Living Better With Water
Green infrastructure reduces neighborhood flooding and improves the quality of our natural environment.
The Greater New Orleans Foundation is a leader in building the region’s movement to live better with water. As the climate changes, storms are becoming more severe and more regularly flooding our neighborhoods. We have some of the best drainage systems in the world, but they just can’t keep up – our region needs to add more green infrastructure and nature-based solutions for stormwater management. Rather than the old approach of immediately pumping away all rainwater, we can slow the flow to reduce flooding, alleviate subsidence, and improve water quality and environmental systems. In the process, we can build a new business sector that creates good, accessible jobs that further equitable economic opportunity.
Current Priority Projects
To support building the movement to live better with water, the Foundation’s environmental programs focus on three priority areas while also synergizing with the Foundation’s workforce development programs.
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The Urban Water Series
Launched in 2013, the Urban Water Series has convened workshops with experts from around the world to build local professional and political capacity to implement green infrastructure projects. The Series has also hosted learning visits to other cities with community leaders and elected officials to experience firsthand how these cities scaled their green infrastructure and stormwater management strategies. The Foundation is currently updating the Urban Water Series to feature home-grown expertise and success stories, while continuing to build knowledge with other cities around the world.
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Stormwater Opportunities
Through grantmaking with a racial equity lens and civic leadership, the Foundation has supported specific stormwater opportunity projects that use green infrastructure to reduce neighborhood flooding and improve our local environment. From grants to Urban Conservancy to implement single-family–residence scale projects to supporting the Water Wise Collective’s neighborhood approaches to championing large-scale public works projects like the Gentilly Resilience District and many more, the Foundation works to realize the direct benefits of green infrastructure for people in the region, especially people from historically underserved neighborhoods.
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Every Drop Makes a Difference Campaign
The Every Drop Makes a Difference Campaign is a coordinated communications effort to help raise awareness about the basic dynamics of our drainage system, how green infrastructure helps alleviate neighborhood flooding, and what everyday residents can do to help build the movement to live better with water
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Green Workforce Development
Through grantmaking with a racial equity lens focused on workforce development organizations, co-creation of ideas through reports and convenings, and directly supporting workers, the Foundation’s workforce development efforts also contribute to building the movement to live better with water. Learn more about our Economic Opportunity programs.
Want to know more?
To learn more about our environmental work at the Greater New Orleans Foundation, get in touch with Dan Favre.