The Nelson Institute Blog

The students of the New Orleans Sustainable Restoration Workshop invite you to learn more about the project and enjoy a fun-filled night of music provided by Big Mouth Cooperative, photo art, and Cajun culture Friday night at Escape Java Joint!

Restoration: Sustainability in the Lower 9th Ward, New Orleans, a photo show by the University of Wisconsin-New Orleans Sustainable Restoration Workshop

Opening Friday, January 16 from 7:00-11:00 pm at Escape Java Joint, 916 Williamson St. Photos on display through January 29th.

The University of Wisconsin-New Orleans Sustainable Restoration Workshop is a student-led UW project to utilize our academic skills and interests to advise and assist the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans in a wetlands restoration project that could not only bring sustainable economic activity to the neighborhood, but also reduce devastating floods in future hurricanes.

Hurricane Katrina brought national attention to issues of environmental racism, concentrated poverty and segregation, and the widespread governmental failure in serving disadvantaged communities. Although there has been a huge outpouring of national support for New Orleans residents, there is still a lot to be done.

The University of Wisconsin- New Orleans Sustainable Restoration Workshop is in its 3rd year of partnering with the Holy Cross Neighborhood Association and the Lower 9th Ward’s Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development. Working alongside community leaders, residents, non-profits and government agencies, this student group has been conducting essential and much needed wetland and social science.

Please join us as we introduce the Madison community to another face of the Lower 9th Ward. Quickly becoming one of the largest sustainable redevelopment projects in the world, the Lower 9th Ward has become a model recognized for their dedication to community, their insistence on environmental and social justice, and their commitment to empower themselves through environmental sustainability. This photo show serves not only to celebrate the achievements of the Lower 9th Ward but also to invite the Madison Community to participate in this exciting and ground breaking project.