Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** new orleans is a frontline…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** new orleans is a frontline climate community, experiencing the effects of climate change earlier than many other urban centers. For new orleans, climate change is not a future scenario, but a current reality. South louisiana is facing many challenges exacerbated by climate change due to our unique geography. Sea level rise and rapid intensification of weather events are accelerating coastal land loss – increasing storm surge exposure while adding greater stresses to our levee and flood protection systems. Climate change is also causing greater intensity in storm events, including hurricanes, that can cause flood and wind damage. Additionally, extreme heat episodes directly threaten the health of our residents and the reliability of the utility systems that supply US with energy and water.one option to make new orleans more climate resilient while lowering greenhouse gas emissions locally is a greater emphasis on composting. New orleans is well positioned to be a leader in composting. The city has an economic and cultural focus on food, a 12-month growing season, and a robust gardening and farming community with generations of home-grown expertise. Unfortunately, new orleans currently lacks the infrastructure to support large-scale composting, municipal or otherwise, which would alleviate some of the pressures of a rapidly changing climate and support urban agriculture efforts. In december 2022, the city of new orleans released its updated climate action plan net-zero by 2050 in which IT highlights waste diversion as one of a few critical strategies to creating equitable opportunities to mitigate the impact of climate change. Food waste is attributed to 2% of carbon emissions locally. A major advantage of aerobic composting is reducing methane emissions, which happen when food and other organic waste is sent to landfills. New orleans residents need more consistent access to affordable, nutrient-rich compost while simultaneously the city desires to reduce the amount of food waste IT sends to landfills. By increasing community participation in composting and decreasing the amount of waste headed to landfills, this project aims to improve sustainability and create greater efficiency in city services.