Green Light New Orleans Annual Report 2019

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GREEN LIGHT NEW ORLEANS | GREENLIGHTNEWORLEANS.ORG | 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

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PROGRAM MOMENTUM

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RAIN BARREL IMPACT NUMBERS

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

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RAIN BARREL RECIPIENTS

12 ART AND ARTISTS 14

RAIN BARREL TRENDS & 2019 FUNDING STRUCTURE

17 GARDEN PROGRAM UPDATES 20 GREEN LIGHT’S IMPACT

BY THE NUMBER

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GREEN LIGHT NEW ORLEANS | 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

PROGRAM MOMENTUM

Press, visibility and more frequent flooding has raised awareness and attention in the rain barrel movement.

In 2019 the rain barrel program gained in popularity to the point that Green Light New Orleans was able to increase nearly every metric used to measure success. The organization installed 340 rain barrels in 2019, a 73 percent increase over the previous year. Increased funding for the program (see chart) has allowed Green Light to provide the community with a steady program implementation. The wait time throughout the year was consistently between 2-4 weeks, and every installation generally triggered additional applications.

Press, visibility and increased flooding raised awareness and interest in the program.

The July 10th flooding that affected many parts of the city and caused widespread home and vehicle damage, led to an uptick in the number of applications for the program. Green Light received 49 applications in July, compared to 17 in June and 36 in May. At community and neighborhood meetings throughout the city, residents continued to express interest in the program and in managing their own stormwater. Volunteer events throughout the fall helped further increase program

implementation and capacity.

Throughout the second half of 2019 the rain barrel program gained more visibility and established itself as the rain barrel program in New Orleans.

PRESS AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT In the wake of the July 10th flooding, City Council Member Joe Giarusso invited Green Light Executive Director Andreas Hoffmann to give a presentation to council about the program and its impacts.

“After recent rainstorms caused serious localized flooding throughout the city, it was vital to highlight the community efforts already in-place to help reduce flooding and improve the city’s stormwater drainage,” Giarusso said.

“Green Light, along with several other essential volunteer organizations, are helping bridge the gap between city-directed drainage improvements and resident-led changes. Together, these changes improve our quality of life and reduce the dangers of flooding.” Watch the City Council presentation.

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Green Light, along with several other essential volunteer organizations, are helping bridge the gap between citydirected drainage improvements and resident-led changes.

Together, these changes improve our quality of life and reduce the dangers of flooding.”

– Joe Giarusso, Council Member

Green Light also made numerous media appearances, including spots on WDSU and WGNO programs.

GREEN LIGHT NEW ORLEANS | 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

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2019 RAIN BARREL IMPACT NUMBERS

65 OPEN APPLICATIONS

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PREVIOUS RECIPIENTS RECEIVING A SECOND BARREL INSTALLATION

250 HOUSEHOLD APPLICATIONS RECEIVED

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GREEN LIGHT NEW ORLEANS | 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

340

RAIN BARRELS INSTALLED 01.01.2019 – 12.31.2019 (COMPARED TO 197 IN 2018)

17,000 GALLONS OF WATER RETAINED PER RAIN FALL EVENT

40 RAIN BARRELS PER MONTH (CURRENT CAPACITY)

275 118 558

NEW HOUSEHOLDS SERVED

CHILDREN SERVED

ADULTS SERVED

1210 ,

VOLUNTEERS INVOLVED

137,698

$

VALUE OF VOLUNTEER HOURS

GREEN LIGHT NEW ORLEANS | 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

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1,200 VOLUNTEERS 2019

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GREEN LIGHT NEW ORLEANS | 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Individual volunteers and groups of all types make an impact for good in the New Orleans community.

Community engagement and community building are major components of Green Light’s rain barrel program. In 2019, Green Light hosted more than 1200 volunteers to assist with preparing, painting and installing rain barrels, among other activities.

Throughout the year, Green Light worked with volunteer groups of all types and sizes, including large-scale off-site events in a collaboration with Hands On New Orleans and national organizations such as Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and Ernst & Young, which provided 140 volunteers each.

In addition to large groups, Green Light works with small groups and individuals. For example, University of North Texas students spent a week working with Green Light over spring break.

In June, Green Light hosted a San Francisco-native named Afshan who was celebrating her 30th birthday with seven of her best friends in New Orleans. “Spending time giving back to the community of New Orleans was a responsibility, one my friends and I engaged in with happiness,” Afshan said. “Green Light New Orleans provided me and my group of seven close friends the opportunity to engage with the New Orleans community in a meaningful way painting rain barrels to beautify the city.”

Green Light also hosted a team of students from Western Michigan University in the last week of December. Those volunteers helped Green Light install the 340th and final rain barrel of the year.

One of the unique aspects of Green Light’s program is that the barrels are painted by local artists and volunteers. Green Light hosted dozens of artists and volunteers in 2019. This included 55 volunteers from Entergy, who assisted the organization by cleaning, preparing and painting barrels.

“Spending time giving back to the community of New Orleans was a responsibility, one my friends and I engaged in with happiness.

Green Light New Orleans provided me and my group of seven close friends the opportunity to engage with the New Orleans community in a meaningful way painting rain barrels to beautify the city.”

– Afshan, San Francisco-native

GREEN LIGHT NEW ORLEANS | 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

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340 RAIN BARRELS INSTALLED 2019

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GREEN LIGHT NEW ORLEANS | 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

RECIPIENTS

The motivations driving New Orleans residents to apply for rain barrels are as diverse as the city itself.

The program served 275 new households and installed a total of 340 rain barrels in 2019.

For comparison, Green Light installed 197 barrels throughout the entirety of 2018.

Those 340 barrels will retain 17,000 gallons of water during each rain event.

Each recipient provided a testimonial about why they’re interested in receiving a rain barrel. The motivations driving New Orleans residents to apply for rain barrels are as diverse as the city itself.

More than 40 percent of program applicants listed alleviating flooding as their top motivation for getting a barrel.

One applicant who received her barrel in March summed up her reasoning for joining the rain barrel movement: “I plan to use the collected water to water plants on my property,” she said. “Having the rain barrels will reduce “flooding” and the impact of run-off due to the large amount of concrete on my property. I would prefer to use collected rain water than treated city water during dry spells to water plants. Plus the rain barrels are beautiful!”

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A recent email also illustrates the success of the movement: “Hello, I have had one of your rain barrels for about three years and I love it. Now I would like to get a second one for the other side of my house. Is there a formal procedure for requesting one?”

– Lois S.

GREEN LIGHT NEW ORLEANS | 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

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FRENCH QUARTER CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT CENTRAL CITY E. RIVERSIDE GARDEN DISTRICT IRISH CHANNEL LOWER GARDEN DISTRICT MILAN ST. THOMAS TOURO FAUBOURG LAFAYETTE FAUBOURG LIVAUDAIS

BAYOU ST. JOHN AUDUBON BLACK PEARL BROADMOOR

B.W. COOPER FAUBOURG ST. JOHN

DIXON

GERT TOWN

E. CARROLLTON

IBERVILLE DEVELOPMENT

FRERET HOLLYGROVE LEONIDAS CARROLLTON FONTAINEBLEAU

MID-CITY PARKVIEW SEVENTH WARD ST. BERNARD PROJECTS

UPTOWN

TREMÉ/LAFITTE

W. RIVERSIDE

TULANE/GRAVIER

BYWATER

HOLY CROSS

DESIRE AREA

LOWER NINTH WARD

NEW DESIRE PROJECTS: ABUNDANCE SQUARE FAUBOURG MARIGNY

KENNER METAIRIE HARRAHAN

FLORIDA AREA

GRETNA

FLORIDA PROJECTS

MARRERO ST. BERNARD

ST. CLAUDE MUSICIANS’ VILLAGE ST. ROCH

LITTLE WOODS PINES VILLAGE PLUM ORCHARD READ BOULEVARD E. READ BOULEVARD W. W. LAKE FOREST VILLAGE DE L’EST MICHOUD VIAVANT/ VENETIAN ISLES LAKE CATHERINE

CITY PARK

DILLARD

LAKESHORE/ LAKE VISTA

FILMORE

LAKEVIEW

GENTILLY TERRACE

LAKEWOOD

GENTILLY WOODS

COUNTRY CLUB GARDENS

LAKE TERRACE/ LAKE OAKS

NAVARRE

MILNEBURG

WEST END

PONTCHARTRAIN PARK ST. ANTHONY

ALGIERS POINT U.S. NAVAL SUPPORT AREA AURORA BEHRMAN FISCHER HOUSING DEVELOPMENT MCDONOGH TALL TIMBERS/ BRECHTEL NEW AURORA ENGLISH TURN

GREEN LIGHT NEW ORLEANS | 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

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ART AND ARTISTS

ART + BARRELS CREATES PRIDE The art is a crucial component of the program, as this gives residents a unique feeling of ownership of their storm water management tools. In many ways, the success of the program can be gauged by the reactions people have to seeing their painted barrel in person for the first time.

Besides community volunteer artists, Green Light usually employs one resident artist on staff. Green Light’s current staff artist, Kami Galeana, is a middle school art teacher who has had her work shown at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and other galleries throughout the city and state.

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GREEN LIGHT NEW ORLEANS | 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

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“I love my rain barrel for three reasons,” one recipient said. “First, I’m doing my part to help New Orleans manage flooding. Second, I save money on the water bill, which has more than tripled in 8 years. Third, it’s a beautiful landscaping feature and conversation piece.

Thank you, Green Light!”

– Recipient

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As mentioned previously, most rain barrel installations generated an additional one or two applications, as recipients told their friends, neighbors and family members about the program. That became especially apparent throughout the end of 2019, as many neighborhoods and even specific blocks had multiple applicants requesting rain barrels. Green Light anticipates this will continue to be the case in 2020, which makes continued momentum and implementation especially crucial.

2019 GREEN LIGHT RAINBARREL TRENDS 50 49

45

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It is also anticipated that an expedited application process— using an online form that does not require applicants to download PDFs or mail in applications—will help increase applications for the program.

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32

28

25

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25 23

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AMOUNT

5

8

8

0 JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

# OF RAIN BARREL INSTALLATIONS (UP TO TWO BARRELS)

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GREEN LIGHT NEW ORLEANS | 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

JUL

AUG

SEPT

OCT

NOV

# OF RAIN BARREL APPLICATIONS

DEC

2019 GREEN LIGHT FUNDING STRUCTURE

CITY WISNER GNOF

6%

VOLUNTEER GROUPS

4%

8%

SSDN

12% ENTERGY

59%

12% COST SHARE DONATIONS

GREEN LIGHT NEW ORLEANS | 2019 ANNUAL REPORT 15

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GREEN LIGHT NEW ORLEANS | 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

2019 GREEN LIGHT UPDATES

Garden Program LEAF LETTUCE

MUSTARD GREENS

RADISHES

GREEN LIGHT NEW ORLEANS | 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

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GARDEN PROGRAM

Growing gardens for your community helps conduct research for better health.

In 2019, gardens for individual families have been funded and implemented by volunteer groups.

In partnership with Tulane University Green Light installed seven garden beds at the Broadmoor Community Church Food Bank. Jeannette Gustat, a professor at the Tulane University School of Public Health, which funded the project, sent an email: ”Here is the harvest from today!

Radishes, red tipped lettuce, kale and greens.” University students help to tend to the garden, get the community involved and conduct research.

Green Light also installed four backyard vegetable garden beds and two rain barrels at Little Professor Day Care in Central City in December 2019. The garden build was initiated by Shelly Dolan, a nurse educator at LSUHealth in New Orleans.

“Children who do not regularly consume diets rich with fresh fruits and vegetables, suffer negative consequences that encompass many parts of their live. Reducing nutritional health disparities in children should be a priority. The implementation, cultivation, and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables from a backyard garden at a childcare

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GREEN LIGHT NEW ORLEANS | 2019 ANNUAL REPORT

center can be one of the best practices with the greatest impact for change,” she stated in her garden application.

Green Light applied to the Fairlife Grant Program and was granted funding for the project.

The garden beds are set up in a part of the backyard that receives six hours of sunlight, even in the winter months.

Four 4x4 beds are sufficient to provide some healthy food while not being intimidating or requiring hours of maintenance.

Adding the rain barrels to the project makes sense because there is no water source close to the gardens. The barrels will provide 100 gallons of free water to the day care each time it rains.

In November 2019, Green Light was able to purchase the Green Light Edible Teaching Garden.

The land was leased from NORA for multiple years.

Having ownership will allow the organization to make capital improvements and combine the use as a teaching garden with demonstration of water management.

2019 GREEN LIGHT COMMUNITY IMPACT 19

BACKYARD VEGETABLE GARDENS INSTALLED IN 2019

2,965

ENERGY EFFICIENT LIGHT BULBS INSTALLED 2019

162

HOMES SERVED WITH LIGHT BULBS

> 1,325,355 CO2 REDUCTION ACHIEVED IN 2019

> $138,000 FINANCIAL BENEFIT TO COMMUNITY IN 2019

17,000 GALLONS OF WATER RETAINED DURING EACH RAIN EVENT

GREEN LIGHT NEW ORLEANS | 2019 ANNUAL REPORT 19

2007-2019 GREEN LIGHT’S IMPACT

BY THE NUMBER

607,691 ENERGY EFFICIENT CFL LIGHT BULBS INSTALLED

28,336 HOUSEHOLDS IMPACTED

RAIN BARREL PROGRAM S TA R T ED 2 0 1 5

BACKYARD LE VEGETAB E D GARDEN S TA R T

2012

CFL PROGRAM nce side Sub Less

on ati uc Ed

Me nt al w el ln es CO s 2 r edu cti on

Com mun ity Fre sh foo d

S TA R T E D 2 0 0 6

RESILIENCE in a disaster

l cia n a Fin

t efi n be

uct red y rg Ene rce C Resou

Improved

Art

28MIL

272MIL

IN ENERGY COSTS SAVED

POUNDS OF CO2 OFFSET

240 MIL KWH CONSERVED

674

601

RAIN BARRELS INSTALLED

GARDENS INSTALLED

9,127 VEGETABLE SEEDLINGS PLANTED

tion

ction Conne

33,700

GALLONS OF WATER RETENTION CAPACITY

health

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IN NEW ORLEANS, RAIN IS A PROBLEM. BUT THERE ARE SOLUTIONS WE CAN MAKE TOGETHER.

2020 GOALS:

600

RAIN BARRELS 2021 GOALS:

1,200 RAIN BARRELS

JOIN THE MOVEMENT. GREENLIGHTNEWORLEANS.ORG

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GREEN LIGHT NEW ORLEANS | 2019 ANNUAL REPORT