Rebuilding New Orleans
GLOBAL GREEN USA'S HOLY CROSS PROJECT: UPDATE
New Orleans, LA - November 21, 2007- Global Green USA's Holy Cross Project, the most significant new construction in the Lower Ninth Ward since Katrina, is being developed on a formerly vacant site with some former light industrial use that left behind what is known as a brownfield. As such, we are addressing the soil contaminants we have found, mostly some isolated pockets of lead that, as we understand from the previous owner, resulted from sandblasting related to the adjacent wharf activities. As an environmental group we are taking most aggressive remediation process available, and hope others will do same.
A significant part of the vision of the project has always been to rebuild a green New Orleans, and part of that vision is turning formerly contaminated areas into vibrant, healthy, green communities. Global Green USA has a proactive, rigorous and cautious program of addressing contamination on the site, working closely with the state Department of Environmental Quality on testing to determine the extent of contamination, and to begin the cleanup of the site.
Soil contamination of construction sites in New Orleans is very common due to their history of industrial and shipping uses. The needed cleanup was anticipated, and is being done with transparency, public notification, and in compliance with regulations for safe occupation of the site. In fact, the site is being considered by the state of Louisiana for a precedent setting process of engaging the public in a review of the remediation program.
Global Green’s model affordable green housing project in Holy Cross, a section of the devastated Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, will see the first building, a single family house, completed by the end of the year. It will initially be used as a Visitor center to provide information on green building before the entire housing development is completed, on schedule, by the end of next year. The Holy Cross project provides important models for adopting healthy green building practices that will conserve energy and save money for its residents.
Global Green's progressive cleanup remediation process will be a part of the site's story of renewal. It will also prove that once vacant brownfields can become new, vibrant communities. Global Green is working to make that happen on its Holy Cross site. This model should in turn encourage many more such developments throughout the city where Katrina has created many other opportunities for renewal. The people who evacuated their homes on August 29, 2005 are depending on it.
