The Green Project

Leaky Toilet?

So a week or two ago, The Green Project was suffering form a persistent leaky toilet. While our case was perhaps more severe (as I realized while mopping the floor), I began to wonder just how many toilets are actually functioning as they should. As a household necessity that we use multiple times per day, parts are bound to wear out, right? A leaky toilet can not only dramatically affect your water bill, but it is a huge waste of water. According to the California Urban Water Conservation Council, a leaky toilet can use a startling 200 gallons of water per day. So what can you do to make sure that your toilet is as efficient as possible? Take a look at this video which not only suggest a simple experiment you can do with food coloring to find out if there is a leak, but also a few easy solutions to help you stop wasting that water.

Fix That Leaky Toilet, Be More Green

More Green Projectivities this November!

               

What better way to kick off your weekend than to take in one of The Green Project's Saturday morning Projectivities! Every Saturday, The Green Project hosts practical and creative workshops focusing on reclaimed materials. We have a stellar line up for this month, and we can't wait to share them with you!

• November 6, 10am-12pm: Fixin' Bikes with R.U.B.A.R.B
• • Learn how to repair those busted tires with the help from the friendly folks at Rusted Up Beyond All Repair Bikes.

• November 14, 2009, 10am-12pm: Let There Be Lamp Light
• • Join Abe Geasland to learn the ins and outs of lamp wiring and how to transform your everyday objects into creative lighting fixtures.

• November 21, 2009, 10am-12pm: Bookshelves from Savaged Materials
• • Gather exciting ideas for Salvations Furniture Competition or simply provide a means to organize your books with the help of Tim Dean from the Habitat Restore (and Green Project emeritus). Learn how to fasten bookshelves from doors, shutters, and other reclaimed materials.

All workshops are $5 and are free for TGP members. Want a wee bit more information or have a great idea of a workshops? Contact Erin at egenrich@thegreenproject.org.

NOLA Recycles 2010 Launches Its Campaign

NOLA Recycles 2010 formally launched its campaign last Monday to a packed and eager room at The Bridge Lounge. The Campaign issued a six pointed statement to be adopted by mayoral and city council candidates as they run for office. While the campaign hopes to convince candidates to support a comprehensive waste and recycling management program, they are preparing to initiate grassroots efforts to ask those "tough questions" of candidates to focus the City's attention of this important issue.

NOLA Recycles 2010's Mayoral Candidate Statement on Recycling recommends:

1. Resume curbside recycling
2. Prevent illegal dumping
3. Provide a safe disposal option for household hazardous waste
4. Require the recycling of construction and demolition waste in city projects
5. Charge the Department of Sanitation with the promotion and expansion of recycling
6. Begin a recycling program and recycled products purchasing policy in City Hall

While we all miss those blue bins and want to bring them back, the other points of the statement are vital to public health initiatives in New Orleans. As a result of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans placed 35 years worth of materials into landfills, often located near our poorest neighborhoods. In an effort to deal with all of the flood related debris, the Department of Environmental Quality lifted restrictions regarding the regulation of C&D materials in landfills to include asbestos containing materials and other hazardous construction materials that would have previously been disposed of more carefully. New Orleans has additionally long suffered from no comprehensive household hazardous waste disposal system, and these pollutants continue to leach into to our drinking water and our environment.

The Green Project is trying to do our small part in minimizing the environmental impact of the construction and rebuilding in New Orleans, but, ultimately our lumberyard, warehouse, recycling drop-off, and paint recycling center are making just a small dent. Not only do we need candidates to adopt a recycling policy, but we also need them to implement it.

Show Us Your Reuse Talents!

Many of you wander down our aisles, have a spark of inspiration as you happen upon the perfect material, and leave us at The Green Project wondering what you are up to...

Here is your chance to show us! The Green Project is creating an online space to display photos of creative reuse projects, whether it ended up on canvass or the ceiling of your house. By photographing your projects, The Green Project hopes to increase the awareness of how reclaimed materials can be transformed with a little creativity and elbow grease. At the moment, we are collecting photos and uploading them to our Facebook page (which you should check out), but soon we will be linking them to our website with the creator's contact information (great exposure!).

Have you just finished a project with materials from The Green Project, and do you want to share it with us? Contact Beth at communication@thegreenproject.org to schedule a time to photography your work or if you have any questions. In the mean time, check out the photos of projects already on The Green Project Facebook page.

       

Window Shutter Planter by Gina Papapanagiotou

Ceiling by Kurt D. Buchert, founder and CEO of GREENBEAN Insulation LLC

Mirror by David Bergeron (www.bergeronwoodworks.net)

 

A Few Tips on How To Weatherize Your Home

The Green Project just hosted a fabulous Projectivity on how to install and weatherize your doors last Saturday. But, if you missed it, here's another synopsis about how to go about it.

LA Green Corps in conjuncture with The Alliance for Affordable Energy have made a quick and easy introduction on how to weatherize your home. Our homes our filled with cracks and holes through which our heating and air conditioning escape. This is particularly true in older Louisiana homes which were built to "breath" as a way to deal with the heat and humidity before the advent of air conditioning. By sealing up these cracks, we can save money on our electricity and gas bills while conserving our resources. 

So check out this video on Youtube and get started on weatherizing your home.

Louisiana Green Corps: How To Weatherize Your Home

 

The Green Project Participates with the Louisiana Social Innovators Institute

The Green Project was selected to participated in the new Louisiana Social Innovators Institute held by the Lieutenant Governor's Office of Social Entrepreneurship. In 2006, the Office of Social Entrepreneurship was founded to acknowledge the many social problems that had manifested themselves both before and after Katrina and to support the growing number of nonprofit organizations that sought to creatively solve these problems.  In an effort to help launch nonprofits with innovative social ideas, The Office of Social Entrepreneurship selected 12 organizations to participate in their six month business training program to expand their proposals. In recognition of this program, Lieutenant Governor Landrieu stated: “In these difficult economic times, when budgets are strained and social challenges are mounting, there is growing recognition that social innovation and entrepreneurship must be a significant part of the solution. We have to spend smarter and invest in what works to solve society's problems." The Social Innovators Institute is innovative in itself as the first of its kind in the nation. However, with the support of the Obama Administration, similar institutes will soon appear in other states.

So what is The Green Project working on with the Social Innovators Institute? We are developing a plan to expand Second Line Recycle Paint. As the only recycled paint center in the entire Gulf South, the demand for our paint far exceeds what we can actually supply. Keep posted on our future plans as we work to expand our paint disposal and recycling services.In the mean time, take a look at the article about the Louisiana Office of Social Entrepreneurship and the Social Innovators Institute recently published in the Philadelphia Social Innovations Journal.

Louisiana is First State in the Nation to launch an Institute to Incubate Innovative Social Programs

More PAINT and E-WASTE Collection

Good news everybody! In addition to our usual first-Saturday-of-the-month appearance at Whole Foods, The Green Project will now be doing additional paint and e-waste collection in other parts of the city.

• Every 2nd Saturday we will be at Broad Flea from 11am-4pm
• Every 3rd Saturday we will be at Hollygrove Market and Farm from 10am-2pm.

So clear out your garage of those rusty cans of paint and dusty computer monitors and look for The Green Project's tent and friendly faces.

Want to be one of those friendly faces? The Green Project is looking for volunteers to help with our weekly paint and e-waste recycling events. Now that we are expanding the service, we can definitely use your help. Want to give us a hand and represent The Green Project? Email our volunteer coordinator Laura at lpaul@thegreenproject.org.

   

"Why is paint and e-waste collection so important?" you might ask. Both contain toxins which, if improperly disposed of, can leach into our drinking water and have a devastating effect on your natural spaces and wildlife. At the moment, The Green Project is the only place to dispose of paint in Orleans Parish and we also partner with Capital Area Corporate Recycling Council to properly salvage and dispose e-waste material. It's a noble cause, so come give us a hand!

Learn more about The Green Project and feel apart of your neighborhood

Do you "kind of" know about The Green Project, but want to learn more? The Green Project has many resources and community programs, and while our website can tell you a lot about who we are, why not learn from us first hand?

The Green Project will be at upcoming neighborhood meetings to share information about how you can rebuild and maintain your home, contribute to NOLA's creative community, and participate in practical and artistic workshops-- all without taking a huge chunk out of your wallet. We will also be talking about the environmental impact of our non-profit business and how you can get more involved. Sounds interesting-- that's because it will be! Stop by these upcoming meetings and pick up a free (slightly edgy) Green Project bumper sticker (this is not a bribe, just a thank you for coming...)

• Faubourg St. Roch Improvement Association: Thursday Oct 8 @ 6pm, 2008 Marigny St.

• Lower 9th Ward NENA: Saturday Oct 10 @ 10am, 1120 Lamanche St.

• Bywater Neighborhood Association: Tuesday Oct 13 @ 7pm, Holy Angels cafeteria 3500 St. Claude Ave.

For more info email Beth at communication@thegreenproject.org.

Stop Suffering from the LA Heat! Learn How to Cool Your House with Radiant Barrier and the Help of LA Green Corps

It may be cooling down (a wee bit) now that its October, but installing radiant barrier in your attic can still help you save both energy and money regardless of the season.

Radiant barrier is a reflective material (often made out of aluminum)that can be easily installed to reflect radiant heat from the sun as it beats down on the your roof. In the winter, radiant barrier can also help insulate your house against the cold. Not only can you save energy, but you can also save up to 20% on your energy bill just by taking a day and stapling it up.

Need some instruction about how to get started? Check out the Louisiana Green Corps's video on How To Put Up Radiant Barrier. LA Green Corps is a workforce development program that teaches green building skills for youth who experience barriers to employment and education. LA Green Corps works with The Alliance for Affordable Energy to teach home weatherization, radiant barrier and insulation installation, basic carpentry, and energy auditing as well as GED support, interview practice, and professional development. LA Green Corps just put up a ton of "how to", music, and profile videos on Youtube and you should check them out (after you learn how to install radiant barrier of course).

   

A friendly reminder...

E-WASTE RECYCLING. THIS SUNDAY (OCT 4). 9AM-1PM. BRING THOSE MACHINES. AND SAY THANK YOU TO THE LOVELY VOLUNTEERS AND CAPITAL AREA CORPORATE RECYCLING COUNCIL.