It has been 6 1/2 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, killing over 1500 people. Hardest hit was the city's Lower 9th Ward, with over 4000 homes destroyed by the storm and flood water. Two years later, little had been done to help this portion of New Orleans rebuild. After touring this part of the city and speaking with local families, actor Brad Pitt founded the Make It Right Foundation and vowed to build 150 green, affordable, high quality homes. Building started in December of 2007 and since then more than 75 homes have been built! On March 10th, Pitt will be holding a celebrity packed event, A Night To Make It Right, to raise enough money to build the remaining homes, finally bringing the community together again.
One California-based home builder, Living Homes, debuted its lowest cost model ever, the C6, that will be available in most states. Part of the proceeds from the sale of each of the $179,000 prefab homes will be donated to Make It Right. Each one of these ultra-green, factory built homes will have 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and will wrap around a courtyard, designed to blend indoor and outdoor living. This home is constructed in less than two months and installed on-site in one day.
As New Orleans celebrates Mardi Gras this week, it's easy to forget that much of the city is still in need of rebuilding. Make It Right is just one of many organizations working to achieve this goal. And the new green, energy-efficient homes being built will not only be better for the environment, but on the health and well being of the displaced families. Not to mention their pocketbooks, as well. It's a fresh start for this community in the city they love.
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Sources: Makeitrightnola.org, Nighttomakeitright.com, Livinghomes.net
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