environment – Uptown Messenger

Loyola Academy to bring conservation knowledge to Mirabeau Gardens in Gentilly

Posted by UptownMessenger.com at 3:12 pm environment, sustainability

Nov 262019

The city was granted 25 acres of green space in Gentilly to create the Mirabeau Water Garden, which is set to open in the summer of 2020. The gardens were created to educate the public on water conservation and other eco-friendly practices. (via City of New Orleans)

by Rae Walberg, The Loyola Maroon

In the heart of Gentilly, 25 acres of Federal Emergency Management Agency-funded space was recently granted to build Mirabeau Water Gardens, a place where water conservation will be modeled on a larger-scale.

For Loyola professors Aimée Thomas and Bob Thomas, this was a dream ten years in the making. Continue reading »

Tulane researchers partner with United Houma Nation on climate and health resilience study

Posted by UptownMessenger.com at 1:39 pm coastal preservation, colleges, environment

Oct 232019

Maureen Lichtveld of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Tulane University is principal investigator in a new project with the United Houma Nation. (courtesy of Tulane University)

From Tulane University

The United Houma Nation is a Louisiana state-recognized tribe trying to maintain its unique culture during dramatic climatic, environmental and socioeconomic change. A new project awarded to Tulane University researchers from the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine aims to enable the United Houma Nation to determine how to support its citizens to adapt to climate-related and other short- and long-term stressors while maintaining the integrity of its community and culture.

‘I’m fighting for my future and my life’: Kids stage climate protest in Uptown

Posted by UptownMessenger.com at 4:57 pm environment, events, schools

Sep 202019

Young protesters make their voices heard Friday on St. Charles Avenue. Most of the children who were protesting at the student climate strike are homeschooled or attend the Waldorf School. (Sharon Lurye, Uptown Messenger)

By Sharon Lurye, Uptown Messenger

Dozens of young people, from toddlers to teenagers, staged a protest against climate change on Friday morning at the corner of Napoleon and St. Charles avenues.

They were part of a worldwide youth movement known as the “Global Climate Strike,” where students walk out of school in order to push politicians to take action to combat climate change and reduce the country’s reliance on fossil fuels.

“We can persuade the grown-ups,” said 13-year-old Maya Verhaal. “Since they make the choices, we can persuade them to change this world.” Continue reading »

Renewable energy campaign kicks off with event tonight in Broadmoor

Posted by UptownMessenger.com at 8:53 am community meetings, environment

Sep 182019

(via Facebook)

Audubon Louisiana, in partnership with the Energy Future New Orleans Coalition, is kicking off its campaign for a Resilient Renewable Portfolio Standard New Orleans with a community meeting tonight.

The event for City Council Districts A and B will be held at the Broadmoor Arts and Wellness Center, 3900 Gen. Taylor St., 2nd floor, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Continue reading »

Entergy, RTA to install solar panels on roof of Willow Street streetcar barn

Posted by Robert Morris at 11:51 am city government, environment

Jul 292019

Crowds gather at he Willow Street Car Barn as the The Phunny Phorty Phellows take off in a street car on Twelfth Night in 2012. ( UptownMessenger.com file photo by Sabree Hill)

Entergy and the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority are partnering to install solar panels on the streetcar barn on Willow Street, part of a larger effort to generate solar energy from the rooftops of publicly-owned buildings across New Orleans. Continue reading »

St. Charles Avenue’s live oak canopy shows continued improvement, survey finds

Posted by UptownMessenger.com at 11:15 am environment, neighborhood groups, parks and greenspace

Jul 072019

The 2018 Krewe of Iris parade rolls on St. Charles Avenue, where the live oak canopy enhances Carnival celebrations. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)

Southern live oaks make up the vast majority of the trees along St. Charles Avenue. The proportion of live oaks has continued to increase over the years, a tree survey has found.

The St. Charles Avenue Association retained Bayou Tree Service, its official partner, to perform a tree survey in a continuation of surveys that have been conducted since 1992.

The results of the 2018 survey show an increase in both the live oak population and overall condition. It revealed 756 live oaks, which is the largest number recorded since the SCAA began surveying the trees. Continue reading »

Hazardous waste containers removed in Gert Town, city and state report

Posted by UptownMessenger.com at 10:07 am city government, environment, public safety, state government

Jul 042019

As the city and state released statements on the removal of hazardous waste from beneath the surface of a Gert Town street, WVUE Fox 8 News revealed documents indicating the Mayor’s Office and Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality knew the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had detected 100 times the normal level of radium at the street surface. Continue reading »

City issues statement on removal of hazardous materials in Gert Town

Posted by UptownMessenger.com at 11:10 am court, environment

Jul 012019

Crews remove toxic materials in Gert Town. (via WWL-TV)

The city of New Orleans has released a statement on the removal of hazardous materials in Gert Town about two weeks week after about 1,000 Gert Town neighbors filed a class-action suit against the city, according to media reports. Continue reading »

Port of New Orleans expands its electric fleet with plug-in hybrid trucks

Posted by UptownMessenger.com at 10:42 am environment, sustainability, transportation

Jun 192019

Director of Marketing for XL Fleet Eric Foellmer, Port NOLA President and CEO Brandy D. Christian, Executive Director of Regional Planning Commission Jeffrey Roesel and Director of Southeast Louisiana Clean Fuel Partnership Courtney Young cut the ribbon on two plug-in hybrid trucks. (Port of New Orleans photo)

from the Port of New Orleans

With existing electric vehicle charging infrastructure in place and working toward energy efficiency investments defined in their new Strategic Master Plan, the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) expanded its EV fleet with the help of the Clean Fuel Transition Fund for Public Fleets, managed by the Regional Planning Commission’s Clean Fuel Partnership program. Continue reading »

Port of New Orleans working to become cleaner and greener

Posted by UptownMessenger.com at 11:13 am environment, transportation

Jun 182019

Gantry cranes load containers onto drayage trucks at the Port of New Orleans. The Port is unveiling hybrid electric trucks today. (courtesy of Port of New Orleans)

The Port of New Orleans and Regional Planning Commission today will introduce new plug-in hybrid electric trucks to its electric vehicle fleet. The new trucks are part of an overall effort to reduce emissions at the multi-billion-dollar multimodal gateway for international trade.

The Port is celebrating their arrival today with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its headquarters, 1350 Port of New Orleans Place, at 2 p.m.
Continue reading »

Aerial mosquito spray planned for tonight

Posted by UptownMessenger.com at 12:41 pm city government, environment

May 302019

The city’s Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board tonight will conduct adult mosquito abatement by plane in the area surrounded by the Jefferson Parish line, Earhart Boulevard and the Mississippi River. Continue reading »

What the city is and is not recycling, and why

Posted by UptownMessenger.com at 12:12 pm city government, environment

May 202019

Plastic bags are out, but corrugated cardboard is still accepted for curbside recycling. (Mid-City Messenger)

A crisis in the recycling industry is reflected in what we can and cannot put in our recycling bins starting with this week’s pickup, the city announced.

Here’s what can go into the bin for curbside recycling pickup:

Plastics: Only #1 (soda/water bottles) and #2 (milk/juice/shampoo/detergent containers);
Paper: Newspapers, junk mail, phone books, catalogs, office paper; corrugated cardboard, boxboard (cereal boxes/soft drink boxes);
Metal: Small aluminum and steel cans.

Nonprofit for sustainability to host block party Saturday

Posted by tcworthy at 3:05 pm environment, events, good works, sustainability

May 102019

from Green Light New Orleans

Green Light New Orleans, a nonprofit organization working towards a greener future, invites the public to its Spring Block Party on Saturday, May 11 from 1 to 4 p.m. The festivities will take place at the Fidelity Bank branch at 1201 S. Carrollton Ave (at Oak St.) and will feature complimentary food and drinks, as well as activities for the whole family.

“Most people know Green Light for our energy efficient light bulbs, and we’re proud to have given away more than 600,000 of them,” said Founder and Executive Director Andreas Hoffman.

‘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.

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