Lower Ninth Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development

RESTORATION, DECONSTRUCTION, SALVAGE, WEATHERIZATION, AND RE-BUILDING THE LOWER 9th WARD: Revitalizing the Lower 9h Ward begins with the thousands of homes and businesses damaged by Hurricane Katrina and Rita-to ensure they become health, comfortable, energy-efficient places to live and work. That community-wide focus extends to making our streets, parks, schools and gathering places safer and more sustainable. The CSED works to create energy independent, economically viable, beautiful and resilient neighborhoods. This includes working towards restoring and developing parks and community gardens. It includes providing returning residents with sustainable building resources and training to restore their homes and other residential type structures via bulk purchasing, low or no cost re-building materials, sustainable technologies and materials, and providing volunteer labor from all over the United States. Volunteer labor for the year is valued at $240,983, based on a $22.14/hour labor rate and 10,885 volunteer hours. This amount is not included as revenue or expenditures in this return.

SUSTAINABLE COASTAL RESTORATION: To increase and strengthen collaboration between local and national efforts in order to advance innovative policies and mechanisms forcomprehensive coastal restoration and community protection efforts in coastal Louisiana. The health and well-being of the Lower 9th Ward is deeply intertwined with the Mississippi River to the south and the Bayou Bienvenue Wetland Triangle to the north. This geographic relationship continues to inform coastal sustainability and the critical role of wetlands throughout New Orleans, across Louisiana, and along the Gulf Coast.

FOOD SECURITY:Food Security is a vital element of a sustainable community. It is a return to the traditions of urban farming and independent living rooted in the Lower 9th Ward. CSED works to promote this initiative through community gardens, local markets and ongoing education and outreach about the importance of urban agriculture to community revitalization. The CSED supports the Backyard Gardners Network to promote food security, the Guerrilla Garden located at Chartres & Charbonnet, and the Ernst Community Garden located at Chartres and Forstall. The CSED Food Planning Community, in response to the community's poor access to fresh food, is currently organizing Lower 9th Ward community leaders and residents to create a Neighborhood Food Action Plan. Also, the CSED is developing a local Urban Farm that will provide local quality food to residents and New Orleans' area restaurants with a community hiring component to include an apprenticeship in farming.