NEW ORLEANS, LA - Former President Bill Clinton said energy efficient, green building can be a key part of New Orleans' comeback from Hurricane Katrina. Clinton, here for a gathering of college students as part of his Clinton Global Initiative University, said the city's history and culture, combined with a commitment to a sustainable economic future, would allow for "the complete ascendancy, its return, as the most unique city in the country."
Mayor Ray Nagin said Clinton, who in 2006 named the New Orleans metro area as part of his Clinton Climate Initiative focused on addressing global warming, has been providing advice on how best to move forward from the August 2005 storm. He called Clinton a friend and "wonderful man."
The city has pledged to follow what Nagin in January called a "greening road map," a 10-year plan that he said would, among other things, incorporate so-called green technology and building techniques into the repairs of city buildings damaged by Katrina. Nagin also has said he has committed to green living in his personal life, taking steps including having solar panels installed at his home.
Clinton said a focus on green rebuilding is key and that his goal for the city is to parlay the idea of sustainable building into economic development, creating five to six years worth of work, and what he called good jobs, focused on making buildings throughout New Orleans more energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
"The way to really get New Orleans all the way back and all the way back in a hurry is to rebuild in the right way and make it a long-term, five- to six-year commitment, to create a much higher base level of jobs through this whole energy efficiency" endeavor, he said. On Sunday, Clinton appeared with actor Brad Pitt, who is leading an effort aimed at building affordable, energy efficient homes in the hard-hit, slow-to-rebound Lower 9th Ward.
A focus Saturday was on the role young people can play in effecting change, in New Orleans and beyond, with issues ranging from global warming to poverty and AIDs. Hundreds of college students, from 40 states and 15 countries, were being represented at the conference, Clinton said. "I think those of you who are here are here because you want to change the world and you know you can," he told the opening session. "And if you can do something, it imposes a particular responsibility on you."
Source: NOLA.com