SPECIAL EDITION - The New Face of Sustainability

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September 2014 • Sustainability in New Orleans • Community Voices Orchestrating Change

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Neighborhoods Partnership Network’s (NPN) mission is to improve our quality of life by engaging New Orleanians in neighborhood revitalization and civic process.

The A Letter From Letter From The Guest Editor The Executive Director

NEIGHBORHOODS

CORE USA is so excited that Neighborhoods Partnership Network asked us to put together this special issue of The Trumpet.

PARTNERSHIP NETWORK

NPN provides an inclusive and collaborative city-wide framework to empower neighborhood groups in New Orleans.

Find Out More at NPNnola.com

Tilman Hardy, CEO of CORE USA

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NPN Board Members

ORE USA came into existence while the city of New Orleans was still recovering from Hurricane Katrina and talk of rebuilding a better, stronger, more vibrant city was on everyone’s lips. We agonized over the thought of raising our children in a city completely unprepared to deal with the negative consequences of its historic inequality, environmental degradation, and climate change. Working together with forwardthinking, creative, young leaders throughout the city, we established a consortium of sustainability professionals, thinking that by focusing on sustainable development we’d be able to create an immediate and powerful impact as well as a lasting legacy for all of New Orleans’ children.

Our goal was to set up a company that would raise the standards to which contractors must comply; elevate building performance and standards of living to higher levels; bring housing and utility costs down; create more demand for sustainable building technology in the form of educated consumers; and create more competent and diverse supply chains for sustainable development projects throughout the Deep South. As CORE USA has grown, we have been faced with new challenges: Namely, the challenges that come along with doing business in the South, a region known for its provincialism, conformity and tradition. For example, in the U.S. Deep South, building professionals must confront outdated codes and construction practices, which are lackadaisically enforced; they must also deal with the fact that the South tends to lag behind in its access to and adoption of new technology. Consequently, much of the Deep South’s built environment is functionally obsolete, (in example, older existing buildings are not equipped to cool affordably in the summertime nor are they equipped to heat safely and affordably in the wintertime).

Although the Deep South is not typically a place that people think of when they think of cosmopolitanism, if you look closely, you will find vibrant place-based cultures, strong resource-based economies, and extroverted, globally-conscious societies. Once we begin to realize the value of these, our own resources, there is no reason why this region cannot be a global leader in sustainability or innovation.

By talking about sustainability, introducing best practices and new technologies, by facilitating dialogue, and/or providing access to public officials and technical experts, communities are more apt to use their resources in novel ways, and imagine new approaches to solving old problems. It is for this reason that we truly believe that by broadening the participation in sustainable building, we can maximize its impact not just on the local economy, but also on the way people live.

That’s why CORE USA was so excited when the Neighborhoods Partnership Network asked us to put together this special issue of The Trumpet. We knew from the beginning that it was a fantastic chance to create a dialogue between some of New Orleans’ top minds in sustainability and the communities who can benefit so much from their knowledge. As you read the next pages, we hope that you begin to see the patterns we see in the fight for a more sustainable future – the many simple, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly solutions that are available, the host of local organizations ready to lend a hand or offer advice, and above all, the healthy, happy lifestyles created for generations of New Orleanians to come, thanks to our communities’ current efforts in sustainability.

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Victor Gordon, Board Chair, Pontilly Neighborhood Association Wendy Laker, Vice Chair, Mid-City Neighborhood Organization Tilman Hardy, Secretary, Leonidas/Pensiontown

Neighborhood Association

Ryan Albright, CBNO Karen Chabert, Irish Channel Neighborhood Association Sylvia Scineaux-Richard, ENONAC Katherine Prevost, Upper Ninth Ward Bunny Friend

Neighborhood Association

Third Party Submission Issues Physical submissions on paper, CD, etc. cannot be returned unless an arrangement is made. Submissions may be edited and may be published or otherwise reused in any medium. By submitting any notes, information or material, or otherwise providing any material for publication in the newspaper, you are representing that you are the owner of the material, or are making your submission with the consent of the owner of the material, all information you provide is true, accurate, current and complete.

Non-Liability Disclaimers The Trumpet may contain facts, views, opinions, statements and recommendations of third party individuals and organizations.

The Trumpet does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement or other information in the publication and use of or reliance on such advice, opinion, statement or other information is at your own risk.

Copyright © 2014 Neighborhoods Partnership Network. All Rights Reserved.

Any copying, redistribution or retransmission of any of the contents of this service without the express written consent of Neighborhoods Partnership Network is expressly prohibited.

THE TRUMPET | SUSTAINABILITY IN NEW ORLEANS | SEPTEMBER 2014

e Executive Director N E I G H B O R H O O D S

P A R T N E R S H I P

Contents

The Trumpet

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Louisiana Customers Save While Economy Grows with Energy Efficiency

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Control Your Energy Bills With Energy Smart

N E T W O R K

10 How Did New Orleans Become One

of the Top Solar Cities in America?

11 Navigating Residential Sustainable Building Options 16 Buying and Selling Green Homes Now Easier in Greater New Orleans 18 Achieving Energy Efficiency in New Orleans Schools

LED Market Leader 4 Scandinavian 7 Sustainably Wet Chooses New Orleans As Its North American Headquarters

23 South Coast Solar Helps Louisiana “Geaux” Solar

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The Green Project Celebrates 20 Years of Sustainability

20 SUNO Supports Economic Sustainability in New Orleans

NEIGHBORHOODS PARTNERSHIP NETWORK

THE TRUMPET | SUSTAINABILITY IN NEW ORLEANS | SEPTEMBER 2014

3321 Tulane Avenue New Orleans, LA 70119 504.940.2207 • FX 504.940.2208 thetrumpet@npnnola.com www.npnnola.com 3

LED street lighting is not only environmentally friendly; it outperforms traditional street lighting at every turn. Mela USA’s Stella Street Light series casts a larger pool of higher-quality light than traditional street lights, and can even withstand hurricane-force winds.

Scandinavian LED Market Leader Chooses New Orleans As Its North American Headquarters

By Chris Galliano, VP South Region MELA USA, chris@melausa.com

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ELA LED has chosen New Orleans over Houston as their North American Headquarters, bringing world-class engineering and innovative lighting technologies to Louisiana. “We will make our lights available to the US market, and then transfer our R&D and manufacturing to New Orleans as we ramp up for the North and South American market surge,” says Michael Lagerlund, Owner and Founder of MELA Smart Solutions AB. Headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden’s largest city, MELA Smart Solutions is well-known for implementing model that save their clients over 25% on their total electricity bills, making traditional, ‘energy-wasting’ lighting technologies obsolete.

MELA’s distinctive lighting technology offers an end-to-end solution by using energy-efficient, mercury-free, reliable LED lighting that holds the highest energy efficiency ratings at competitive price points. MELA LEDs have

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many advantages over incandescent light sources, including: 75% to 90% lower energy consumption, longer lifetime, improved physical robustness, smaller size, and sensor technology. MELA LED bulbs also generate 90% less heat than incandescent bulbs, significantly reducing HVAC demands. The bulbs are used to achieve a near-zero maintenance lighting system.

MELA products are designed to facilitate easy installation of programmable daylight sensors or motion sensors. Company President Charlie Mark believes that MELA’s lighting technology can drastically upgrade the safety standards of our neighborhoods: “The MELA street light projects an unbeatable beam angle. On a 24-foot lamp pole you get light up to 64 feet on each side of the pole, something that’s unmatched in the LED business. We also accomplish this with our solar light poles which can be dropped anywhere, with no maintenance and no electricity for up to 10 years!”

THE TRUMPET | SUSTAINABILITY IN NEW ORLEANS | SEPTEMBER 2014

Here’s a snapshot of the technical specs of one of Inland Lamp / MELA USA’s lighting systems, the Stella Street Light Series: 1. Exceptional heat transfer resulting in less wear, a market-leading 7-year warranty, better durability, and a 10-year or longer life. Copper heat dissipation liners replace standard industry practice aluminum inserts, providing superior heat dissipation.

2. The COB chip (Chips on Board) embedded in MELA Street Lights allows the light beam to be directed. COB is a new, advanced technology applied in LED packaging for light engines. In MELA lights, multiple LED chips (4 to 10) are integrated together as one lighting module. The MELA light COB LED, with these multiple chips enclosed together, increases the lighting area up to 10x while removing uncomfortable glare.

3. Our competition’s products use drivers with reduced lumens ratings and lower efficiency ratings, directly affecting product life expectancy. The LED drivers in MELA lights are top quality, allowing programmability, dimming, and automatic motion sensing. Hidden digital cameras and mesh networking can also be added for enhanced performance.

4. The Gallium-on-Silicon technology in the streetlight LED reduces the cost of manufacturing light emitting diodes, the semiconductor that generates light in solid-state lamps and light fixtures, by 75%.

5. The MELA Bridgelux diodes in our COB chips are the highest quality in the industry. They have a high CRI (Color Rendering Index) to correct the color handling required for the job. Have you ever passed a car dealership where a red car is under fluorescent yellow streetlight that makes the car look almost gray? That’s because that light has a low CRI of about 40. Under a MELA light (which have over 80 CRI), that same car would show off its candy apple red exterior perfectly, since 80 CRI means that at night, from a distance, 80% of the red color is visible to the naked eye. Simply stated, there is no other LED street lamp on the market that can do what MELA Stella series products can demonstrate when it comes to light quality.

Louisiana Customers Save While Economy Grows with Energy Efficiency

By Forest Wright

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ince 2011, Entergy customers have been saving energy and lowering their monthly utility bills with the help of energy efficiency rebates through the New Orleans Energy Smart programs. Energy efficiency includes such improvements as upgrading outdated appliances, air conditioners and lighting, installing insulation, or sealing cracks around windows, doors, and floors.

These improvements not only eliminate energy waste, they enhance the comfort and value of our homes and buildings.

Energy Smart was authorized by the New Orleans City Council and implemented by Entergy New Orleans to reduce energy waste and save customers money. In just the past three years, more than 25,000 customers have participated with projected savings worth more than $40 million over the next ten years. Successful energy efficiency programs like Energy Smart result in more money for family budgets, stronger business bottom lines, and increased economic activity in our local economy.

The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy has shown that investing in energy efficiency to reduce waste is far cheaper than generating more power, with efficiency improvements averaging between $0.02$0.04 per kilowatt hour. If Louisiana sought to maximize such investments over the next twenty years, they project savings of more than $4.2 billion dollars for customers. Moreover, improving the energy performance of homes and businesses puts people to work. A study of energy efficiency programs in the Southeast shows just how beneficial they can be to the region. Every $1,000,000 invested in general construction generates labor income of approximately $750,000 and creates just under 14 jobs; while every $1,000,000 invested in energy efficiency generated labor income of $1,117,098 and creates 17 jobs, thus putting more people to work and more money in the economy. And of course these benefits come on top of the dollars saved by customers.

Due to the hard work of the Alliance for Affordable Energy and our allies, soon all utility customers of Entergy, CLECO, and SWEPCO will be able to share in these benefits with new energy efficiency programs rolling out across the state this October 1st.

Despite the individual, economic, and environmental benefits offered by energy efficiency programs, we have faced an uphill battle getting Public Service Commissioners on board. After three years in development, a statewide initiative passed in December 2012, but was derailed when Eric Skrmetta became Chair of the Commission. Although nearly every other state and the city of New Orleans have successfully implemented similar programs that are saving customers millions of dollars every year, Commissioner Skrmetta voted to ‘start over’ in early 2013, claiming that more research was needed. It took a tremendous amount of effort by the public and groups like the Alliance for Affordable Energy to overcome Skrmetta’s vocal opposition, but over a year after being derailed, these long overdue measures will finally be available to the people of Louisiana.

Forest Wright worked for the Alliance for Affordable Energy for the past nine years, most recently as their utility policy advocate. He is challenging Eric Skrmetta for a seat on the Public Service Commission in November’s election with the aim of bringing new leadership at a pivotal point in the state’s energy landscape.

THE TRUMPET | SUSTAINABILITY IN NEW ORLEANS | SEPTEMBER 2014

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Stay Warm & Save Money With These Handy Tips from CORE USA

By Tilman Hardy, CEO of CORE USA info@coreusa.org

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t’s something that New Orleanians just know in their bones – we’ve got it lucky. Our hometown is full of friendly faces, delicious regional cuisine, beautiful architecture, and a festival (or two) for every day of the year. Even though it sometimes might not seem so, we’ve even got it lucky when it comes to weather. Sure, the summer is long, hot and humid, but we make up for it with mild autumn and winter temperatures that let us enjoy our great outdoors long after our northern neighbors have broken out the scarves and snow boots for the season. Even with our lowest temperatures traditionally hovering in the high 40s, however, a cold house can be a miserable place to come home to after a hard day’s work. But the cost of heating an improperly weatherized home is just one of many problems you could be facing. Outdated building codes and improper construction can create health, safety, comfort, and durability concerns throughout your building, draining your wallet, making you sick, and hurting the planet.

That’s why CORE USA is passionate about helping home and business owners create sustainable environments.

If you haven’t already, it’s your best bet to contact an energy efficiency specialist to audit your home’s energy efficiency levels and suggest the best course of action to properly weatherize your home. A home energy audit, also known as a home energy assessment, is the first step to assess how much energy your home consumes and to evaluate what measures you can take to make your home more energy efficient. An assessment will show you problems that may, when corrected, save you significant amounts of money over time. Energy specialists can help you by checking for leaks, examining insulation, inspecting the furnace and ductwork, and much more.

There are also other ways to keep your home in tip-top shape this autumn and winter. Here are some energy-saving tips for making sure that you aren’t wasting your hard-earned dollars on inefficient home energy practices. It’s amazing what a few small changes can do to help you (and your home) get through the winter without breaking the bank!

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HEAT FROM THE SUN

MAINTAIN YOUR HEATING SYSTEMS

• Open curtains on your south-facing windows during the day to allow sunlight to naturally heat your home, and close them at night to reduce the chill you may feel from cold windows.

• Schedule service for your heating system.

• Find out what maintenance is required to keep your heating system operating efficiently.

• Furnaces: Replace your furnace filter once a month or as needed.

• Wood and Pellet-Burning Heaters: Clean the flue vent regularly and clean the inside of the appliance with a wire brush periodically to ensure that your home is heated efficiently.

COVER DRAFTY WINDOWS • Use a heavy-duty, clear plastic sheet on a frame or tape clear plastic film to the inside of your window frames during the cold winter months. Make sure the plastic is sealed tightly to the frame to help reduce infiltration.

• Install tight-fitting, insulating drapes or shades on windows that feel drafty after weatherizing.

ADJUST THE TEMPERATURE • When you are home and awake, set your thermostat as low as is comfortable.

• When you are asleep or out of the house, turn your thermostat back 10° to 15° for eight hours and save around 10% a year on your heating and cooling bills. A programmable thermostat can make it easy to set back your temperature.

FIND AND SEAL LEAKS • Seal the air leaks around utility cut-throughs for pipes (“plumbing penetrations”), gaps around chimneys and recessed lights in insulated ceilings, and unfinished spaces behind cupboards and closets.

• Add caulk or weatherstripping to seal air leaks around leaky doors and windows.

REDUCE HEAT LOSS FROM THE FIREPLACE • Keep your fireplace damper closed unless a fire is burning. Keeping the damper open is like keeping a window wide open during the winter; it allows warm air to go right up the chimney.

• When you use the fireplace, reduce heat loss by opening dampers in the bottom of the firebox (if provided) or open the nearest window slightly -- approximately 1 inch -- and close doors leading into the room. Lower the thermostat setting to between 50° and 55°F. • If you never use your fireplace, plug and seal the chimney flue.

• If you do use the fireplace, install tempered glass doors and a heat-air exchange system that blows warmed air back into the room.

• Check the seal on the fireplace flue damper and make it as snug as possible.

• Purchase grates made of C-shaped metal tubes to draw cool room air into the fireplace and circulate warm air back into the room.

• Add caulking around the fireplace hearth.

LOWER YOUR WATER HEATING COSTS • Water heating can account for 14% to 25% of the energy consumed in your home.

• Turn down the temperature of your water heater to the warm setting (120°F). You’ll not only save energy, you’ll avoid scalding your hands.

To find out more about how to keep your home safe, healthy, earth conscious and budget friendly this winter, give CORE USA a call at 504.298.9556 today!

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THE TRUMPET | SUSTAINABILITY IN NEW ORLEANS | SEPTEMBER 2014

The additional vegetation which would allow rainfall to flow back into the ground would enhance the scenery found in Greater New Orleans. In this proposed project, The Airline Corridor, which flows through Jefferson Parish and Orleans Parish, would connect district watersheds and recreate the entrance to the city which the area once was.

Sustainably Wet

By Robin A. Barnes, Executive Vice President & COO of GNO, Inc.

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fter Hurricane Katrina, $14.5 billion of federal funds were invested in levees, floodwalls, gates and pumps to create an enviable surge protection system that is visited with great frequency by officials from storm surge-ravaged communities around the world. “I want that!� was what one New York City deputy mayor said to New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu when they toured the Lake Borgne Surge Barrier after Hurricane Sandy.

Within the city, for over 100 years, our complex system of canals, pipes and pump stations, managed by the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans (S&WB), has continually rid the city of storm water, which falls at a rate of 64 inches per year, within hours of any given rainfall.

Inside and outside of the levee system, we have felt safe and dry.

But recently, economic development and government leaders, influenced by the Dutch and our local water management experts, have adopted a new view: It is okay to be a little wet. And, in fact, we are better off that way.

A new vision for our city and region has been put forth: Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan. Innovated by an international team led by Waggonner & Ball Architects, and administered by Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.), the Urban Water Plan proposes a lusher, greener and wetter landscape, returning the underlying ecology of the area to what it once was before.

By re-introducing water back into our environment in smart and innovative ways, we can reduce subsidence, manage flooding, cool the air, and continue to grow our city.

A series of demonstration projects, whose designs can be found in the Plan documents on www.livingwithwater.com, are just the tip of the iceberg for an ambitious proposal for large-scale systems changes, policy reforms and a new paradigm for economic growth centered around sustainability.

The Plan has been embraced by the S&WB, where it has informed a new Green Infrastructure Plan. The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority is using the Plan as a foundation for innovative land use for water management through rain gardens. Nonprofit housing organizations such as Project Home Again and Make it Right have integrated water management within the landscaping and streetscaping in the communities they serve.

With the goal of becoming a global hub for urban resilience, GNO, Inc. has targeted a new industry sector, Emerging Environmental, consisting of companies that create jobs and revenues by addressing environmental challenges.

But our work has only just begun. Though the Plan has been embraced by many, the large scale solutions that are needed to ensure the sustainability of this great city and region have yet to be realized and will require financing solutions and political will.

The economic gains are undeniable and clearly documented: a $6.2 billion investment reaps economic benefits totaling over $22 billion in reduced costs of damages related to flooding and subsidence, reduced flood insurance premiums, increased property values and job creation.

For more information on the progress of the Greater New Orleans Urban Water Plan, visit http://gnoinc.org/initiatives/the-greater-new-orleans-water-plan/ THE TRUMPET | SUSTAINABILITY IN NEW ORLEANS | SEPTEMBER 2014

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IDIYA and Partners

Supporting the New Orleans Maker Movement

By Domenic Giunta, IDIYA

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DIYA is excited to announce the opening of our pilot location at the Building Performance Center of Louisiana, located at 2372 St. Claude Ave. IDIYA strengthens the economic development of our community by providing access to organized workspace, professional equipment, and educational classes.

Through our partnership with CORE USA, IDIYA plans to build a network of state of the art makerspaces in the New Orleans area, focused on workforce education and economic development through inter-community manufacturing. As we grow, our facilities will feature everything from wood and metal working equipment, to the latest in 3D printing, CNC milling, and laser cutting. Just as steam equipment made manufacturing more affordable during the first industrial revolution, we believe access to these types of capital equipment will provide our community a more affordable means of production in the next industrial revolution.

Over the past 5 decades, manufacturing in the Unites States has seen a steady decline as outsourcing has sent production overseas; and with it, many US jobs. Further complicating economic development, increases in technology has made some skills, knowledge, and talents obsolete as new technologies have changed the skillsets needed in today’s workforce.

To compound the challenge of US manufacturing, few educational institutions teach the vocational programing needed for today’s advanced manufacturing.

IDIYA hopes to changes this by helping our community engage in new technologies through the creation of centralized locations where members can learn, discuss, and share the latest in innovation. Our membership-based workshop and manufacturing studio provides members with a broad range of classes, state of the art equipment, and clean workspace. Through our

locations, IDIYA fosters an environment where members learn new skills at their own pace, and for the projects they are interested in doing. Beyond hands on learning, our facility provides classes and workforce development in Computer Sciences, Manufacturing, Design, Business Development, Carpentry, Art, and much more. Finally, our consulting division provides incubator services to help artisans and craftsmen take their productions to the next level; bridging the gap from boutique production to mass manufacturing.

In addition to providing members with the latest in manufacturing technology, IDIYA takes a different approach to the maker movement’s innovation and creativity. By giving the individual the ability to create virtually anything, we realize the strain that will be placed on already scarce resources. IDIYA hopes to change this by placing an emphasis on the recycling and reuse of existing materials in the design and manufacturing process. Through our partnerships with great organizations like CORE USA, the Alliance for Affordable Energy, and others, we hope to educate our community on the benefits of Environmental Design. We see this as not only a way of being environmentally conscious, but, by taking this reuse approach, we hope to reduce the cost of innovation and production.

We are excited to partner with CORE USA to bring this concept to New Orleans and we look forward to supporting our community. As history has shown, it is not just the innovators, but the manufacturers of these innovations, that become the barons of their industries. We hope to incubate the next generation of Vanderbilts, Carnegies, and Fords.

Find out more about IDIYA at www.myidiya.com

Control Your Energy Bills With Energy Smart

By Casey DeMoss, CEO of Alliance for Affordable Energy

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ow much was your electric bill this summer? $200? $300?

Up to $500? Summers are hot in New Orleans, with average temperatures running consistently in the 90s. As a result, our air conditioning units work overtime, and that gets expensive fast! Our historic homes and apartments don’t help out either; old attics, windows, and floors leak the cooled air right out. If our air conditioning stayed where it belonged, our bills would not be so high.

That’s why the Alliance for Affordable Energy worked to get an energy efficiency program approved in New Orleans. The program is called Energy Smart because it’s smart to make your home more energy efficient – saving on your electric bill lets you afford other things! Energy Smart is a policy of the New Orleans City Council and is run by Entergy New Orleans and CLEAResult, a national energy efficiency implementation company. The program has been very successful; over 22,000 customers and businesses have participated so far.

Some benefits of making your home or workplace energy efficient include: 8

• • • • •

Lower utility bills Fewer drafts Consistent temperatures across rooms Better ventilation and humidity control More comfort in the home or office

How does it work?

Energy Smart is a rebate program. Customers have access to energy assessments and valuable rebates for building improvements, like attic insulation, AC tune-ups, window unit trade-ins, and much more. Incentives are available for homes, apartments and businesses. It’s very easy!

Every building is different, kind of like a fingerprint. It’s important to get an energy auditor into the place. Pre-approved energy auditors and contractors have up-to-date certifications, ensuring quality control. These professionals use special equipment to find leaks, and tell you how to plug them cost effectively. Depending on the improvement projects you choose, Energy Smart can help pay over $5,000 towards energy efficiency improvements, leading to 20% or more in savings on your electric bill.

THE TRUMPET | SUSTAINABILITY IN NEW ORLEANS | SEPTEMBER 2014

Understanding Your Electric Bill Do you know what all of those charges on your monthly Entergy New Orleans bill mean? Here’s a handy guide to reading your bill, so you can see for yourself what you’d be saving with Energy Smart!

Electric Base Rate Charge: There are two different costs here. The first cost is the flat rate fee of $8.07. This is a fixed part, regardless of energy usage so even if you were out of town and used no energy, you would still owe $8.07. The second cost is the base rate. These are the nonfuel costs of providing electricity, including cost of wires, poles, power plants, customers’ meters, service locations, and service trucks. The total amount of money needed to provide these services is divided up among all bill payers, and we pay for the portion based on the amount of energy we use. For residential it’s $0.06002 x kilowatt hours (kWh) used, up to 800 kWh. After that you get a deal, and kWh over 800 are charged $0.04766.

Formula Rate Plan: Each year, Entergy makes an educated guess about how much money they need to collect from us to keep the energy flowing for the next year. At the end of the year, the City Council goes through a “true-up” with Entergy. Did they collect everything they needed to collect? Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t. This is highly dependent on weather. If it is really hot and we use a lot more AC than they predicted, then they collect too much and have to give it back. The opposite can happen too. If they under collect, then they risk bankruptcy and we risk darkness. It is very important that the true-up is done annually.

Currently, we are getting a credit of 10.5278% off the base rate charge.

Fuel and Purchased Power Cost: Most of the energy

we use in New Orleans comes from burning natural gas. We have to buy

that gas from a supplier who is selling in a global market. Hence, the cost changes all the time. To make our bills more transparent, regulators pulled this charge out of the base rate so you can see exactly what you are paying for fuel. The price you see on your bill is what the cost of fuel was at Henry Hub two months ago, plus transportation to get the fuel from the ground to the power plant. You pay only the portion of the fuel that you used. Last month the charge was $0.046278 x kWh used.

Federal Mandated EAC Rider: This charge is federallymandated to comply with the EPA’s Clean Air Interstate Rules that reduce and cap asthma-causing air pollutants, including nitrous oxide (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). These pollutants are particularly harmful to children and the elderly.

Street Use Franchise Fee: This is the fee charged by the City of New Orleans to Entergy New Orleans for the privilege of being our electric service provider. Entergy shareholders don’t pay this; customers pay through the base rate. If the fee goes up, so will our bills. Current charge: $0.000016 x kilowatt hours.

Emergency Storm Reserve Fund: Insurance companies have all but abandoned the Gulf Coast. This means that after a storm, we pay for power line repairs ourselves. The Storm Reserve allows Entergy to charge customers upfront for costs expected to happen due to storm damage.

This helps even out the costs so we don’t have to pay for the repairs all at once. The Storm Reserve is capped at $75 million. (2.3246% x base rate) kWh (kiloWatt hour) Metered: This number reflects the amount of energy you used in a month. This is how Entergy knows what to charge you. See the chart below for how you can spend a kWh:

Device

Wattage

Hours used

kWh

Small Window-unit AC

500 watts

1 hour

500 watts

Medium Window-unit AC

1000 watts

1 hour

1000 watts

Large Window-unit AC

1500 watts

1 hour

1500 watts

42” Ceiling Fan on low

24 watts

10 hours

24 watts

Regular Light Bulb

100 watts

730 hours (all month)

100 watts

CFL Light Bulb

25 watts

730 hours

25 watts

LED Light Bulb

10 watts

730 hours

10 watts

To figure out how much a device will cost you to run use this formula: wattage x hours used ÷ 1000 x $0.06002/kWh = $ cost to run appliance For more information contact Alliance for Affordable Energy at: info@all4energy.org THE TRUMPET | SUSTAINABILITY IN NEW ORLEANS | SEPTEMBER 2014

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How Did New Orleans Become One of the Top Solar Cities in America?

By Jeff Cantin, GSREIA Secretary and Founder & President of Solar Alternatives, Inc.

D

rive around on any given day in New Orleans, and you’re likely to find a solar company installing energy-producing solar panels on the rooftop of an Uptown shotgun home, Gentilly bungalow or Lakeview renovation. Although this is part of a national trend of increasing use of solar and renewable energy, it turns out that New Orleans is special. Designated a Solar America City in early 2008, and blessed with strong solar resources, New Orleans and Louisiana on the whole have become one of the fastest-growing solar markets in the country. New Orleans in particular has reached some of the top solar ratings of any US city, including most solar installations per capita of any metropolitan area. A recent count from Entergy New Orleans estimates over 6000 solar installations in the city, showing a growth rate of 30-40% per year and a combined solar power capacity of approximately 30 megawatts.

This is enough power to energize over two million light bulbs at once, and puts over $3,500,000 back into the local economy every year through energy savings!

Why is solar growing so fast in New Orleans? Thank the city’s progressive tradition, falling material costs, as well as a set of federal and state tax credits that provide up to 80% of the funding for a typical residential solar installation. The federal and state credits are submitted separately, and most homeowners earning at least $65,000 combined income, filing Louisiana taxes, and with some unshaded roof space in a southerly direction will qualify for the full incentive program. For other homeowners there are leasing options where the panels are “rented” instead of purchased, but as always, buyers must compare benefits and long-term costs to make the best decision for their family.

What does it do for the owner? Although several solar technologies exist, most solar installations use “photovoltaic” technology that creates electricity

directly from sunlight and feeds that power into the home’s circuit breaker panel. With this design, and using a special utility program called “net metering”, a home can use solar energy in the daytime to provide some or all of the power needs, and return extra power back to the grid for credit on the next bill. At night and during cloudy periods the home will automatically revert to using utility power. A typical installation of 20-30 panels provides $500$1000 annually in energy savings for the owner, which often translates into more consumer spending and economic activity for the city’s retail businesses.

Is there enough sunlight down here? The southern US, including Louisiana, is considered one of the sunniest parts of the country, behind only desert states and parts of California in number of average “solar hours” per day. Anyone who has lived through a few New Orleans summers knows that the sun doesn’t let up for long, and solar panels help turn that relentless sunlight into positive cash flow. The panels, when mounted on a roof, are also purported to help reduce attic temperatures and prolong roof life by intercepting solar heat. Like all building improvements, solar installations are required to meet strict new 130mph building codes, and have an anticipated working life of 30 years.

Who is installing all of these panels? The Solar America City designation helped energize the solar industry in New Orleans and created the Solar Roundtable of like-minded solar installers to discuss common problems. This eventually led to formation of the Gulf States Renewable Energy Industries Association (GSREIA), a chapter of the national Solar Energy Industries Association and representative of solar firms in important issues such as “net metering” and renewal of the state’s tax credits.

With falling solar costs, rising utility costs, helpful incentives and more financing options for solar projects, the future is looking bright for even more panels to appear in our neighborhoods.

Learn more about this technology and the steps to going solar at the website for GSREIA, www.gsreia.org Also discover solar installations in your neighborhood at the New Orleans Solar Map, www.neworleanssolarmap.org 10

THE TRUMPET | SUSTAINABILITY IN NEW ORLEANS | SEPTEMBER 2014

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Navigating Residential Sustainable Building Options

By Laura LeBon, Principal of Urban Architecture LLC, www.urbanarch.us

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n the not-so-distant future, Don and Susan will be moving from their three bedroom, 1400-square foot half double into something smaller.

During their searches for apartments on the market, Don and Susan came to realize how spoiled they’ve been in their current home. The building is well insulated, the air conditioning was sized properly by an experienced installer, the lighting was properly designed, and LED light bulbs were installed. Because the tax credits cannot be used on duplexes, their landlord, who lives in the other half of this double, would have to pay for the total cost of the solar panels herself, making this option unaffordable.

Because the house was so well designed, their average electricity bill is $50.

They’ve found that most people are paying a heck of a lot more, which means that the monthly rent payment that Don and Susan can afford is considerably lower than they had originally figured. Since owners of single-family homes are eligible to receive significant tax credits to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, Don and Susan have begun looking at purchasing a house and investing in the most effective energy efficient technology that will fit their limited budget. They contacted Urban Architecture to explore their options.

The most visible technology popping up all over town is the addition of solar panels. State tax credits, which apply for up to 50% of the cost of the solar panels also apply to solar water heaters and solar space heaters. While the tax credit must be applied the same year the technology is installed, any excess credit which exceeds the taxpayer’s tax liabilities for that year shall be treated as an overpayment. The Department of Revenue will issue a refund for the remaining amount within a year of receiving the claim.

In addition to federal and state tax credits, there are several incentive programs offered through Entergy to help educate residential customers about

the benefits of sustainable building and afford energy efficient improvements.

These incentives cover a variety of improvements, including a variety of air conditioning and heating options and new windows, among other measures.

This program also covers the cost of tightening up existing systems. To take advantage of this program, a certified energy rater will test the home and assign an energy rating, often referred to as a HERS rating, to the home.

After the improvements are made, another test will be done to prove that the home’s energy efficiency has improved in accordance with the program.

Should Don and Susan consider building a new home, there are a few rating programs that are available. These include EnergyStar, ICC 700 National Green Building Standard Certification, both of which rely on HERS ratings to objectively quantify the energy efficiency of the home, and LEED for Homes, which is based on the USGBC system of sustainable building. The best way to get information on these programs is by contacting an architect or contractor who specializes in sustainable building.

Don and Susan are in the minority in Louisiana, as most people don’t realize that with a few simple, low cost alterations to existing systems, a significant amount of money can be saved. REALTORS are now starting to document the “green” features and certifications of homes in the MLS so that buyers can ask their real estate agents to help them search for eco-friendly, energy efficient features and sellers should hire a listing agent who can help them make those features shine.

THE TRUMPET | SUSTAINABILITY IN NEW ORLEANS | SEPTEMBER 2014

For more information on financial incentives available in your neighborhood, including state and federal incentives, visit www.dsireusa.org 11

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New Orleans Food Co-op

Community Owned Business Advances Economic Sustainability

By Lori Burge, General Manager of the New Orleans Food Co-op, www.nolafood.coop

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ew Orleans Food Co-op (NOFC) is a consumer-owned, mission-driven business that operates a natural foods grocery store and offers community programs in the New Orleans Healing Center at the corner of St. Claude and St. Roch. Given the lack of fresh, healthful foods in the city, the community mobilized to take matters into their own hands, and after ten years of organizing, the store opened in October 2011. Always growing, NOFC is now over 3,500 owners strong, serves an average of 450 customers per day, and provides meaningful work with fair wages and benefits to a team of 20 staff. The store is open to the public from 7am to 10pm daily.

The Co-op measures its success on a triple bottom-line of people, profit, and planet; commonly referred to as the Three Pillars of Sustainability.

NOFC’s commitment to environmental sustainability can be seen in its product selection, facility, and waste management. In addition to environmental sustainability, the Co-op is deeply committed to benefiting our community and cultivating economic sustainability.

NOFC sets an example that the co-op model can be a viable solution to many of our social and economic challenges. When you shop co-op, more money stays in the local economy than at privately or publically-traded

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grocery stores. A recent ICA Group study conducted nationally shows that co-op grocers create local jobs with better wages and benefits, more regional farmers and producers are supported, more money is invested in the local community, and greater steps for environmental protection are taken than with conventional grocers. Co-ops also keep their profits in the local community.

Supporting Regional Farmers & Producers The New Orleans Food Co-op supports dozens of local farmers and producers. Many local producers first enter the retail marketplace through the Co-op. To make it easier for farmers and producers to focus on what they do best, the Co-op assembled a guide to help local producers navigate industry terminology, the legal requirements, and best practices related to marketing their products to the public and selling their products to a retail establishment.

The Co-op promotes the benefits of eating local and building deeper connections with producers and consumers by promoting the farms through a series of producer profiles, highlighting local products, holding events where consumers and producers can meet, and by co-sponsoring the New Orleans Eat Local Challenge.

THE TRUMPET | SUSTAINABILITY IN NEW ORLEANS | SEPTEMBER 2014

Local Jobs & Workforce Development Keeping capital and jobs in our community is an important part of NOFC’s mission. One of the understated challenges of opening a store in a food desert is that few area residents have experience working grocery, let alone natural foods. NOFC values creating local jobs and thus has provided extensive training to our staff and the broader community. Starting from the ground up, the co-op hosts school groups helping children learn about fresh fruits and vegetables. Teens and young adults are also given the opportunity to intern at the co-op.

Through the city’s Youthworks program,

the co-op hosts average of 16 youth each summer to build job skills and experience. NOFC has invested thousands of hours providing extensive training to its staff, values cultivating leadership amongst its staff, and often promotes from within.

Profits Stay Here In Our Community At the Co-op each owner has only one share and one vote. Profit isn’t based off an investment model where the rich get richer. When New Orleans Food Co-op makes a profit, that money stays right here in our community. The consumer-owner elected board votes each year on how much profit should be reinvested in the co-op to ensure its economic sustainability and vitality and how much should be distributed to owners in proportion to their purchases through a patronage refund program.

Simply put, the Co-op invests in our local farmers/producers, creates local jobs, and keeps profits in our community. The Co-op is a businesses rooted in a philosophy of self-help and economic sustainability. Join the movement.

New Orleans Healing Center

Healing the Community Through Five Pillars of Sustainability

By Dan Walker, Executive Director of New Orleans Healing Center

The New Orleans Healing Center is a community center like no other. That’s because its purpose and operating principles are based on United Nations guidelines for sustainability. Consequently, it is uniquely structured to be able to simultaneously help, heal, and empower individuals and surrounding neighborhoods at the economic, social, environmental, physical/mental, and spiritual levels.

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Similarly, AHA (Affordable Healing Arts) offers a number of alternative, complementary, integrative and indigenous healing arts for mind and body, while Downtown Fitness offers fitness and strength development. Magnolia Physical Therapy helps patients manage an impairment, or return to full physical health. These groups will be enhanced by the upcoming Spiritual Assistance for Disabled and Elderly Program, which will connect mainstream services with the Healing Center, creating a more holistic healing approach for the elderly and those with disability.

The credit union provides affordable access to The carefully selected establishing credit and supporting commercial investment • All businesses housed within the Center must community-focused in struggling communities left behind by other financial contribute to healing on some level and must all work together to enhance the positive programs, services, and institutions. Build Now is helping local resident rebuild New Orleans, building elevated, energy-efficient homes healing effect of the whole. activities are designed that combine green-building technologies with modern • All must balance a spiritual bottom line amenities. to help revitalize and with a financial bottom line.

The Street University oversees adult education restore neighborhoods • All must contribute to the wellbeing of the courses of every sort taught by anyone in the New and bring them community and must maintain respect for Orleans community with a practical skill, craft, art, the culture and traditions of the diverse passion, or life experience to communicate and share. together under our five neighborhoods.

The non-denominational Interfaith Space allows people pillars of sustainability. of different faiths to come together to engage in In effect, the healing center becomes a hub dialogue, learn from each, or even just retreat from the of diverse individuals and groups, who are all hectic world for a time. focused on the positive well-being of the community, so that anyone coming Much more than just a physical building or large meeting facility, through the door can find a healing approach that works on all those five the New Orleans Healing Center is a pioneering social/civic enterprise levels: a credit union, a grocery cooperative, street university, physical that provides a sustainable framework and guidance for individuals and therapy center, yoga studio, healing arts collective, interfaith center, and communities to help each other, and above all, themselves. others. But more importantly, these and other carefully selected communityfocused programs, services, and activities are designed to help revitalize and restore neighborhoods and bring them together under our five pillars of sustainability.

For example, the New Orleans Food Cooperative teaches locals about sustainable approaches to cooking and eating, and how to do both healthily.

t does this by providing a base for small businesses and organizations to cater to the community, on the corner of St Claude and St Roch, bringing together the Riverside and Lakeside communities along the St Claude corridor. The New Orleans Healing Center is not just a base for other organizations: it really is about healing. That’s why all of the businesses that are part of the healing center must agree to and sign onto a Credo that mandates a strong element of social responsibility and entrepreneurship. Specifically:

For more information, visit www.neworleanshealingcenter.org

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Equity Is a Growth Strategy

By Rodrick Miller, President & CEO of the New Orleans Business Alliance

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ere in New Orleans, we understand wealth inequity like few other places. We’ve lived with its consequences for generations. But today, civic, community and political leaders are more aligned than ever in seeking out and implementing workable solutions. The New Orleans Business Alliance (NOLABA), the city’s public-private partnership dedicated to economic development, has adopted equity as a growth strategy and is working on several programs to help reduce barriers to wealth and job creation.

One of the most glaring inequities is in minority representation among startup companies and the firms that invest in them. That is why NOLABA is happy to have co-hosted the inaugural event of a new national initiative, PowerMoves.NOLA, during Essence Fest this year.

PowerMoves.NOLA, an outgrowth of the City’s economic development plan, ProsperityNOLA, aims to increase the number of minority-owned startup companies with the potential to make it big by providing access to investors and investment, connecting businesses with others who have succeeded, and guiding them through the first stages of growth. Because we have a robust ecosystem of support systems and thriving entrepreneurs (we’ve been called the best place to start a business by numerous national media sources), New Orleans is the perfect place to become a hub of minority entrepreneurship.

Historically, minority-owned startups lack both the strong financial backing and connections with successful entrepreneurs that typical high-growth

businesses have. This lack of resources means these entrepreneurs cannot sustain themselves and their families while getting a business off the ground. And they struggle to identify others who can help them grow, like larger businesses that need what they offer or the means to distribute their product or service. PowerMoves.NOLA addresses these challenges. It offers a new path to those resources by connecting financing, expertise, mentors and partners so startups can grow quickly and sustainably.

In addition to this initiative, NOLABA is collaborating with others to improve provide economic opportunity for all New Orleans residents. Working with Educate Now! and GNO, Inc., NOLABA is developing a new Career Technical Education Program that will be piloted at four local high schools. This program connects the schools to employers who help provide training in digital media, healthcare and skilled crafts. Along with city government and the business community, we are constantly looking for ways to connect employers and employees, from internships to training programs to full-scale hiring.

NOLABA is also implementing new ways to help New Orleans’ small businesses, the backbone of our economy, take advantage of larger economic development projects. For example, we are working with local large employers – anchors of the community – to foster relationships with our small business owners. Buying from and contracting with New Orleans businesses increases their economic impact and helps ensure long-range prosperity for both.

In addition to this initiative, NOLABA is collaborating with others to improve provide economic opportunity for all New Orleans residents.

About Us: At NOLABA, we feel strongly that addressing wealth and employment inequities is a cornerstone of long-term economic growth for our city, our businesses and our citizens.

We continue to strive to ensure it is an integral part of everything we do.

Buying and Selling Green Homes Now Easier in Greater New Orleans

By Steve Picou & Grasshopper Mendoza, NOLA Vibe and DeSaix Area Neighborhood Association

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ince 2005, thousands of us are living in newly rebuilt or improved homes. And thanks to energy efficiency programs like NOLA Wise, Energy Smart and Energy Wise Alliance—and the hard work of many community organizations like Global Green, the LSU AgCenter, and the Alliance for Affordable Energy—many more of us live in homes with better insulation, more efficient appliances, efficient air conditioning systems, and other improvements that reduce our utility bills and make our dwellings more durable, healthy and affordable. More recently, tax incentives caused a significant rise in the number of homes with solar systems, an improvement that will produce energy—and reduce bills—for decades. But when you are looking to buy or sell a home with these features, where do you turn? Now, thanks to newly implemented green data fields in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) used to list homes for sale in the Greater New Orleans region, we all have a new tool to help us live green.

Launched in November 2013, the new “green attachment” to the MLS form gives the seller the opportunity to list improvements like radiant barrier, better insulation, Energy Star appliances, solar systems, water

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efficient fixtures, stormwater management features and more. If a home has a certification like the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), National Homebuilders Association Green (NAHB Green), or a HERS (Home Energy Rating System) score, it can be input into the MLS listing, making it searchable by buyers and their agents. This is a game-changer for the marketplace. However, for the new MLS attachment to work, sellers need to do their part to make sure their improvements are documented, and that these new green MLS fields are filled-out when listing the home.

People want more efficient, healthier homes. Thanks to the hard work of the leadership of the Gulf South Real Estate Information Network (GSREIN) and the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of REALTORS® (NOMAR), finding these kinds of homes for sale in the ten parish NOMAR region will be easier. If you are selling a home with green, energy efficient improvements, ask your agent about the new green MLS attachment. You’ve done your part to make your home better, now make it easier for today’s savvier buyers to find and buy it!

THE TRUMPET | SUSTAINABILITY IN NEW ORLEANS | SEPTEMBER 2014

With a solar generator on hand, you’ll never have to worry about keeping the lights on in an emergency.

Cleaning Up Emergency Power with Solar Generators

By Ryne Artigue, Marketing Manager for Solar Alternatives

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nyone living in the New Orleans area is well aware of the dangers hurricanes and tropical storms pose to the region.

The warm water in the Gulf of Mexico puts South Louisiana residents at high risk for property damage from tropical cyclones and other extreme weather conditions. When a storm rolls through, large areas often lose power for days or weeks at a time. Even during less severe tropical storms, power outages are common.

In 2012, Hurricane Isaac, a minor Category 1 hurricane, left more than 700,000 Louisiana residents without power. Almost 200,000 homes remained powerless for the next week. The high risk of power outages in this area makes weathering even minor storms difficult and at times impossible, especially for families with small children or for those with special medical needs.

Although portable gasoline and whole-home generators offer traditional solutions to emergency power needs, a more recent innovation is the solar generator. These innovative back-up power systems are powered purely by sunlight and designed to keep the lights on when the power grid is offline.

A solar generator consists of an array of solar panels, a battery bank and power conversion equipment. Solar generators switch automatically to backup power when the utility grid fails, and provide a daily supply of electricity from sunlight. A reserve supply of energy in the battery bank keeps the system running during low-light conditions, and systems normally recharge in a single day. When the utility grid is up, solar generators perform like a grid-tied solar system and send extra electricity to the utility for credits on your bill. The savings often add up to thousands of dollars over the life of a system.

Solar generators also qualify for Louisiana’s 80% combined solar tax credits, helping make them more affordable than most traditional installed natural gas counterparts, which often also have much higher ongoing maintenance costs.

“Imagine not having to wait in long gas station lines before and after storms or worrying about them running out of fuel,” said Mike Murphy, design engineer with Solar Alternatives. “Solar generators are a great alternative to the gasoline-powered generators. You can avoid the noise, the fumes, and won’t have to stockpile fuel at your home.”

Solar generators involve advanced technology and are typically more expensive than basic grid-tied (non-battery) solar energy systems. However, the combined Federal and Louisiana tax credits make it possible for Louisiana residents to purchase this technology at a relatively affordable price. Owners of solar generators also enjoy the added benefits of an endless daily energy supply and environmentally safe backup power.

New Orleans solar firm Solar Alternatives has installed solar generators on homes and businesses across Southeast Louisiana, and also provides portable solar power systems for festivals, first responders, and other mobile and emergency applications. For more information on solar generators, contact Solar Alternatives at (504) 267-1660 or visit the learning section at www.solalt.com. Also, keep up with what’s happening in solar in Louisiana and America by liking the Solar Alternatives Facebook page at www.facebook.com/solaralternatives!

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Achieving Energy Efficiency in New Orleans Schools

By Stephanie Mezynski, Project Manager at Green Coast Enterprises www.greencoastenterprises.com

In 2009, New Orleans school operators were spending $1 – 2 million more than necessary on utility costs each year, based on a study commissioned by the US Department of Energy. One of the lead authors, Joe Ryan, now works as Green Coast Enterprises’ Senior Building Engineer. The firm’s consulting arm, GCE Services, built its team around expertise in building science, urban planning, and data analysis to implement hands-on energy-saving solutions in all types of buildings, including school buildings.

This is paying off for the local schools. Over the past nine months, GCE Services has saved over $125,000 between three New Orleans schools, and the savings continue to grow. How did we do it?

Below, our experts answer important questions about how to save energy (and money) in schools.

Why is saving energy in New Orleans’ schools so difficult?

Is it all in how a building is designed, or do ongoing operations matter?

Schools are unique buildings with different needs and considerations than most other building types. Unlike an apartment building, schools are not occupied overnight. But unlike an office building, various parts of the building have significantly different schedules, fluctuating day-to-day and week-to-week. Many schools, such as Andrew H. Wilson Charter School in Broadmoor, also function as community centers, adding another layer of complexity to their scheduling needs. It helps to think of these buildings as a collection of separate areas, rather than a single entity. This allows you to address each area’s heating and cooling needs separately, and with a little bit of automation a schedule can be set for each area to serve the heating and cooling needs of different parts of the building only when conditioning is required. The humidity in New Orleans and the requirement to bring significant amounts of fresh, outdoor air into the school makes it even more difficult to achieve energy savings. A finger on the pulse of our ever-changing weather and a keen understanding of the equipment designed to condition the outdoor air makes all the difference.

Both good design and skillful operators are necessary to achieve energy efficiency. While energy efficient design creates a higher savings potential, it isn’t enough to build a state-of-the-art facility and run it on autopilot. Many new school buildings are equipped with sophisticated controls, but these can malfunction or be overridden, with issues going unnoticed for long periods of time. Poor operations and maintenance can lead to a range of consequences including overspending on utilities, shorter equipment lifetimes, and occupant discomfort. How a school functions after opening its doors is just as important as how it’s built.

What is the secret to maximizing energy efficiency in schools?

Unfortunately, there are no clever tricks or silver bullets to ongoing energy efficiency. In this case, the “secret sauce” is made of diligent oversight and building science expertise. For example, even after schedules and desired temperatures are set, it helps to keep at least one pair of eyes on a building days, nights, and weekends to ensure that equipment is not malfunctioning or running when it should not be. Investigating the roots of problems and addressing them as they arise saves money in the long run. Though sometimes difficult, it is more productive to investigate why a room is freezing in the summer than to just plug in a space heater to address the symptoms.

What about installing new, more efficient equipment, or providing renewable energy?

These are also viable options for improving energy efficiency. In fact, we advise our clients on building improvements as well as ongoing operations. It’s all in setting priorities. Currently, there is a lot more hype surrounding green retrofits than around operational improvements, although the latter are usually low-to-no-cost with shorter (or instant) paybacks. What we do is focus on the operations first, suggesting improvements such as LED lighting and better thermostats or controls as appropriate. The money saved from low-cost improvements can often be put to better use financing larger more glamorous retrofits.

Our unique landscape of charter schools enables the operators to reinvest energy savings back into the classroom, helping the children of our city become better educated and to achieve their goals.

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THE TRUMPET | SUSTAINABILITY IN NEW ORLEANS | SEPTEMBER 2014

Meet Darrick, one of Louisiana Green Corps’ Youth Construction and Conservation Corps newest graduates.

Youth Construction and Conservation Corps

Training Opportunity

By Suzanne Mason, Louisiana Green Corps www.lagreencorps.org

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he Louisiana Green Corps (LAGC) is a non-profit conservation corps that operates training and youth development programs for Jefferson and Orleans Parish residents. Its mission is to provide environmental education and career building opportunities to people aspiring to improve their lives and our community. Founded in 2008 by several environmental and social service organizations, it has provided training and education services to over 500 youth and adults and completed hundreds of construction and conservation projects throughout the region through partnerships with rebuilding organizations, state, national and local parks, environmental advocacy groups, and community organizations.

Graduate Spotlight: Meet Darrick Darrick came to participate in the Louisiana Green Corps’ Youth Construction and Conservation Corps program last year. During his three-month term of service with the Corps, he completed courses in National Center for Construction Education and Research Core, OSHA 10, Lead and Asbestos Safety, Forklift Safety, Blower Door and Ductblaster testing, and completed over 300 hours of service learning on residential construction and conservation projects around the city. He earned an AmeriCorps education award scholarship after completing the program, and went on to enroll in Delgado Community College. This summer, the Corps was excited

to hire Darrick as a Crew Leader for the Summer Youth Transition Program.

During the program, he helped facilitate environmental education and work readiness courses for youth with special needs, assisting his students to construct duck and bat boxes from reclaimed materials which are to be installed around City Park. Most recently, he landed a position on the energy efficiency crew with Rebirth Energy Solutions.

Congratulations Darrick!

Louisiana Green Corps is currently recruiting 18-21 year old youth from Jefferson and Orleans parishes for its fall and spring Youth Construction and Conservation Corps. Training and services are based out of Mid-City New Orleans. Participants commit to a full-time training schedule that includes environmental education, academic preparation, employability and soft skills, basic construction training, and hands-on service learning on construction and conservation projects around the region. Interested individuals can contact a recruitment representative at (504) 6134661.

Louisiana Green Corps is supported with funding from the Jefferson Workforce Investment Board, NOLA Youth Works, Entergy, Grainger, the Brown Foundation, the Rosa Mary Foundation, the Cruise Industries Foundation, and individual donors. It recently received support from the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s Gert Town Community Fund, which will support sustainable projects in the Gert Town community and the inclusion of trainees from this area.

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Pictured from left are Louis E. Livers Jr., president of Livers Construction; Jim Purcell, Louisiana Commissioner of Higher Education; Mitch Landrieu, mayor of New Orleans; Cynthia Hedge Morrell, New Orleans City Councilmember, District D; Victor Ukpolo, Chancellor of Southern University at New Orleans; State Rep. Jared C. Brossett, D-New Orleans; Nathaniel O. Clark, founding partner, Chasm + Fusion Architecture; Igwe Udeh, Dean of the SUNO College of Business & Public Administration; and David Adegboye, SUNO’s Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs.

SUNO Supports Economic Sustainability in New Orleans

By Tammy C. Barney, Director of Public Relations for SUNO www.suno.edu

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ince Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flood devastated New Orleans, the key to the city’s recovery has been economic sustainability. Thanks to a $704,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) has helped to sustain many small businesses through its Small Business Development and Management Institute (SBDMI).

Aimed at empowering small businesses to grow and succeed, the Institute has delivered entrepreneurial education and resources to more than 600 businesses in the tri-parish area of Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Bernard. It specializes in loan preparation, workshops and seminars, business planning, technical assistance and training.

In 2010, the Institute started the Small Business Incubator program, and in 2012, opened the Small Business Incubator facility in New Orleans East at 7240 Crowder Blvd. The Incubator houses eight businesses and is affiliated with about 100 others. All clients have access to the combined expertise of the SUNO College of Business faculty and students with additional support from area banks and other financial institutions and organizations.

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“The businesses we help impact our workforce and Each semester, students our community directly,” said SBDMI Director Cynthia work with five or six Beaulieu. “We get a lot of business owners to solve individuals who know they real business challenges. have a dream or passion, but The business owners don’t know how to make it happen.” The Institute helps benefit because they them “make it happen the right get the top students to way.” work with them on their The Institute has launched more than 150 new businesses, business projects. generated more than 100 business plans, counseled 250 business owners, prepared 52 loan applications, and conducted more than 125 workshops and seminars.

The assistance that SUNO provides to small businesses also enhances its students’ education. Each semester, students work with five or six business

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SUNO’s Small Business Incubator Center will house 10 incubator offices, as well as computer labs and classrooms. owners to solve real business challenges. The business owners benefit because they get the top students to work with them on their business projects.

Though the HUD-HBCU grant is scheduled to end this year, the future looks bright for SBDMI and the Incubator. In January, SUNO broke ground on its $3 million Small Business Incubator Center, which will be located next to the College of Business & Public Administration on the University’s Lake Campus. Expected to be complete in March 2015, the new Center will house 10 incubator offices as well as classrooms and computer labs.

The Institute also plans to develop a HBCU Campus Procurement Center and a Licensed Louisiana Claims Adjuster Course.

“The construction of the Small Business Incubator Center represents another major achievement for Southern University at New Orleans,” SUNO Chancellor Victor Ukpolo said during the groundbreaking ceremony. “This Incubator will not only benefit the University, but it also will benefit the entire community as it becomes the New Orleans Metropolitan Area’s breeding ground for entrepreneurship.”

The grant is ending, but the program and Incubator that it provided are sustainable, Beaulieu said. “With the new Incubator Center, the services that we started during the grant will continue. That is what the grant was intended to do.”

The Green Project Celebrates 20 Years of Sustainability

By Christal White, Development Director of The Green Project

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he Green Project marks its 20th anniversary this year and is still going strong! We support the local community with the Gulf South’s only facility for paint recycling, a warehouse-store, and lumberyard in New Orleans’ Marigny-Bywater area. Our mission is to salvage, redistribute, and recycle building materials, hardware, and paint, while diverting those materials from the landfill. We help low-income households, businesses, and resourceful artisans to reuse both contemporary and historic architecturally important materials.

The Green Project also produces community events and workshops intended to inform and bring people together around economically and ecologically sustainable home rebuilding and ownership. Each month, we offer free workshops and outreach activities centered solely on creating sustainable choices, but our hands-on educational efforts do not end there. Offering a varied list of curricula options, we visit schools, camps, church groups, neighborhood associations, and partner organizations to instill a love of the environment and present alternatives to the status quo.

We also strive to highlight the creative side of sustainability, and one of our favorite events is the Salvations furniture design competition and gala, now in its 7th year. Local furniture artists and craftsmen utilize recycled, reclaimed, repurposed, and reimagined materials to create one-of-a-kind stunners that are auctioned off to benefit our environmental non-profit.

For more information on Salvations or The Green Project, please visit us at www.thegreenproject.org THE TRUMPET | SUSTAINABILITY IN NEW ORLEANS | SEPTEMBER 2014

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Partner family Terrell Batiste leads his group the Hot 8 Brass Band at NOAHH’s ROMP, an annual backyard games and music celebration and fundraising event.

Sustaining New Orleans’ Culture Through Affordable Housing

By Billy Wells, New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity

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ny assessment of the state of New Orleans can’t simply be about population or economics. While those factors are important, what makes this city thrive, what inspired resilience and hope in the wake of unfathomable disaster, was the unique culture and heritage of New Orleans, which was as much at stake as any building or business in 2005. The cultural ecosystem of New Orleans is a fragile but potent mix of artistic traditions, a long historical memory, and a communal personality that is impossible to capture. Our hope is that our efforts will not merely rebuild the houses lost but also create a sustainable environment for that which makes New Orleans unique.

New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity’s mission to bring affordable housing to our affiliate area serves as a force of preservation and sustainability in many ways. At the core of our mission is our homeownership program, which helps hard working families buy their first homes. These families are the heart of our city’s culture and heritage. As musicians and Mardi Gras Indians or hospitality workers and aspiring chefs, partner families in our program are part of every tradition that make this city great, and what they get when they own their own home is more than a roof over their heads. What they get is financial independence and security. What they get is stability.

To bring stability, housing in New Orleans must be made affordable.

While rental properties can work as temporary housing for families, their impermanent nature creates stress and chaos, forcing families to live under threat of eviction, without control of their own living space, and financially

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burdened by paying for a home in which they have no equity. Affordable homeownership effectively addresses these and other issues, allowing families to focus on other matters—like sharing their love of music, teaching their children how to cook, or imparting the stories that tell us what New Orleans is—and inspiring their neighbors. As more of the population achieves homeownership, stability will spread, encompassing entire neighborhoods. In stable neighborhoods, culture will thrive. Furthermore, the work we do now will continue to improve lives as generation after generation inherits the homes their families are building.

Our homeownership program continues to transform New Orleans, with over 400 homes built since Katrina. These energy efficient homes are built in spaces once left vacant or blighted, and in some cases, NOAHH has helped restore neighborhoods affected by decay and destruction even before Hurricane Katrina. It is an ongoing process that is at the heart of our efforts to renew, preserve, and inspire our city. This progress, along with our A Brush With Kindness and Attack the Block programs (our rehab and neighborhood revitalization efforts), our Habitat Urban Gardens initiative (which lets local groups and individuals cultivate gardens on unused NOAHH lots), and our ReStore (which sells donated building materials and furniture, keeping them out of landfills), is nurturing a sustainable community citywide.

For more information on New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, visit www.habitat-nola.org

THE TRUMPET | SUSTAINABILITY IN NEW ORLEANS | SEPTEMBER 2014

South Coast Solar Helps Louisiana “Geaux” Solar

By C. Tucker Crawford, Co-Founder & Partner of South Coast Solar, info@southcoastsolar.com, 504-529-7869

If the state and federal government offered to pay up to 80% of your energy costs, would you strongly consider their offer? Well they do, and South Coast Solar, the first New Orleans based solar energy company, thinks you should take them up on it.

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outh Coast Solar (SCS) owners Tucker Crawford, Scott Oman and Robert Suggs, Jr., all locals, believe an energy renaissance is imminent. That’s why SCS was formed in late 2007 and officially opened their doors in early 2008. Their mission (and they chose to accept it) was to guide homeowners and businesses into the solar energy future. Seven years later, SCS is one of the largest solar energy contractors in North America (ranked #167 out of the 400 largest solar contractors according to Solar Power World magazine) with projects at home here in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Florida and in destinations as far away as Sierra Leone, Africa.

In Louisiana, SCS focuses primarily on residential, commercial and governmental solar energy and energy management projects. The state offers a 50% refundable residential tax credit up to $25,000 ($12,500) for any single family home. Combined with an unlimited 30% federal carry forward tax credit, Louisiana home owners are allowed to pay for 80% of their solar energy system, thereby reducing and in some cases virtually eliminating their electric bill. This generous tax credit program, which took effect in 2008, has catapulted Louisiana into the forefront of the solar energy revolution.

“Solar will soon play a complementary role in America’s energy future”, says co-founder Tucker Crawford, “and SCS will be there ready to serve customers who not only want to save money but help provide clean and reliable energy for their neighbors and community.”

Scott Oman, whose technical knowledge drives SCS’s success, echoes the same sentiment. “I believe we’re in the infancy of a revolution in how we generate and consume energy in this country.”

With less than one percent of the nation’s energy being produced by solar energy, we have a long way to go. But that’s viewed as an opportunity by SCS and its CEO, Robert Suggs, Jr. “Every home owner who goes solar is not only helping the environment, they’re helping their wallets!” Additionally, “Every dollar saved by a home owner is money that goes back into the community. It’s money that can go towards creating new jobs and generating additional tax revenue,” says Suggs.

With generous state and federal tax credits, there is no reason not to go solar in Louisiana! Crawford adds, “that’s spelled Geaux Solar Louisiana.”

For more information contact South Coast Solar, visit www.southcoastsolar.com THE TRUMPET | SUSTAINABILITY IN NEW ORLEANS | SEPTEMBER 2014

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