planetary citizens
In 2019, our beloved box truck Bess made over 600 pick ups of usable materials across New Orleans!
Sad thing is…Bess has a bunch of holes in her roof, her A/C is shot, and she is just too small, old, frail and ready to retire!
So, we’re fundraising to bring in the New Year with a new truck!
We’ll be able to do more pick up runs and reclaim 25% MORE materials annually–through donation pick ups alone.
Like every other small business in New Orleans, the Green Project is closely following the COVID-19 outbreak, preparing based on information from the CDC and City of New Orleans, and acting accordingly. Of most importance is the health and safety of our staff and community.
As of March 16, 2020, the Green Project remains open Monday through Saturday, 9am-5pm. In order to protect the health and safety of our staff and customers, the following changes are in effect:
Our Volunteer Program, Donation Pick Up Program, and Environmental Education Program are paused until further notice. Unfortunately, we will not allow volunteer help at this time, we will not be picking up materials from the community, and we will not participate in outreach events for the foreseeable future.
Our Donation Driveway hours will be limited to Saturday from 10am-4pm. Please hold on to your donations until Saturdays, or until things settle down in the coming months.
We are cleaning the cash wrap, cart handles, pens, bathrooms, door handles & the water filter frequently using CDC-approved cleaner.
We have switched to credit & debit cards only to avoid contamination through cash handling.
Cashiers are sanitizing their hands and the POS station between each transaction.
We are providing hand sanitizer to customers and staff at the register and in the Donation Driveway.
Staff have been instructed to wash and sanitize their hands frequently. We ask that customers do the same!
Bathrooms have been reserved for staff use only.
If staff are sick, they are asked to stay home.
While elbow bumps are better than high-fives, we ask that all staff and customers limit contact and work to remain 6 feet apart as much as possible.
We’re not sure what lies ahead for us, or any other business that relies on steady sales to keep afloat. Please refer to our website and social media for updates and potential closures.
As we all navigate this uncharted territory, remember to be kind to each other, be smart and stay safe—we’re all in this together.
With gratitude,
Hailey Allison
Executive Director
As a nonprofit, we survive only through the support of our beloved community. Consider a small contribution to the Green Project to help us make it through this trying time.
In light of the Mayor Cantrell’s proclamation on May 16th directing numerous non-essential businesses in New Orleans to close, it is in the best interest of the Green Project and our community to close beginning Tuesday, 3/17, until further notice.
Any updates will be posted on our website or social media (Facebook & Instagram).
The Green Project was created as a community paint recycling operation and persists only because we are a community-based organization. We can’t do what we do without our neighbors donating materials, our customers seeing the value in quality used goods and schools opening their doors to environmental education.
Today, we are calling on our community to come together in new ways as we navigate what COVID-19 means for the Green Project and New Orleans as a whole. We want nothing more than to bounce back stronger than ever once it is safe for all.
Composting is fun for several reasons. A fun addition to this video is chopping up or even blending your compostable veggie and fruit scraps. Combining random things in a blender can only be a blast! Perfect if you have an exuberant kid who can often make following a recipe impossible-here they can make their own recipe. The grosser, the better! Any container works, including old 5 gallon paint buckets, or simple sandbox buckets.
Hey TGP Community! Thanks for your patience over the last couple of months as we navigate our closure and safe reopening. We are excited to finally have some news to share!
***As of today, June 3rd, we are still closed and unable to accept donations, but re-opening plans are in motion. See below!***
If you have any questions, please email us at [email protected].
As of July 11, 2020, the Green Project remains CLOSED. We hope to reopen soon!
Staff started on-site on July 7th! We are hard at work getting the store prepped. Before we reopen, we have to…
Recycle enough paint to stock the store
Reorganize numerous departments
Sort, price and stock merchandise
Implement safety protocols and train staff
Please know that we’re not closed because we don’t love you—we do! We know that we are and important resource for the community. Coronavirus unfortunately threw us for a loop.
We are doing the best we can with the staff and resources that we have. Your patience is appreciated! We are hopeful that we will be able to reopen before the end of the month.
Our website, thegreenproject.org, is the best place to check for updates and the most accurate information. Thank you!
In 2020, despite being closed for 4.5 months, we reclaimed…
1,879 doors
15,027 linear feet of lumber
14,761 linear feet of molding
Over 500 windows
4,121 pieces of tile
2,855 gallons of paint
And much, much more! Tab through the slideshow above to see more of our progress and accomplishments in 2020.
As we wrap up this year, we are immensely thankful for the support of our community—from our customers, to donors, to financial contributors. Without you, there is no Green Project. Thank you for your continued support over the past 26 years. Here’s to a new year, hope, growth and joy!
With gratitude,
Hailey Allison
Executive Director
For the fourth year, The Green Project is partnering with the City of New Orleans Department of Sanitation on a Paint Reclamation Project at Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Materials Collection Day.
At the City’s Annual HHW Materials Collection Day (scheduled for Saturday, May 8, 2021 from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at 2829 Elysian Fields Ave.), Orleans Parish residents drop off a significant amount of paint.
The project diverts usable paint from disposal; provides residents with usable paint, free of charge; offers New Orleans residents a way to recycle some household hazardous waste; and protects our environment.
Usable water-based and oil-based paint will be reclaimed, sorted into like colors, and available for the community to pick up for free. Open to all residents in Orleans Parish. No sign up required; drop in during the hours listed below:
FREE PAINT PICK UP LOCATION, DATES & TIMES
Tuesday, May 18th – Saturday May 22nd
9:00AM – 1:00PM
2829 Elysian Fields
**First come, first served. No sign up required!
Paint can only be picked up during the days and times listed above.
Once taken off-site, paint cannot be returned to the Recycling Drop Off Center or The Green Project.
It is the responsibility of those picking up paint to check for final quality and color determinations, based on their needs.
Saturday, May 8th | 8am-1pm | 2829 Elysian Fields
Paint can only be dropped off to the Department of Sanitation on designated HHW Collection Days.
The May 8th HHW drop off day is for Orleans Parish residents only. Businesses and organizations cannot drop off paint. For information on the event and other Department of Sanitation programming, visit the Department of Sanitation’s Website or email [email protected].
A long shower at the end of the day might be a relaxing escape from reality, but there is a reason to stay alert. Energy efficiency experts say the way Australian bathrooms are being built will drain your wallet – and the environment.
Alan Pears, a senior industry fellow at RMIT who helped develop Australia’s appliance energy star ratings, describes showers as “almost perfectly designed to waste energy and make you feel uncomfortable”. He says bathrooms lack “basic design principles” and are often cold and poorly ventilated, which exacerbates hot water use.
When cold air enters shower cubicles, hot air rises, he says, resulting in a “slightly hotter top half, making you feel even colder because your legs are freezing”.
Under changes to the national construction code introduced in 2022, exhaust fans will be required to continue to run for 10 minutes after the lights are turned off, in order to ensure moisture and odours are removed after a person leaves the room. Though some states are yet to introduce the changes, they should all be in line by next year.
The amendment was introduced to reduce condensation buildup and its associated risks, like mould, in bathrooms, affecting major renovations and new builds. But the requirement will make bathrooms colder and therefore increase hot water use, particularly if exhaust fans are located near the tops of shower cubicles, Pears says.
Tim Forcey, an energy efficiency adviser and author, says “there’s nothing less comfortable than having to have a shower in a big open space on a cold winter morning”. The solution, he says, is to better contain heat in shower cubicles.
Showerdomes, a New Zealand invention, are essentially a lid placed on top of a shower. They eliminate the need for additional heating or cooling of a bathroom by preventing warm air from being sucked up into the ceiling exhaust fan and into the roof.
Forcey, who has one in his home in Melbourne’s Bayside, says with a dome “you’re warm in a split second”. They cost about $300, provided you install it yourself.
Showerdome converts are effusive in their praise, but some users say the devices make their bathroom “feel like a sauna”.
Though Forcey says a Showerdome – or something similar to it, made of Corflute – could negate the need for bathroom exhaust fans, Gary Rake, the CEO of the Australian Buildings Code Board, says it would not be enough to waive the requirements.
Instead, an assessment could be sought to determine whether or not the Showerdome satisfies ventilation requirements.
According to Pears, problems relating to excess moisture, such as the growth of mould and mildew, have escalated over the last 20 years due to houses being less “leaky”.
To cut energy use and save money, Forcey and Pears advise against heated towel rails, ducted heating and heated floors. They recommend using a more energy-efficient radiator to heat bathrooms when needed and for shower walls to be built with thinner insulating material (instead of glass) to ensure walls warm up faster.
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Pears attributes poor bathroom design to building codes which focus on water temperatures instead of preventing cool air from entering shower cubicles. He says this is due to an Australian culture of “regulations that cover the bare minimum”.
For instance, there is no requirement that showers have a properly sealed door – or a door at all – which would prevent cold air from mixing with hot air and producing steam.
In the process of attempting to solve problems, some solutions have created some of their own. Prompted by the need to reduce water use during droughts, the mandatory shift to energy-efficient shower heads has incidentally led people to increase their energy consumption.
More energy-efficient shower heads release less hot water a minute, producing less heat, which Pears says prompts people to shower at higher temperatures.
According to researchers from Monash University, those who used five-star rated shower heads increased their shower temperatures by one to two degrees. The authors wrote in the Conversation that “shower head manufacturers … aren’t promoting efficient shower heads because they don’t respond to demand”.
“A lot of people in the building industry are opposed to making buildings work better … [seeing changes] as an extra cost on the homebuyer and more complications for the builder to have to meet,” Pears says.
He also criticises the siloed nature of government, which he says is ineffective in improving housing, which requires a multifaceted effort.
“Upgrading housing is about social justice, it’s about health care, it’s about saving carbon emissions,” he says.