Since Hurricane Katrina, victims of the storm’s devastation have been in the thoughts and prayers of all Americans. Tragically though, the actions taken during the storm and the initiatives to rebuild after have fallen short. As one of the most socially evocative events of the 21st century, we have to ask ourselves if we want these victims to remain a symbol of one of our country’s greatest failures, or to become a personification of national accountability and progress. A lot of work is being done down south to right many of these wrongs. One project in particular that stands out is Brad Pitt’s (in partnership with Global Green) Pink Project. “As a catalyst for positive change and the inaugural event for the Make It Right initiative, the Pink Project represents opportunities hidden within this tragedy and focuses attention on the plight of the Lower 9th. Pink is a virtual city of Hope. A hybrid of art, architecture, cinema and media, Pink is conceived as an informational, commemorative, communication tool which raises awareness and activates individual participation to heal local wounds in need of global aid.”
As funding flows in from charitable donations, each one of these pink “homes” will be replaced by real homes -- designed by some of the most creative and respected architecture firms in the country -- to be affordable and LEED certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). When exploring the website, I recommend checking out the home designs under the “MIR Project” Toolbar as well as the “adopt this house” feature on the right side of the page. If you don’t feel compelled to donate, you will at least learn a thing or two about Green Home design.
Global Green’s Website
Make It Right (Umbrella of The Pink Project)
The Pink Project
"Two and a half years after Hurricane Katrina, tens of thousands of miserable homeowners are still waiting for their government rebuilding checks, and many complain they can't even get their calls returned. But the company that holds the big contract to distribute the aid is doing quite well for itself.
ReplyDeleteICF International of Fairfax, Va., has posted strong profits, gone public, landed additional multimillion-dollar government contracts, and, it was learned this week, secured a potentially big raise recently from the state of Louisiana."
http://www.cnbc.com/id/23616748/for/cnbc/