Brad Pitt’s Green Building Boom  - Part I

By NEAL MOORE

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA (CNN iReport)

Considered one of the most famous neighborhoods in America, New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward is presently undergoing a transformation from the poster child of post-Katrina devastation into the epitome of green, sustainable living. I met with key players on the ground to discuss how this is taking shape and how the environment is playing an active roll in the psyche of the Lower Ninth Ward’s returning populace.

Interviewed in this piece:

Tom Darden, Executive Director, Make It Right NOLA

Robert Green Sr., Resident, Lower Ninth Ward

Darryl Malek-Wiley, Regional Representative and Environmental Justice Organizer, Sierra Club

James Perry, President, Louisiana Housing Alliance and Mayoral Candidate for the City of New Orleans

Dr. Douglas J. Meffert, Center for Bioenvironmental Research at Tulane University

Professor Mark S. Davis, Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Institute on Water Resources, Law and Policy, Tulane University

Photos:

#2) “Rebuild New Orleans” display outside Robert Green’s Home. The two wreaths are for his mother and granddaughter who lost their lives during Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, Louisiana

#3) All that was left, Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans, Lousisiana

#4) Robert Green Sr. in front of his new “Make It Right” home, Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans, Louisiana

#5) c/u Robert Green Sr. in front of his new “Make It Right” home, Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans, Louisiana

#6) Grave memorial markers for Robert Green Sr.’s family members, Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans, Louisiana

#7) Tree located down the street from Robert Green Sr.’s old home, where it floated during the storm.

#8) c/u Wreath on the tree at the spot where Mr. Green’s mother and granddaughter lost their lives, Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans, Louisiana

#9) Old Steamer House – Designed to Flood c 1904, Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans, Louisiana

#10) New “Make It Right” floatable Boat House c 2009, Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans

Video footage of former President Bill Clinton and Mr. Pitt used with permission -- Courtesy Make It Right NOLA Foundation. All other video by Neal Moore.

Check out Part II of this story by clicking here:  http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-368804

Follow the journey…

Blog: http://www.flashriversafari.com

Foundation: http://www.creativevisions.org

iReport: http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=321427

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mooreneal