ATTN NEW ORLEANS! TIME TO RECYCLE YOUR GLASS! NOLAWARE RECYCLES GLASS & MAKES ART WITH IT!

"A lot of New Orleanians will tell you that the glass is half empty when it comes to glass recycling in this city. The question that drives everyone to drink is always ‘when is glass recycling coming?!’ The answer is always that it’s either too expensive to haul, too costly, a liability issue, or too cheap to manufacture to make it work… Until now. There’s a new local startup called Nolaware that wants you to drink up and then bring them all of your clean and unbroken beer, liquor and wine bottles. Why? So that they can give them a new life as glassware and candles. Drop offs can be made at ::7701 COHN STREET:: in the Carrollton neighborhood and, if you own a restaurant or bar, they’ll even schedule a pickup to grab your glass. The folks at Nolaware like to say they’re recycling New Orleans one bottle at a time." -wwno.org

Follow NOLA"S Glassland Project on FaceBook ::CLICK HERE::

::CLICK HERE:: to take you to a link that shows 12 creative ways to REUSE your discarded bottles!

Also, you can recycle your glass at all Whole Foods and the TARGET in Metairie WILL RECYCLE YOUR GLASS TRASH TOO! Here's their address: Target, 4500 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504)888-2184.

I can't promise that the person that picks up the phone on that number will know what on earth you're talking about, "recycle glass? wuh?" but, ask to speak to a manager & they will know :)

Thank you for taking the time to check out my blog. Let's love this gem of a city the way she deserves to be loved & help GREEN NEW ORLEANS!

On Tuesday September 4th, I finally had my electricity restored by Entergy LA after not having it since last Tuesday, August 28th. I am relieved to not have to use my candles and flashlights anymore and I am over joyed to be able to turn on the aircon and refill my fridge after having to throw everything besides my supplements out, but I am still upset by the lack of timely response by Entergy, who happens to have the monopoly on power energy in New Orleans. This power outage was the result of Hurricane Isaac, but the amount of time it took Entergy to restore power was not!

Hurricane Isaac hit New Orleans on the same exact day of the anniversary of Katrina 7 years ago, but thankfully as a category 1 hurricane unlike Katrina which was a category 3. Isaac had dissipated by Friday, August 31st. Isaac's winds howled for two days and knocked down trees and power lines, but from what the locals told me, it wasn't as bad as Hurricane Gustav in 2008, which was a category 2, and power was restored much faster after Gustav than Isaac. For some reason Entergy could not precisely explain exactly why it took so long to restore power in New Orleans. There was a small percentage of people who did not lose their electricity at all, but 85% of the city was in the dark for days.

Many people were told to call Entergy and report their power outages, but that proved to be completely useless. Businesses could not open, restaurants lost their food supplies and remained closed. People could not get back to their normal lives even though Isaac had come and gone. Some restaurants and grocery stores gassed up their generators and were able to open for business, but there was still no air conditioning and in this hot and humid subtropical weather, a battery operated fan just doesn't cut it. Businesses lost thousands upon thousands of dollars the days spent without electricity. And with the heat and humidity without aircon, many New Orleanians were going a bit crazy. Tensions were high, people were stressed out and desperate because they had been unable to work because of their jobs not having electricity. Some elderly folks even died due to heatstrokes.

Over 500,000 people were without electricity throughout Louisiana and in New Orleans alone there was almost 70,000 without power while Entergy trucks were lined up and down streets throughout the city, not doing a thing. What really infuriated me more was the fact that Entergy workers that were brought in from surrounding states were partying late in the French Quarter, knowing that they had a huge job to do the next day. This whole situation made me think.. Why does Entergy have the monopoly on power here? And why aren't more people looking to utilize solar power here where we get so much sunshine? Especially since Louisiana has the highest consumer incentives for solar in the nation. Solar energy panels are expensive, but with 80% state and federal tax credits, it really pays off in the long run to not depend on an unreliable energy company that leaves it's customers in the dark for so long without a proper explanation. Experiencing hurricanes is a part of life here in the south, but tolerating an unreliable energy company should not be. Do I sound like a Solar Energy salesperson? Probably, but I'm not.

This past April during a small Earth Day festival, I discovered The Alliance for Affordable Energy, a non-profit organization that promotes sustainable clean energy in New Orleans. I feel that now more than ever is the perfect time to support and promote their mission in New Orleans.

AAE's statement: "The Alliance for Affordable Energy is a non-profit organization which works to create fair, affordale, environmentally responsible energy policy for Louisiana and the nation. The Alliance also works to promote the sustainable rebuilding of our city, promoting energy efficiency, environmentally responsible building techniques and residential solar power. Since 1985, the Alliance has been working as a watchdog agency to help work toward solutions to our energy problems and ensure that information about these problems is accessible to the public."

::CLICK HERE:: to find out more about Alliance for Affordable Energy.

::CLICK HERE:: to learn more about a New Orleans solar power provider.

Thank you for taking the time to read my rant*

Curbside Recycling is BACK New Orleans!

Unfortunately, my birthday was the day after the BP oil rig explosion. Even though I was soon to be devastated by the news of the worst environmental disaster in American history, especially since I had just moved to Louisiana from one of the most environmentally conscious cities in the United States, I was elated that day because I received a recycle bin. It felt like a birthday gift from the city! Curbside recycling had finally come back to New Orleans! It had been since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 that Curbside Recycling had been taken away from NOLA residents. Five years is too long for any city to be without proper recycling abilities. Yes, there was another local business that offered recycling while Curbside was on the city's budget and priority list hiatus, but only for an inconvenient price which did not include recycle bins or a weekly pickup schedule. Twice a month and no bins for the same price as my monthly electrical bill?? Being that I had recently given up my San Francisco status to become a New Orleanian, I could not understand why such a highly touristed American city would go so long without bringing free recycling back.., but I would rather not go on and on with my personal opinion and rant about why it took so long and how necessary it was to be able to recycle for free after this city had been so severely devastated by Mother Nature, so I will focus on the present solution and provide references and links so that New Orleans residents can easily sign up to receive their free bins and get back to making this beautiful gem of a city environmentally conscious. Philanthropy Now!! Not tomorrow!

CLICK HERE => TO SIGN UP FOR RECYCLE BINS IN NEW ORLEANS

CLICK HERE => FOR RECYCLING PICKUP SCHEDULE

CLICK HERE => FOR COLLECTION SCHEDULE MAP

To learn about Waste and Recycling Facts ::CLICK HERE::

Thank you for your time & Please help spread the word*

Help Defend New Orleans

New Orleans is by far one of my favorite cities in the U.S. It is the birth place of Jazz, and not to mention, a melting pot of an exotic cultural stew; African, Caribbean, French, Spanish and good ol' Americana. Louisiana gumbo 4 shore! I have been traveling to New Orleans since before the devastation of Katrina and when the levees broke, so did the heart of millions, amongst the many lives and homes taken by earth's dead man's hand. & I'm not going to attempt to get into the devastation that was created by the lack of instant aid that was received by FEMA... grrrr! But HOPE always remains, and as the NOLA saying goes, "Les Bons Temps Roulé" (the good times will roll). And of course with help and contribution HOPE can make a difference, even three years after the fact. 'Philanthropy Now!'

I feel passionately about this beautiful and haunting city. When I discovered 'Defend New Orleans', a small group of friends who began DNO in 2003, whom make & sell shirts, bags, etc, that aids communities in need, I knew this was one way that I could contribute to the unfortunate people who lost everything and who are still working to build their lives and their hope. It's not helping to build a house in the Ninth Ward, but it's something. Every little bit counts and when added up, those little bits create a home. Please check out their website, & hey, buy a t-shirt!
CLICK HERE FOR DNO MERCHANDISE


To help more... CHECK THESE LINKS:
*Common Ground Relief

*Music Rising




Money from the sale of Defend New Orleans merchandise has aided Renew Our Music, New Orleans Musician Fund, Bridge House, Emergency Communities, among others. DNO also throws local fundraising events, so if you happen to visit NOLA, check out their events; DNO EVENTS