It sure would be nice if New Orleans would be rebuilt with an eye toward sustainability. And yet, all indications are that it will be a characteristically Bushian undertaking, riddled with inefficiency, waste, vice, cronyism, and wishful ideological thinking.
How to avoid this? Well, people need to organize. Quickly. Only voluble, sustained political pressure will push Bush and Congressional Republicans toward transparency, accountability, and social/environmental responsibility.
I was heartened, then, to see an article on Alternet called "Green Relief and Reconstruction." It contained many such inspiring assertions as the following:
Eco-friendly companies, social justice groups and concerned professionals are forging a nascent "Green Relief" movement that is already delivering results on the ground, working to replace today's snapshots of oil-soaked abandon with visions of locally-crafted communities bustling with bike paths, sidewalks, lots of green space, healthy housing, and powered by clean energy.
They are? Awesome! Uh ... who? Where?
It goes on in this vague way for a while, eventually outlining some sensible principles of progressive reconstruction. But where's this budding movement he keeps talking about? Who are these people? What have they done? Where can I sign up?
Bizarrely, it is only toward the end that a link is provided -- but the reason becomes clear once you click on it.
GreenRelief is an effort organized by the Healthy Building Network (www.healthybuilding.net) and others to encourage and assist Hurricane Katrina relief efforts that promote environmental restoration, environmental health, and environmental and social justice.
GreenRelief will bring international expertise, resources, and materials to achieve the goals of restoring community, rebuilding homes, restoring the environment, and rebuilding the economy.
Site under development.
Godspeed, fellas. Hurry up.
Comments
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gomothra Posted 12:35 am
28 Sep 2005
-- to alleviate pollution during floods -- and conserve fresh running
water . . . , provide biomass for fuel/energy production and compost
for greenhouse growing projects.
A more portable, lightweight, flexible approach to living may be a key to
survival in times of catastrophic change such as we are beginning to see.
Here's a really good idea for cleanup in floodzones: bio-remediation.
I found these references on the Dennis Kucinich/Peace Alliance Forum:
http://www.kucinich.us/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=16856&highlight=#16856
http://www.kucinich.us/phpBB2/index.php?sid=4e51c84d0edcb108fa914f0fa3556554
_________________________
"Effective MicroorganismsTM, or EM*1® as it is sold in over 100 countries, consists of 3 major genera of microorganisms: phototrophic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, and yeast. EM*1® is produced in 54 countries (including the USA), all-natural, non genetically modified, and approved for certified organic production under the new USDA program (OMRI Listed). Although originally developed By Dr. Teruo Higa for an alternative to synthetic fertilizers and pest controls, the use of EM Technology has broadened in the last two decades from agriculture to water treatment, odor control, animal husbandry, human health, and numerous industrial treatments."
__________________________
For more information on Effective Microorganisms, please go to:
http://www.emamerica.com/ or call: 1-505-983-4014.
___________________________
"We are getting very close to applying "Effective Microorganisms" (EM) to the disaster site in New Orleans. Jon Mackey, founder of Whole Foods, is willing to purchase all of the stocks of EM from the production plant in Tucson, about 25 tons, and ship it to the New Orleans Disaster Relief. Once there, each gallon of EM can be activated 2000 times from its original quantity, which would total 50,000 tons. The final hurdle is in getting the authorization to begin applying it. EM was used extensively throughout the Tsunami Wave Disaster. The World Health Organization had originally warned that more deaths would occur from the spread of pathogen diseases than occurred from the Tsunami Waves, which was over 150,000 deaths. The deaths from the pathogen diseases never happened. The death rate was actually lower after the disaster than before. EM saved tens of thousands of lives. EM was also used by the German government after the flood disasters a couple of years ago that resulted in over $20 Billion in damage. Also, EM has been successful in cleaning up the inland seas of Japan.
EM is relatively new to the US, although it is being used in over 120 countries around the world and has been in use for over 25 years. The final hurdle of getting EM applied to the disaster site in Louisiana is crucial. Whole Foods has been very generous in offering to purchase and transport the EM to New Orleans. The flooded area will take at least six more weeks to pump and drain. However, in about a week, the stagnant waters combined with sewage, poisons, and other contamination sources in New Orleans will begin breeding pathogen bacteria that will begin spreading diseases throughout the region. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) in Atlanta is aware of this, but is not publicizing it to the media. The government is currently planning on spraying bleach to control the spread of pathogens, but bleach will only add to the long-term deleterious damage of the disaster.
EM is an all-natural, organic solution that has no negative side-effects. This is why Germany and South Asia resorted to its usage rather than chemicals in their disaster decontamination relief. At this point, we simply need authorization from FEMA and federal relief agencies to move forward.
Senator John McCain is from Arizona, where EM is produced in the US. Many top officials are telling us that he is the most influential individual to gain approval in these emergency circumstances. We currently have friends of Sen. McCain contacting him and apprising him of the situation. But other contacts are needed. We need top officials from around the country encouraging this proven technology to be used immediately, before this disaster evolves into a horrendous catastrophe from the spread of pathogen diseases. Please, this is a call to everyone to use your personal resources and personal contacts to prevent a tragedy of much greater proportions.
Help us to get FEMA to authorize the application of EM as soon as possible! The EM website is http://www.emamerica.com/. They can be contacted at: 1-866-369-3678.
Please forward this message to all interested parties or call my office at 505-983-4014. Every day, every hour, every minute is crucial! Many thanks for your prayers and encouragement."
James McMath
... a seed is planted -- who knows what will grow?
You are invited to stop in and visit:
TAHOMAHOMESITE
http://www.tahomahome.com
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cleantech Posted 3:09 pm
27 Nov 2005
Coalition Seeks to Embed Sustainable Strategies in Gulf Coast Rebuilding Efforts
The US Green Building Council, the Enterprise Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, the Trust for Public Land and others announced initiatives and ideas designed to assist in the rebuilding efforts of the Gulf Coast communities ravaged by the hurricanes.
These are not the vague notions of a group of nobodys. At the Greenbuild conference in November 2005, this group of heavy hitters held sessions on embedding sustainable strategies in the rebuilding effort. They harnessed the talents of the 10,000 attendees of the Greenbuild conference -- mostly professional builders.
Their plan is to take their collective advice out to the field and put it to work in rebuilding sustainably on the Gulf coast.
"In action" beats "under development" any day. I wish we could see as much intelligence behind the billions that will be spent rebuilding the region's electric grid.
Denis
Energy Priorities
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