Greenpeace and New
Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, with the help of other
groups such as Advocates for Environmental Human Rights, Blue Vinyl and the Healthy Building Network
(HBN), have completed a project that shows first-hand a low-cost
solution to PVC in home building. We built a house that is both
PVC-free and replicable for low-income families. The home has other
green features and the construction was powered by our "Rolling
Sunlight" vehicle. The house is located in New Orleans, about two
miles from the French Quarter. It is adjacent to two other new
Habitat houses.
A family of five now owns the home. Shylia Lewis is a single
mother of four children, ranging from ages two to 12. Shylia
formerly taught in the New Orleans Public Schools system, and now
works at a document solutions company.
 Visit our weblog for updates from the build
site in New Orleans. |
|
Habitat for Humanity - Collegiate
ChallangeCitizens' Environmental CoalitionGulf Restoration
NetworkSierra Club, New Orleans ChapterBaptist Seminary
MissionTulane University - Green ClubTulane University - Urban
SocietyLouisiana State University - Environmental Graduate
OrganizationLousiana State University - Rotoract ClubXavier
University - Habitat for Humanity ClubXavier University -
Environmental Justice GroupBaton Rouge Community College
|
Shylia, Shawn, Steven, Sheldon and Serenity were living in what
is known as the "Ninth Ward." This poverty-stricken community
suffers from extreme hardships. There were holes in the walls of
Shylia's house that lead to the outdoors, allowing for red ants to
frequent her bathtub. The four children all shared one bedroom
furnished with two bunk beds, and in the winter, the entire family
slept in the front room by a heater.
Shylia and her children are thrilled to be chosen as a Habitat
family.
Louisiana
Louisiana is home to some of the most toxic-producing industries
on the planet: Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) production facilities. The
toxics released into the environment by these facilities have
turned Louisiana into a "polluter's paradise" -- a region so
contaminated that the state's citizens are subjected to profound
health and environmental damage.
The industrial corridor stretching from Baton Rouge south to New
Orleans along the Mississippi River, commonly known as "Cancer
Alley," is home to more than 140 petrochemical producers and users.
This is one of the highest concentration of manufacturers, users
and polluters of toxic chemicals in the United States.
PVC
Over the past few decades, PVC plastic has become one of the
most widely-used types of plastics. It's used in packaging, home
furnishings, children's toys, building materials, automobile parts
and hundreds of other products. While several plastics pose serious
threats to human health and the environment, few consumers realize
that PVC is the single most environmentally-damaging of all
plastics. The PVC lifecycle -- its production, use and disposal --
results in the release of toxic, chlorine-based chemicals. These
toxics build up in the water, air and food chain. The result can be
severe health problems like cancer, immune system damage and
hormone disruption.
Environmental Injustice and the Industry
The effects of toxic chemical emissions does not stop at a
facility's fenceline. Many polluting facilities and old dumpsites
are located in poor communities, most often communities of color.
People living next to these facilities are experiencing illnesses
that they directly attribute to toxic air and water emissions. In
some cases, entire communities have been relocated, such as
Morrisonville next to Dow Chemical and Reveilletown next to Georgia
Gulf.
EnvironDesign 8
Healthy Building Network has been invited to participate in this
>national
conference celebrating envrionmental stewardship and
sustainable development. HBN will be displaying our materials on
the newly completed PVC-Free Habitat for Humanity home this
April.