Brad Pitt supports green design in rebuilding New Orleans

Brad Pitt and CEO of Global Green USA Matt Petersen announced the winner of their sustainable design architecture competition for the post-Hurricane Katrina construction in New Orleans. The winning design by GREEN.O.LA, Andrew Kotchen and Matthew Berman, utilizes green construction to save money and reduce carbon pollution.

The aim of the competition was to improve the development of New Orleans and provide an opportunity for talented architects, designers, urban planners, ecologists and students to put propose creative and practical plans for New Orleans neighborhoods.

If 50,000 homes are built according to the GREEN.O.LA winning design, New Orleans' electricity costs could be cut by more than 50% and residents would save $38 million to $56 million. Each home would also reduce carbon emissions by approximately 11 tons per household per year, the equivalent of taking 100,000 cars off the road.

Brad Pitt said that “It is our hope that this competition will generate and uncover new and innovative ideas which will advance the practicalities of responsible architecture, as well as spark a long overdue rebuilding effort for the people of New Orleans, Honoring the traditions of this unique city and the voice of its residents, our goal is to create designs and ideally built projects for neighborhoods which are stable, beautiful, sustainable and affordable. This competition asks the question can this catastrophe be turned into opportunity? Can we create for these neighborhoods and its families something even better than they had before? We encourage anyone with an idea to get involved.”

"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."

Pitt has been involved with environmental issues in the past, having given $10,000 to have a forest planted in his name in the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. A movie star's lifestyle can cause a lot of carbon dioxide due to: jets around the world, limousines, energy hungry movie sets, and air-conditioning their many mansions. The trees will absorb carbon dioxide and compensate for the tonnes of carbon dioxide Pitt is responsible for.

Designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining buildings takes large amounts of energy, water, and other resources and creates significant amounts of waste. Occupants of buildings have an enviromental responsibility to protect the surrounding ecosystem and maintain a healthy, efficient, and productive environment.

GREEN.O.LA incorporated the following green building features:

Careful site selection to minimize impacts on the surrounding ecosystems. Energy conservation to reduce utility bills and maximize the efficient of natural resources. City planning to optimize alternative transportation options. Water conservation to ensure insure efficiency and reduced utility bills. Waste reduction and recycling. Storm-water management to reduce the environmental impacts of storm-water runoff and limit disruption of natural watershed functions. Improved indoor air quality through the use of low careful ventilation practices Maximize the use of "green" building materials. Reduced urban heat island effect by employing 'green roofs' where possible

Brad Pitt and Matt Petersen are lobbying government officials to speed up the regeneration of post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. The Global Green competition involved many members of the community. 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." Global Green facilitated more than a dozen meetings to solicit community feedback over the three months of the competition.The competition showcases affordable, energy-efficient construction. addresses these challenges by promoting energy and resource efficiency, waste reduction and pollution prevention practices, indoor air quality standards, and other environmental initiatives for both new construction and existing buildings.

More Cultural 'climate change' articles.