Native Plant Academy, Gulf South for a Green New Deal, and Other Water News

In The News

Healthy Community Service Announces “Native Plant Academy NOLA”

The academy is an entry level, six week program to introduce young people to issues that affect climate change. Participants will learn about stormwater management, migratory bird patterns, wetlands ecology, flora and fauna, storm surge protection, and more. Activities will include four 3-hour classroom instructional days (no classes during Mardi Gras season) and two field days in March: one to the SELA Levee Closure and one to Bayou Sauvage.

Weekly stipends, all supplies and materials, and refreshments will be provided.

Youth who are 12-19 years old and reside in Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard Parishes are eligible to apply. Participants must be able to commit for the entire program. For more information and to apply, email info@hcsnola.org. This project is supported by Audubon.

Coalition of Gulf Coast Groups Releases Policy Platform on Climate Change, Inequality 

A network of organizations from across the Gulf South has published a regional Green New Deal policy platform that aims to build on the national policy of the same name. The Green New Deal is a nonbinding resolution in Congress that outlines several ways the country can address climate change. It emphasizes clean energy jobs, environmental justice, and transitioning away from fossil fuels.

The creation of the “Gulf South for a Green New Deal Policy Platform” was a six-month process anchored by the Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy (GCCLP) and is a collective assertion that the Gulf South must be included in the development of national policy.

The platform states that the promise of jobs and justice cannot be achieved without ensuring the following values are reflected at every stage in the design and implementation of Green New Deal policies: Advance equity. Follow Indigenous and frontline leadership. Build community wealth and health. Invest in visionary and transformative change. Advance community and local control. Use an intersectional approach. Value all humans equally.

Imagine Water Works is proud to be an original signatory, alongside 100+ other organizations from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Texas.

More Water Headlines

• Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) sees 35% budget cut, more than any other state environmental agency in  the nation
• Climate-heated oceans to increase rainfall from hurricanes and tropical storms
• World’s Largest Public Bank Ditches Oil and Coal in Victory for Climate
• State tax breaks flow to firms building chemical plants overseas, then shipping them to Louisiana
• What it’ll take to raise New Orleans-area levees: $3.2 billion, 50-year plan
• S&WB plans to spend $325 million on infrastructure projects next year
• Neighbors claim early successes in DIY flood management in New Orleans
• A journey into New Orleans’ underground drainage system
• Louisiana gives pipeline owners broad authority to seize land
• US Water Alliance releases National Action Plan: Closing the Water Access Gap in the United States

Funding & Finance

• STATE ANNOUNCES $100 MILLION FUNDING OPPORTUNITY FOR LOCAL AND REGIONAL FLOOD MITIGATION PROJECTS

• Apply by January 31: Kresge’s Arts & Culture Program is currently accepting letter-of-intent applications that align with their focus area: Strengthen the Equitable Creative Placemaking Field, with emphasis on “working to advance a field of Creative Placemaking leaders, practices and principles committed to equity and inclusion”.

  Kresge is also accepting applications that align with their focus area: Increase Creative Capacity to Shape Healthier Neighborhoods, with emphasis on “advancing creative approaches that empower residents to drive change and restore wellness in their neighborhoods”.

• Apply by February 19: The Gulf Research Program’s Early-Career Research Fellowship supports emerging scientific leaders as they take risks on research ideas not yet tested, pursue unique collaborations, and build a network of colleagues who share their interest in improving offshore energy system safety and the well-being of coastal communities and ecosystems. An award of $76,000 is paid to each fellow’s institution in the form of a two-year grant

• Apply by March 4: The Gulf Research Program’s Science Policy Fellowship program helps scientists hone their skills by putting them to practice for the benefit of Gulf Coast communities and ecosystems. Fellows gain first-hand experience as they spend one year on the staff of federal, state, local, or non-governmental environmental, natural resource, oil and gas, and public health agencies in the Gulf of Mexico region. An award of $55,000 to $60,000 will be paid directly to the fellow in monthly disbursements.

Land, Water, and Climate Events

• Gallery Talk: “Inventing Acadia” with Curator Katie Pfohl, hosted by New Orleans Museum of Art | December 18, 12-1pm | Free admission for Louisiana residents with ID |  More info
• Join the Wave: Holiday Happy Hour and Toy Drive by The Water Collaborative | Thursday December 19, 4:30-7pm | True Food Kitchen, 801 Saint Charles Avenue, New Orleans | Register for free
• Michel Varisco: King Tides at Good Children Gallery | King Tides imagines a future where high tides have overtaken the land due to industrial and political kings who ignored the signs of the Anthropocene. King Tides are the highest tides. When the moon is closest to the earth and when the earth, moon, and sun are in alignment, this is when the gravitational pull is strongest. In this photographic and mixed media exhibition Varisco employs a kind of magical realism as a strategy to address the rising sea. | December 14 – January 5 | 4037 Saint Claude Ave, New Orleans | More Info 
• New Orleans East Birding Fieldtrip, hosted by Orleans Audubon Society | January 18, 8am – 12pm | Joe Brown Park | More Info