Kids in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans now have a safe and healthy place to play thanks to a collaboration between Brad Pitt’s Make it Right Foundation and the Play Green Initiative. On Wednesday, Make it Right’s 1-year anniversary, the playground was dedicated to the children of the neighborhood. Since Hurricane Katrina caused catastrophic damage to the Lower Ninth Ward in 2005, not a single playground had been built. This new, $500,000 eco-friendly playground was made possible thanks largely to donations of equipment, landscaping and labor.
From Market Watch:
BNIM, a national leader in sustainable design and also one of 12 design firms for the Make it Right Project, designed the overall site, and JWA, a New Orleans architectural firm, served as a local collaborator. Both the equipment and the site are designed using sustainable methods and materials that minimize the impact on the environment while providing exceptional play value and a quality community gathering place. The play space will be constructed in an environmentally sustainable way, using local suppliers, native plantings, and natural means to control water flow, thereby reducing pollution, runoff, and other problems associated with asphalt and more traditional playground design. The playground equipment is constructed using sustainable methods including the use of non-toxic, recyclable and environmentally friendly materials. Solar energy will also be used to power the electronic components on the new equipment.
Thanks to this project, the Lower Ninth Ward is now home to the greenest, most technologically advanced playground in the country – in fact, it’s the first of its kind in North America. Considering all they’ve been through, the families of the Lower Ninth Ward really deserve this.
The Make it Right Foundation’s efforts in New Orleans are really remarkable. It makes so much sense to rebuild in a green way after a natural disaster, and the things they’re doing in the city are worthy of all the praise they get. Check out the rest of their efforts at Make it Right New Orleans.
Link [Market Watch] + [Make it Right]
