NEW ORLEANS, LA - It is now 3 and 1/2 years since Katrina's 2nd landfall on August 29th, 2005 in Southeast Louisiana. With the unprecedented economic downturn and the excitement of a new President and the New HOPE promised by President Obama, Katrina seems to be a distant past, a fading memory, something to be put on the back burner and forgotten.
Why should it still matter? - New Orleans had come back to life, Mardi Gras celebration goes on ... But how can we forget the devastation and extreme destruction since Katrina slammed into New Orleans and the continued struggle
9th Ward people have while hoping to rebuild their homes and start a new life?
By August 31, 2005, eight percent of New Orleans was flooded; with some parts under 15 feet of water, thousands of buildings destroyed and the official death toll, according to the Louisiana Department of Health, was 1,464.
Seeing the great loss, actor Brad Pitt formed the "Make It Right"foundation a year ago and presented lot owners in Lower 9th Ward with designs by 13 architects; basically allowing the homeowners to pick a design for their homes to be rebuilt by the foundation.
December 11, 2008, the "Make It Right" Foundation celebrates the completion of first six homes. These are not only a fresh start for homeowners but also become blueprints for LEED Platinum Certified, affordable, storm-resistant, and Green/ECO sustainable housing designs.
The homes are built with sustainable wood cabinetry, non-toxic paints, and Energy Star appliances; as well as Green features that take these houses to the next level include insulation that makes them five times more air-tight than typical homes, photovoltaic systems, and groundwater heat pumps for both heating and cooling. Looking ahead, separate plumbing lines were installed so owners can utilize their rain harvest systems if a current shttp://www.usgbc.org/displaypage.aspx?CMsPageID=222tate law banning rainwater for toilet use is repealed.
Heavily subsidized by Pitt's foundation, the per-house budget of $150,000 is possible because of donated materials and services, including the architects' designs. The costs are expected to drop as more houses are built. The goal is to build 150 homes; Pitt's foundation has raised money for 87 of them.
An additional $9,450,000 is needed to complete the remaining 63 homes at $150,000 each. A speckle of dust comparing this to national debt; but a healthy chunk of money when money is scarce (unless you are Treasury with a printing press, of course)
MARIN COUNTY, CA
Back to my hometown, the Marin County - As Marin county residents (or California, in that respect), by the Very Nature of choosing to be part of Marin County, we are proud of being ECO, being GREEN, being environmental friendly and being Sustainable. We want to be in the forefront of going Green and being Green! (see logo from San Marin High School for their Green Week event)
Marin has seen a few successful Green Projects. Boasting Cleanest Air in the Country, Novato (San Rafael 2nd, and Salinas placed 15th in Clean Air category) in Marin County, CA has three of the following four Green Projects (there are many more) -
1) Dominican Convent in San Rafael received a Gold Certificate from the U.S. Building Council for the sustainable building (convent). The 6,200-square-foot, two-story shingle-and-stucco convent, built with strong lines and a vibrant brick-red exterior, takes full advantage of the latest pro-environment technology. It has rooftop photovoltaic panels, solar-powered attic fans and toxic-free insulation of reclaimed materials, . With programmable gas heaters in each room, the interior remains at a uniformly comfortable temperature, even with a floor made entirely from a mix of concrete and recycled fly ash. Traffic flows were studied, Recycled furnishings were used, History was preserved.
Dominican convent is the only environmentally certified convent in the world, right here in Marin.
2) 
Virginia Grove In Novato, Marin is the First None Public Funded Affordable Green Homes in Marin county and the Winner of the 2007 Award of Excellence for Smart Growth & Workforce Housing,138 points on the Build-It-Green scale, the highest ever in Novato. This project combines attractive architecture, Green Development Practices and lower income affordable housing in a single-family environment. Heralded by ABAG as "a model for regional planning", the project includes bioswales, Grass-pave, ground-water recharge, a major tree-transplanting program, passive solar heating and cooling, pre-wiring for solar photovoltaic panels, sustainable, recycled and reclaimed materials on an infill property.
3) Olive Ridge, again in Novato, CA, on the other hand, is a Luxury Green Home development consists of 19 homes on large lots surrounded by 20 acres of open spaces.
The homes meet the new Residential Green Building Ordinances for all single family homes and major remodels by City of Novato. The ordinances addresses Green Issues such as using Natural Resources, conserve Water And Energy and improve Indoor Quality; use energy-efficient materials and techniques such as photovoltaic, solar panels.
3). Commons at Mt. Burdell- A redevelopment of the current Fireman's Fund Insurance Company's property in North Novato (the north most part of Marin County) brings the first LEED Platinum certified project to Marin County. Numerous neighborhood meetings and city planning meetings were held for neighbor and city input on the project.
The project considers and implements plans for renewable energy, conserve and recycle water, noise reduction, indoor air quality, reuse, recycle, education, public transportation, and plans to achieve carbon-neutrality within 10 years. A museum will also be built for educational purposes.
Those are examples of the existing and in planning Green Buildings in Marin County.
FROM NEW ORLEANS TO MARIN
Looking at the designs for the 9th Ward and considering the challenges some of the Marin county residents have, the "Make It Right" foundation's design can benefit many of Marin Residents, especially for the ones who live in one of the 10 flood Zones in Marin County (o.k. don't know what happened to Zone 2)
.
The flooding happens every few years and can be devastating to local residents and businesses (see picture on the right for Novato Flood in the '80s).
Not only it is disruptive to lives and businesses, being in the flood zone also requires flood insurance for homeowners and has an adverse effect on the desirability of the homes and housing prices in the area.
- Flood Zone 1 - Novato Area,
- Flood Zone 3 - Mill Valley Area,
- Flood Zone 4 - Bel Aire Area
- Flood Zone 5 - Stinson Beach
- Flood Zone 6 - San Rafael Meadows
- Flood Zone 7 - Santa Venetia
- Flood Zone 9 - Ross Valley (Corte Madera Creek)
- Flood Zone 10 Inverness
Some of the features for the "Make It Right" homes will probably even benefit earthquake prone California - the stilts have to be able to withheld the surge of flood water, which shall be able to absorb some of the effects from an earthquake.
As we have learned from various sources, designing Green Buildings and acquire Green Material add a premium to the building of those homes, especially the LEED Certification, which can prove to be cost prohibitive to embark on related projects.
THE SPIRIT OF SHARING
The idea of sharing the 'Make It Right' plan provides "a sense of working together to change the world". Being able to share the plan from 9th ward, one of the most economically challenged areas in the country with other areas in the U.S. provides both a symbolic and real meaning of working together and sharing; something to be encouraged and proud of!
And remember, some of the most important features of Green/Sustainable are to RECYCLE, REUSE and to CONSERVE, same thing goes to building plans.
Although some of the designs are hard to picture in Marin, but a few will fit right in (see the one on the left)!
Now comes the difficult part -
How Do We Fund all These - not talking about Marin projects, but the remaining Lower 9th Ward homes?
Well, last I checked... there are currently 1,197,529 Realtors registered with National Association of Realtors,
As Realtors, we care about our neighbors, our fellow citizens and our country. in short, WE CARE!
The participation by All Realtors at a time of housing crisis to help complete the Lower 9th Ward project will definitely go a long way to show the nation that Realtors DO Care, which is something Money Can NOt Buy!
With each Realtor donating $8.00; we can raise more than enough for the 63 remaining homes. The remainders can be used to improve the Lower 9th Ward!
What better time to help with the Optimism of "HOPE" and "Change Is Coming" slogans and what a great time to cultivate Goodwill among All.
To jump Start, Yes, Mr. Brad Pitt might just want to be the Goodwill Ambassador for NAR as his presence will certainly rally the participation and help all to accomplish this noble goal!
Sylvia Barry
, Realtor, ePRO
Marin Realtor for Marin Real Estate
Marin, San Francisco North Bay
Frankk Howard Allen Realtors
website: www.SylviaSellsMarin.com
Blog: www.AllAboutMarinHomes.com
MARIN, SONOMA, S.F. BAY AREA REAL ESTATE - Beveldere, Corte Madera, Greenbrae, Kentfield, Larkspur, Marinwood, Mill Valley, Novato, San Anselmo, San Rafael, Sausalito, Tiburon; Cotati, Penngrove, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa. Starter Home to Luxury Property. REO (Bank Owned), Short Sale, View Homes, Architecural Distictive Homes. Investment, 1031 Exchange.
Make Dreams Real - Rotary Club of Novato Sunrise Youth Services
Fantastic blog post and a great idea to raise the money. If we all band together amything is possible without breaking our own personal piggy bank.
Way to bring it home at the last minute. I haven't looked at all of the entries yet but I must say that your entry is fantastic.
Thanks, Doug. I thought $8 is not too much for each person and some might donate more and others none. Together we can make a difference and make a name for Realtors.
Sylvia
Thanks, Sabrina, appreciate your comment. It's hard to compare to others but I am glad I did it. Maybe you will enter into it next time.
Sylvia~
What a fantabulous post! You must have spent hours and hours on this contribution....and I loved reading every word. I am going to re-blog this post and hope that many will find and read it. Thank you SO much!
Great call to action, Sylvia! Open it up to ALL licensees across the country, and, why--I'll bet we could build a home for ALL homeless! ;^)
Thank you, JaneAnne, for your kind words and the reminder about entering into the contest. A difficult challenge, did take me a while to figure out what I want to write. Very glad you like it. Thanks! "Make it Right' is such a wonderful idea and it will be nice to finish the project.
Hi Loretta: Wouldn't that be nice - to build a home for ALL homeless! That's much better than what I can think of!
Sylvia, what a great idea! I am not a realtor but am an affiliate of my local chapter and would be more than willing to ante up!
P.S.
Good luck on your entry...in the Eco-All-Stars January Challenge...=)
Thanks Joanne -- So nice to have a none Realtor willing to help also ... Like they said - It takes a Nation - then we can accomoplish anything we set out to do!
Thanks JaneAnne - We can take all the good wishes :-)
Great post Sylvia1 I hope you win the challenge!
Thanks, Betina: - There are some great entries there. JaneAnne is 'begging' for people to vote. Apparently they have a difficult time decide, so you might want to read them all and see if you want to cast a vote .... http://activerain.com/blogsview/907981/VOTE-for-the-1-Challenge-Winnerhelp-break-the-tie-PLEASE
I used to live in Plano, TX and visited Austin several times - what a wonderful place!
My vote is for you to win the Eco All Stars challenge. Once again, nice job.
Hi Eloise - Thanks for the kind words, I really appreciate it. I think as much as we put efforts into NAR political campaign and possibly donate to that, the joint effort/action by Realtors as a group to help those in need and with Brad Pitt's presence (he IS a star) will make much more difference in people's mind about Realtors. I do hope this will actually fly and we can help rebuild lower 9th Ward! Thanks again!
Thanks, Sabrina, for the vote. Really appreciate that! It was a late entry and late into the night work, glad I am able tol help.
Sylvia - Great Post. The idea of all NAR members contributing $8 to the cause is excellent and attainable. I vote you for #1 on the ECO challenge.
Sylvia- I accidentally erased my earlier comment. I will repeat it here that I think you focused on the questions, defined green building and used specific examples to explain the criteria. I also liked your suggestions for finding ways to achieve even more affordability while recognizing that asking for additional money from REALTORS might not make the suggestion popular. But, especially in light of current economic hardships, what a wonderful way for us to all be involved in community building, sustainability, and helping to revitalize our economy. Great poat!
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR 1st PLACE WINNING ENTRY!!!
Sylvia, great job! You deserve the top honors for this detailed, encouraging article.
Thanks Jeff. You and all the others did excellent job on the contest. I have never seen so many extensions in judging, testimony of how wonderful your entries are. It was a surprise at the end ......
I truly think the reason my entry was chosen was because I followed the rules most closely and tried to answer what the challenge asked for... I also think some are excited that we might be able to make a difference... We will see where the group will take the concept to (this or others) - we do have a fearless leader in JaneAnne who is willing to go through this headache almost every month! Thanks again.
This is a truly inspiring post Sylvia !
Congrats and lets hope a difference can be made...$8 / Realtor doesnt seem much to ask for the benefits it could provide...
Thanks for a great post.
Wow, what a post Sylvia! Very informative, educational and inspiring. LEED looks like the wave of the future <no pun intended> and I hope it succeeds and costs can come down per unit to make it more prevalent.
Sylvia,
This is excellent, and its absolutely needed. I have reblogged this post as I believe it needs to be seen by as many eyes as possible. Outstanding and you are a difference maker!
-Lisa
HI Rosalinda: Thank you for your vote. If not for the ones who spent so much time reading all entries and decided to pick this over the others, my entry would not be in first places and all the others are great.
I believe we all think by taking small steps, we can accomplish big things.
Hi Chris- Thanks! I am going to borrow your words - let's we how we can take the little raindrops and make it a big wave that can make a difference.
I will keep all your names and contact you once we start this whole new endeavor.
Sylvia, that was a great post. Very informative. As one with relatives in south Louisiana, I know that they need all the help they can get. Very little of the federal money has actually trickled down to individual homeowners. Brad Pitt chose one area and is doing what he can - and in an environmentally responsible way. I just wish they could preserve the look of the existing homes in the new ones they are building.
Hello, Sheldon,. Thanks for stopping by and glad you like the post. I am checking into how and/or if we take the next step...
Sylvia - CONGRATULATIONS FOR WINNING #1 ON YOUR EXCELLENT POST. Your home town, MARIN COUNTY, looks like a model town for the green movement.
Sylvia - I thought I was logged in.
CONGRATULATIONS FOR WINNING #1 ON YOUR EXCELLENT POST. Your home town, MARIN COUNTY, looks like a model town for the green movement.
Sylvia- thanks for the incredible post on ECO green housing and laying down the challenge. I hope you are victorious!
Sylvia,
That's was a really warm and touching post. I always say if you can get a lot of people to give a little it will add up to a lot.
Fantastic post!
We all tend to have short memories if an issue doesn't effect us directly. Great way of reminding us there are so many people still in dire need of the life's basic necessities.
Keep up the good work.
WOW---a fantastic post. You really did your homework on this one. Congrats on 1st place!
Congrats on a great post and so much information. I love your area and you certainly highlighted some issues people would not be award of and should be!
WHat a nice and informative post. Great call to action! I love learning ways that we can all be more eco-friendly. Congratulations to you!!
Hi Lisa - I am really honored - When I started writing this, Katrina seemed so far away with our busy life.. This post brings them closer to home for me again.... I appreciate all your support!
Motivating!! I'm headed to New Orleans this weekend. Thanks for the updates!!
Sylvia, your blog is wonderful and congratulations on the win! You deserved it! Keep those contests going.
Later in the rain~Deb
Tbank you so much for your comment, Heather. It's nice to get feedback from somebody who actually knows the area. You probably should have entered into the contest!
Great post Sylvia! I thought I left a comment earlier - I know I meant to!!! Good for you! Your photos are wonderful as are the way you tied this in with your community and a way for everyone to get involved!
You are one of the gems that make the ECO All Stars, and Active Rain, worth reading!!!
Hi Rosalinda - Thanks for coming back to to post .... Without yours and others support, my entry would not have won.. Thanks again! See you in the challenge late, I hope!
JB - Thanks for your well wisher, I think that was heard by the AR gods :-)
This puts it all in perspective.
Hi Stephanie - Let me know how is your trip to New Orleans when you come back - have a great trip!
I would organize the collection for my office. See how many I can get.
Very well done Silvia, I had no idea of what had been done to help the people of New Orleans, thanks for bringing such an important event to our attention. Now let's all pitch in and help!
Antonio
Shuki, Donna and Rebecca - We did kind of lost sight of Katria and the tragic event in New Orleans. I was hit again by how sad the whole situation was when I started researching this...
Karen - Thanks for the comment. Yes, Marin does have a few Flood areas - which, although is being worked on, should be brought up so homeowners get all the disclosures and can be prepared for that... Thanks!
I have asked this question before, but have not received a response from anyone, so does anyone know how I can find out. Is Brad's "Make It Right" foundation doing anything for the Katrina victims in Mississippi where Hurricane Katrina actually hit?
When I travel I am still shocked that people don't seem to know that Hurricane Katrina actually hit Mississippi and entire towns were wiped out. It was horrible that the levies burst and parts of New Orleans were flooded, but the country seems totally unaware that Katrina hit Mississippi and there was flooding along the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast, and parts of the Alabama Gulf Coast. Bayou La Batre, Alabama has not recovered. Much of the Mississippi Gulf Coast has not recovered.
Is "Make It Right" doing anything to help the towns in Mississippi or is this just for New Orleans.
Hi Julie: Thanks for educating us about the Katrina victims in Mississippi; and you are right, all the spotlight is on New Orleans instead of elsewhere, and victims in other areas are probably forgotten.
To answer your question, I went to 'Make It Right' Foundation site to see if I can find answer to your question. The site talks about how it came to be in existence, and I found their Mission on the 'About Us' Page,:
"The Mission of Make It Right is clear: it is to be a catalyst for redevelopment of the Lower 9th Ward, by building a neighborhood comprised of safe and healthy homes that are inspired by Cradle to Cradle thinking, with an emphasis on a high quality of design, while preserving the spirit of the community's culture. The goal is to accomplish this quickly, so that the first residents can begin returning to their homes as soon as possible"
Sylvia
thanks for a great and informative post