unsolicited papers in 2019

Recycle Christmas trees for coastal restoration

Can Mardi Gras value artistry over excess?

Sponsored: Fall Harvest Dinner & Farm Share memberships at Grow Dat Youth Farm

Faubourg Marengo neighbors seeking end to ‘noxious odor’ near the river

Danae Columbus: City Council must monitor Entergy more closely

Danae Columbus: Northshore couple leads fight against sexual trafficking of children

What do people want for Audubon Park? To stay the same (or maybe more of the same)

City holds Catch Basin Cleaning Days for Districts A & D

Sponsored: 5th Annual Greenway Soirée features the Greenway itself

District A candidates debate park protections, greenspace sustainability

Sponsored: Ask Our Candidates: A Mayoral Forum for S. Broad Businesses and Neighbors