Thoughts from A Special Place

"Be good to the environment and you'll be able to smile like the alligator." - John Taylor

Thoughts from A Special Place

"Bayou Bienvenue has been good to us, it's time for us to be good to it." - John Taylor

Thoughts from A Special Place

"There is always a way to find beauty in something you really care about." - John Taylor

John Taylor works for the CSED as Wetlands Specialist.  "Thoughts from A Special Place" will be made of his quotes and photographs about the Bayou. 

John has spent most of his life enjoying Bayou Bienvenue hunting, fishing, admiring, interacting, (teaching people) and taking photos of the bayou and the wildlife in and around the triangle

Please stay tuned to this blog to see some of his beautiful work!

Lower 9th Ward "Views"

GW Law Students Lend a Hand in The L9

This week George Washington University Law students volunteer with CSED to help L9 community members rebuild.  Pictured above, 4 students fill a 50 gallon water catchment drum to be transported to 4819-17 Dauphine for CSED's Dreams of An Orchard Project. 

CSED Hosts Green Corps Students for Training in Radiant Barrier Installation

The CSED hosted Green Corps students last week for training in radiant barrier installation at Mr. Sidney Butler's house. Mr. Butler became the 142nd Lower 9th Ward property owner to save energy & increase his comfort by having radiant barrier installed in his attic by the CSED. http://www.sustainthenine.org/programs/built-environment/radiant-barriers-weatherization    LA Green Corps is a youth & adult training program working to preserve both our environment & architectural integrity in the Greater New Orleans area.  Over 400 students have graduated from their programs.  http://www.lagreencorps.org/

Become a Part of the "Radiant Nine"

If you are a property owner in the Lower 9th Ward, you too can become part of the "Radiant Nine." 

A radiant barrier can be installed at any time, before or after your house is renovated and occupied.  All you need is a roof in good condition.

You can sign up online http://www.sustainthenine.org/programs/built-environment/radiant-barriers-weatherization  or

Call Kathy Muse at 939-9028 or 324-9955 for more information.  You can also come by the CSED office at 5130 Chartres Street, New Orleans LA 70117, Tuesday through Saturday 10am - 4pm.

Sustain the Nine!  River to Bayou

RB Program Good for Residents & Environment

CSED Radiant Barrier and Weatherization Fact Sheet

The CSED’s Radiant Barrier (RB) and Weatherization programs coordinated by the CSED, for Lower 9^th Ward property owners, has dramatically increased residents’ quality of life and in some cases resulted in utility savings of up to 40%.

Home Energy Assessments (HEA) are part of this program.  HEA’s inform homeowners of any health and safety issues in the home and provide written information on how to further increase energy efficiency. 

Priority for the RB program is given to seniors. 

CSED’s RB program includes community outreach efforts that inform residents of other CSED programs and projects, events happening in their neighborhood, and available community resources.

The CSED RB Program was initially established in 2007 in partnership with Sierra Club and Alliance for Affordable Energy.   LA Green Corps, Historic Green, AmeriCorps, and hundreds of volunteers have been contributing partners, as well as Lower 9^th Ward property owners, who make a donation toward cost of RB materials. The RB Program continues to be a major CSED service to the community with two certified Home Energy Raters on staff to perform home energy assessments and radiant barrier installations thus increasing our quality control.  

CSED’s Basic Weatherization Program was started in partnership with Alliance for Affordable Energy, and Sierra Club.  Contributing partners have included LA Green Corps, Historic Green, AmeriCorps, Global Green and Nurtured World.

CSED Radiant Barrier /Weatherization Program Numbers as of October 31, 2012:

• Educational, qualitative, Home Energy Assessments (HEA) have been performed on 214 homes.
• Radiant Barrier has been installed in 138 homes in the Lower 9^th Ward.  (Radiant Barrier saves approximately 10% annually on homeowners utility bills, increases comfort, and reduces CO2 emissions).
• Ducts have been sealed on 19 homes.  (Houses that receive duct sealing reduce energy consumption by 16% and save more than $80 a year).
• Weatherizations have been performed on 72 homes. 
• Currently, 7 homes have been assessed and are pending installation of Radiant Barrier.  41 applicants are pending home energy assessments.
• CSED Radiant Barrier/Weatherization Program has potential to serve over 2,000 homes in the Lower 9. (2010 Census verified 2,101 households in the Lower 9^th Ward )

Calculated savings for homes with R19 attic insulation and receive RB and Duct Sealing from the CSED.

*Radiant Barrier and Duct Sealing calculated annual savings for a 1,540-ft2 house with uninsulated ducts in the attic

Original Attic Modification	R19 Attic Insulation				Code-Level Attic     Insulation
Attic System Modification	Add RB, Improve Ducts, Add Insulation	Add RB, Improve Ducts	Add RB, and Insulation	Add RB	Add RB, Improve Ducts	Add RB
Miami	$460	$430	$180	$140	$410	$120
New Orleans	$730	$670	$240	$150	$610	$120
Atlanta	$670	$600	$200	$80	$540	$70
Baltimore	$1,210	$1,070	$320	$80	$950	$60
Chicago	$1,150	$1,020	$280	$60	$910	$40

*Based on Oak Ridge National Laboratories (ORNL).  ORNL is a multiprogram science and technology laboratory managed for the U.S. Department of Energy.

The Nation - We Are All From New Orleans Now: Climate Change, Hurricanes and the Fate of America's Coastal Cities

By Mike Tidwell

The presidential candidates decided not to speak about climate change, but climate change has decided to speak to them. And what is a thousand-mile-wide storm pushing eleven feet of water toward our country’s biggest population center saying just days before the election? It is this: we are all from New Orleans now. Climate change—through the measurable rise of sea levels and a documented increase in the intensity of Atlantic storms—has made 100 million Americans virtually as vulnerable to catastrophe as the victims of Hurricane Katrina were seven years ago.

Arriving atop fantastically warm water and aided by a full foot of sea-level rise during the last century, Hurricane Sandy is just the latest example of climate change’s impact on human society. Unless we rapidly phase out our use of fossil fuels, most Americans within shouting distance of an ocean will—in coming years—live behind the sort of massive levees and floodgates that mark Louisiana today. READ MORE >>

via www.thenation.com