Making it Right in Ward 9: Brad Pitt House

Brad Pitt convened a group of experts in New Orleans to brainstorm about building green affordable housing on a large scale to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. Having spent time with community leaders and displaced residents determined to return home, Pitt realized that an opportunity existed to build houses that were not only stronger and healthier, but that had less impact on the environment.

 

Previously, Pitt sponsored an architecture competition organized by Global Green with the goal of generating ideas about how to rebuild sustainably. Several of those designs are currently under the first six homes from Brad Pitt’s foundation have been completed. In total, 150 homes of this nature are expected to be finished on the Lower 9th in the coming years.

After discussing the hurdles associated with rebuilding in a devastated area, the group determined that a large-scale redevelopment project focused on green affordable housing and incorporating innovative design was indeed possible.

The group settled on the goal of constructing 150 homes (one of the larger rebuilding projects in the city), with an emphasis on developing an affordable system that could be replicated.

To demonstrate replicability, Pitt determined to locate the project in the Lower 9th Ward, one of the most devastated areas of New Orleans, to prove that safe homes could and should be rebuilt. Pitt hopes that this project will be a catalyst for recovery and redevelopment throughout the Lower 9th Ward and across the city of New Orleans.

Having listened to one former resident’s plea to help “make this right,” Pitt was inspired to name the project “Make It Right” (MIR).

 

via http://www.ecorazzi.com/category/cars-houses/

The (secret) anatomy of Obama’s revolution

 

Throughout the past year it’s been amusing, heart-warming, and often irksome to hear political pundits waxing philosophical about Obama’s revolutionary presidential campaign.  What is inspiration?  Can it be trusted?  Why should we buy into lofty rhetoric from a fresh faced idealist?  Why did I just get a tingle up my leg? 

Obama has ascended to the presidency in a manner that defies rational analysis, excepting those wayward rationalists who figure paradoxical irrationality into their figuring equations.

Inspiration isn’t amenable to linear logic, because it exists in a dimension of experience that literally transcends the boundaries of space and time.    
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GLOBAL GREEN / Matt Petersen

Neal Gray Interview with Matt Petersen at Opportunity Green introduces the challenges of todays green efforts. Full spread article with video is at  http://ctngreen.com/2008/nov/?page=12  in the CTN Green Magazine.

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GREEN WEEK ON TV

 

You may have notice that quite a few channel logos are green this week, notably all the NBC channels. www.GreenisUniversal.com 

iHollywood Forum Goes Green

iHollywood Forum made history…

…last year with the first conference to specifically address environmental issues in entertainment and related industries. Join us as we continue the discussion and examine just how far we have come one year later.

Hollywood Goes Green will offer industry insiders a forum to collaborate and develop partnerships for a sustainable future. Be part of this historic gathering for an in-depth exchange of ideas and make deals with influencers who share your passion for protecting the environment.

In recent years, Hollywood has significantly stepped-up its efforts and introduced  to introduce eco-friendly business practices to to preserve the environment and eliminate global warming. Changes in the Music industry, broadcast and cable television, film, games, advertising and other allied businesses all have initiatives for saving Mother Earth while saving money.

Join our visionary speakers for discussion, demos, presentations and education about Hollywood’s central role in saving the environment and  reducing global warming.

Topics include:

• Why Green is good for the entertainment business
• Reducing carbon footprints and understanding credit options
• Financing and pitching environmentally themed films
• Delivering green messages on cable and television
• Incorporating green initiatives in advertising campaigns
• Saving fuel and energy efficient vehicles
• Evaluating how music initiatives such as the Live Earth concert series can impact global awareness of the environment

Breakout sessions and workshops offer more in-depth group discussion on several hot topics:

• Sustainable Green building design and renovation
• Celebrity activism
• Green marketing and advertising for film and TV
• Eco-friendly production
• Adopting paperless practices
• Working with guilds and environmental organizations

As part of this event, iHollywood Forum will publish a Hollywood Goes Green Handbook containing dozens of articles and practical guidelines and ideas to for implementing strategies addressed at the Hollywood Goes Green conference. It also will be available in a downloadable format on our website.

What does it mean to Go Green?

It means to promote sustainable development without compromising future generations and to reduce the creative industry’s worldwide carbon footprint. While celebrities have long been environmental activists, studios and production companies have been cautious about adopting the green philosophy as it applies to their business operations. Today, green is becoming a way of life within global entertainment business operations with as industry icons  such as Richard Branson and Rupert Murdoch commit their vast empires to the cause.

GREEN FESTIVAL SAN FRANCISCO

Welcome to the San Francisco Green Festival™, a joint project of Global Exchange and Co-op America. Each year, this San Francisco event never ceases to amaze us.

As a fledgling in 2002, San Francisco started with only 50 speakers and a handful of special events. Today, the San Francisco Green Festival™ boasts 3 days filled with the best in green, and continues to expand in size and scope! With more than 150 renowned speakers and 400 green businesses, this event is not to be missed!

Find out how Bay Area neighbors, community nonprofits and city departments are working together to make their cities healthier places to live.

Click here to see this year’s amazing speaker line-up!

Included in the line-up are:

Dr. Cornel West
Van Jones
Mutabaruka
Winona LaDuke
Chuck D
Reverend Lennox Yearwood
Amy Goodman
Greg Palast
Lawerence Lessig
Caroline Casey
Daniel Pinchbeck
Paul Stamets
Rickie Byars Beckwith

Welcome to Green Festival™, a joint project of Global Exchange and Co-op America. We’re celebrating what’s working in our communities—for people, business and the environment. Join us at the nation’s premier sustainability event in San Francisco for 3 days filled with the best in green!

> 125 renowned authors, leaders & educators
> 350 eco-friendly businesses in a unique marketplace
> Workshops, green films, kids’ activities, live music & more
> Delicious, organic, vegetarian cuisine

Event Updates | Directions and Travel | Pricing and Registration | Schedules

Green LinkUp

Get Plugged Into the Green World with a new social and business community, your way, LinkedUp to your personal green. Green Jobs, Green Building, Solar, Wind , tips Groups and more. This is a New site in beta showing enormous promise headed up by established experts. This site is open, free, and allows you to establish your own community within it depending on your area of interest.

http://www.greenlinkup.com

OPPORTUNTITY GREEN

FOOD FIGHT

Horrible news: there’s been a governmental conspiracy afoot for decades to make America’s food less delicious! In Chris Taylor’s gastronomical documentary, this crime against our taste buds is comprehensively exposed, with the revolutionary stance against it (otherwise known as organic produce) brought into delectable relief. Taylor reaches as far back as World War II to explain our country’s initial tendency toward corporate-owned, mass-produced and flavorless agricultural goods, and examines how this trend has ultimately landed the United States in the unhealthy state it is in today. From there, the documentary takes a mouthwatering turn as it follows the now-legendary chefs who spearheaded the California Cuisine movement. Notables such as Chez Panisse owner Alice Waters, Wolfgang Puck, Jeremiah Tower and Suzanne Goin are interviewed, with their stories of culinary triumph lovingly retold. In a country where The Man seems to have quality control over almost all aspects of our lives, a fight for fresh food is more than just a tummy growl—it’s a subversive move to protect our right to be healthy and happy. FOOD FIGHT fully promotes this idea, and urges its viewers to continue the 50-year battle for deliciousness by buying locally and eating organically. And who could argue? All we have to lose is our heart disease, obesity and wealthy corporate middlemen. Viva la revolution!– Beth Hanna

 

FOOD FIGHT

THE WORLD WE WANT

 Documentary Film

The World We Want documents the inspirational stories of teenage activists throughout the world engaged in changing their communities and nations. Shot (in HD) in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Russia, Senegal and the United States the film captures the young citizens’ remarkable struggles in their own words and through their captivating personal experiences.

 Click here to see the trailer.THE WORLD WE WANT

 

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