N.O. Vacancy?

Louisiana loses about a football field a day from its coast, and is prone to flooding from rainwater and a high water table. 

Louisianans are among the most unhealthy Americans, ranking in the worst five states for obesity, death by heart attack, death by stroke and fruit and vegetable consumption. Obesity is caused by a poor diet coupled with a lack of exercise.

Louisiana needs to build with stormwater management and health concerns in mind. Green roofs contribute to solving both of chronic issues.

LOUISIANA BY THE NUMBERS:

HEALTH:

Obesity: Adults - 35.5% (Ranked: 5th) An "obese" adult has a Body Mass Index over 30.


Obesity: Children ages 10-17 - 34% of children aged 10-17 are overweight or obese (Ranked: 8th).

An "overweight" child has a BMI at or above the 85th percentile and below the 95th percentile for children and teens of the same age and sex. An "obese" child is has a BMI at or above the 95th percentile for children and teens of the same age and sex.

Hypertension - 39.3% (Ranked: 4th)

Type 2 Diabetes - 12.1% (Ranked: 8th)

Deaths by heart disease - 212.1/1,000 (Ranked: 5th)

Deaths by stroke - 46.0/1,000 (Ranked: 5th)

Vegetable consumption: 32.5% less than once daily (Ranked: 1st)

Fruit consumption: 46.7% less than once daily (Ranked: 5th)


From 2014-16,Louisiana was the nation's worst in food security: 7.7% of households had food intake reduced due to lack of finances or other resources.

ENVIRONMENT

Louisiana is losing a football field of storm-protecting wetlands every day and needs to build with storm-resiliency in mind.

Louisiana has been involved in 7 of the 10 most costly flood events in U.S. history.

SOLUTIONS:

Urban farms offer fresh, local food; jobs; community enrichment in the form of cooking, farming, exercise, and art classes; community empowerment by creating solutions to local problems right in our communities.

Green roofs offer reduced energy consumption by reducing temperature fluctuations on the roof; stormwater retention and runoff delay; reduction in urban heat island effect; additional space for local food production, local wildlife habitat, or green park space.

N.O. Vacancy is an effort to create the following legislative provisions in Louisiana to add more green and urban farming spaces in our communites:

1) A property tax incentive to reward landowners who install green roofs.

2) Minimum contractual provisions between landowners and green roof installers to ensure long-term access for urban farmers.

- 3 year contract length

- Access guarantee

- Ability to add farming structures