The Urban Conservancy is a non-profit organization leading and collaborating to strengthen our urban environment and local economy through equitable practices, policies and programs since 2001. We engage in hands-on programming to alleviate neighborhood flooding, create green sector job opportunities, and educate our community on the benefits of green infrastructure through our Front Yard Initiative and our summer camp for children, Building Active Stewardship in New Orleans (BASIN). We take a holistic approach to building a strong local ecosystem through advocacy and hands-on water focused education for the green sector leaders of tomorrow. The Urban Conservancy also works to support local small business development through our StayLocal initiative. Through our work across many audiences, from homeowners to contractors, youth to independent business owners we are creating strong partnerships and facilitating much needed communication. The Urban Conservancy creates, educates, and advocates so that residents of New Orleans are engaged and take informed action for a more resilient home for everyone.
External link for The Urban Conservancy
1239 Baronne St.
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New Orleans, Louisiana 70113, US
Where would we be without CERF?!? They’re halfway to their fundraising goal- please consider helping them along if you are able!
Just donated to UNO’s Coastal Education and Research Facility. This great partner has enabled The Urban Conservancy to introduce hundreds of kids over the years to the joys of scientific inquiry as well as canoing, a great reminder that water can be FUN. Thank you, Dinah Maygarden and CERF!
What do Louisiana and China have in common? For starters, an imperative to prioritize coastal protection as it relates to energy security and future proofing our shipping industry.
It’s troubling to know that Louisiana’s coastal protection plan is in jeopardy due to proposed changes in CPRA’s structure even as that plan is informing global research and modeling. Hong Kong-based think tank CWR (China Water Risk) beautifully connects coastal protection to future proofing the shipping industry and energy security. In their May newsletter they wrote: “Louisiana is no stranger to this interconnection. Following the devastating hurricanes of 2005, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana was formed as the single state agency for coastal restoration & protection. It developed the first Louisiana Coastal Master Plan, which is updated every 6 years.” “We sat down with Beaux Jones, President & CEO of The Water Institute to unpack the plan. See what is achieved so far – including unanimous political support – and how it is evolving with accelerating climate risks.” Read the interview with Beaux here: https://lnkd.in/gfF2UsT6
What do Hong Kong and New Orleans have in common? Quite a lot, actually, including robust tourism and food & beverage sectors. Exploring and sharing innovative approaches to food (and other waste) reduction with Lucia Loposova, and her team at GREEN Hospitality and Foundation for Shared Impact (FSI) has been fascinating.
In May 2023, The Urban Conservancy had the pleasure of hosting Lucia Loposova, Executive Director of Hong Kong-based GREEN Hospitality for a month as part of a reciprocal professional exchange under the auspices of the U.S. Department of State's National Committee on US-China Relations. In November, I visited Lucia in Hong Kong and learned more about how both Hong Kong and New Orleans are grappling as coastal urban centers that host millions of tourists annually with all aspects of sustainability including managing waste and the accelerating impacts of a warmer, wetter climate. Maryann Miller, program manager of our StayLocal initiative, and I are thrilled to continue working with Lucia, with support from the US Consulate General of Hong Kong and Macau, to develop a "Sustainability Accelerator: Empowering Businesses for a Greener Tomorrow through Training, Tools and Resources". Exciting dividends of this partnership include an emerging partnership with Nunez Community College's Culinary Arts program, promoting the myriad ways Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Glass Half Full, Schmelly's Dirt Farm, REALCYCLE are reducing what our businesses send to the landfill, and showcasing our local businesses that go beyond recycling to reduce and reuse with creativity, joy, and conviction. Check out our "Sustainability Spotlights" on StayLocal's social media: https://lnkd.in/gS9V_sRU
April showers bring...gray-to-green inspo! See what's up at the Urban Conservancy this spring.
Front Yard Initiative homeowner design workshops, BASIN+, StayLocal shining a light on business sustainability, and fond memories of the visit from our friends at @BBC Radio's Rare Earth program...there's something for everyone in our Spring newsletter! Special shoutout to our featured board member Meghan Garhan, and a warm welcome to Tulane University student/StayLocal intern Meagan Lauland 😊 https://lnkd.in/gmpQgin8
Baking in structural levers to scale large scale change is so important. Someone in the comments mentions academic institutions in Germany incentivizing travel to conferences by train rather than plane by allowing more travel time.
Why can't academics give up flying? Andy Hoffman and I identified some of the cultural, individual, and organizational reasons academics think we can't decarbonize research production. This is especially relevant as more academic conferences and workshops return to offline-only formats, requiring scholars to spend $1,000s and emit thousands of pounds of carbon pollution to sit in a room together for a day or two. https://lnkd.in/eZxDXGsb
To say New Orleanians spend a fair amount of time pondering the big questions around climate resilience and climate justice is an understatement. The depth of local knowledge was on full display during yesterday’s tour with Alasdair Cross and Helen Czerski of BBC Radio 4’s Rare Earth program. We appreciate you, Meagan Williams, P.E , Al Duvernay, Anthony Davis, Rev. Greg Manning, and Mastodonte LLC team Arien Hall and Luisa Aballe!
Thanks so much, Alasdair Cross and Helen Czerski, of BBC Radio 4’s Rare Earth program, for spending a chilly Saturday chatting with homeowners, contractors, engineers and faith leaders about community-led, nature-based responses to New Orleans’— and Louisiana’s— rainwater management and climate justice challenges.
Here's a fun conversation to have with your out-of-town Mardi Gras guests :)
What pulls people to a place? What pushes them out? What makes them want to stay? Writing this op-ed for NOLA.com recently has me thinking more about Louisiana's outmigration and insufficient inmigration to counter it. It was part of a full-page spread featuring different perspectives including demographers and a recent Tulane grad and native New Orleanian. All worth reading! https://lnkd.in/ghKqFHza
Expect to hear more about what stormwater fee implementation in New Orleans could look like in coming months. The policy recommendations presented this morning by The Water Collaborative at their press conference are accessible on their website. https://lnkd.in/g5FFSvJr
Congratulations, Jessica Dandridge-Smith, MA and The Water Collaborative team, on the press conference this morning unveiling The Water Justice Fund's policy recommendations. Not an overstatement to say there's a great deal of interest in the topic!
There's so much exciting stuff in this issue, including the UC's most recent Front Yard Initiative homeowner survey results.
Thanks, Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans, for sharing our Front Yard Initiative homeowner survey results (p. 25) in your Feb/Mar issue!