Meet Lynsey Johnson, a Loyola law student who recently joined the Make It Right team as a legal intern. She’s an avid long distance runner, active in the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) and a member of the Junior League of New Orleans. She also has one of the world’s cutest puppies.*

Lynsey is originally from northern Wisconsin, where she graduated from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, with a Bachelor’s of Science in public administration and political science. She went on to earn her Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Northern Illinois University. Following that, she worked for the City of DeKalb, Illinois as a transportation planner from 2006-2007. After moving to Madison, Wisconsin, she served as the disaster response and recovery planner for Wisconsin Emergency Management from 2007-2011. While there, Lynsey participated in disaster operations and administered the disaster assistance programs; specifically, the Wisconsin floods of 2008 and 2010. She also administered the FEMA hazard mitigation grant programs, reviewed local hazard mitigation plans and provided technical assistance to Wisconsin counties. Rounding out her professional achievements, Lynsey also served as the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) Liaison for the State of Wisconsin coordinating state-to-state mutual aid and earned her Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) designation through the ASFPM.

In 2011, she followed her lifelong dream of going to law school and becoming an attorney. She moved to New Orleans and is currently a second year law student at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. After law school, she hopes to continue disaster recovery work.

* See, told you:

The post Meet Lynsey Johnson appeared first on Make It Right.

Here are the gingerbread homes our team built, including an EDR-inspired gingerbread home (on the left) that mirrors a design we build in our neighborhood in the Lower 9th Ward! We were thrilled to win for Best Technical Design.

A photo of our design and build team post-victory (and after consuming a lot of icing!):

Check out a few more photos in The Advocate.

The post Gingerbread House Construction appeared first on Make It Right.

Oops! We could not locate your form.

The post Give Back Friday! appeared first on Make It Right.

The green building industry didn’t grow in to a global movement by chance. We got here because of the hard work and innovation of sustainability pioneers and visionaries. We are thrilled to recognize many of those individuals in this year’s awards.

Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair, USGBC

Tom Darden, Executive Director of Make It Right, received the Leadership in the NGO Sector Award:

Read more about the USGBC Leadership awards here.

The post Tom Darden Receives USGBC Leadership Award appeared first on Make It Right.

The post Bob Berkebile on the Bancroft Project appeared first on Make It Right.

Groundbreaking at the Bancroft Project

This morning Make It Right joined Kansas City officials, community leaders and other supporters to break ground on the new Bancroft Project. Read the full press release below to learn about the community’s vision for the project and about the people, organizations and businesses that supported this outstanding new project. Make It Right would especially like to thank the generous product and materials donors — Benjamin Moore, Shaw, Eco by Cosentino, Leviton and Unico — that helped make this project possible.

Architectural rendering of the Bancroft Project

Make It Right staff at the groundbreaking

Manheim Park Community Breaks Ground on Affordable, Green Housing
and Community Complex

Kansas City, MO – November 3 – Today residents of Kansas City’s Manheim Park, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II, Mayor Slyvester James, Make It Right and Bancroft Project development partners broke ground on an ambitious new project to provide healthy, affordable housing and community space. The Bancroft Project will include 50 affordable, LEED Platinum rental units and showcase innovative and sustainable design and redevelopment. 

Make It Right, an organization founded by Brad Pitt and dedicated to building healthy homes and buildings for communities in need, Missouri multi-family housing developer Dalmark and Neighborhood Housing Services of Kansas City committed to redevelop the site of the former Bancroft Elementary School. Built in 1904, the school functioned as a public elementary until 1999 and has remained vacant for the last 13 years.

Half the housing units will be built in the renovated school building; the other half will be new townhomes built around the school and designed by Kansas City-based BNIM Architects, American Institute of Architects’ 2011 Firm of the Year.

The Bancroft Project will also feature community amenities including an auditorium, gymnasium, locker rooms, technology lab, job training center, mobile medical clinic and community gardens. Make It Right Solar, in collaboration with Brightergy of Kansas City, will construct a 75kW solar array on the roof of the historic Bancroft School.

The Bancroft Project, which will cost $14.1 million, is possible only through the support of generous donors including the Dreiseszun Family Foundation and U.S. Bank. With their commitment to provide affordable, healthy homes in Manheim Park, the Dreiseszun Family Foundation honors the memory of Kansas City real estate developer and philanthropist Sherman Dreiseszun. U.S Bank made a $1.2 million Affordable Housing Assistance Program donation in support of the Bancroft Project. 

Make It Right’s corporate partners are supporting the Bancroft Project with generous product donations. Benjamin Moore will supply exterior and interior paint with their healthy, low-VOC Aura and zero VOC Natura paints. Shaw Floors is donating Cradle to Cradle certified carpet, wood and tile from their sustainable flooring lines. Eco by Cosentino is contributing Cradle to Cradle certified kitchen and bathroom countertops for the project. Leviton is donating electrical hardware to power the new homes. Unico is donating the high-velocity HVAC system. 

Construction on the project will begin next month and is expected to be complete by January 2014.

STATEMENTS FROM PROJECT PARTNERS

Brad Pitt, Founder, Make It Right:

“Make It Right believes that sustainable housing should be available and affordable for everyone. Today we are proud to join our Kansas City partners and local leaders as we break ground on this innovative project. We are honored to help fulfill the community’s vision of a vibrant Manheim Park.”

Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II:

“This is a momentous day for the Green Impact Zone, the Manheim neighborhood and all of Kansas City. What began as an idea and a hope, today becomes a reality. Hundreds of hardworking people have put in thousands of tireless hours to get us to this point. It is with this kind of public/private cooperation that tremendous progress is made, greatness is achieved and long-lasting change is cemented into our very foundation for future generations to come.”

Mayor Slyvester James:

“I grew up not far from Bancroft School. I remember the power of a neighborhood where families grew up with one another. Where they claimed each child, regardless of who they belonged to, as one of their own. That happens in Manheim Park. That spirit is why crime is down dramatically in this neighborhood and why this project will be one of our national success stories. Congratulations to Congressman Cleaver, Historic Manheim Park, Make It Right and every single person involved in making this dream a reality. It is a great day in Kansas City.” 

Bob Berkebile, Principal, BNIM:

“The Historic Manheim Park Neighborhood has suffered the effects of decades of social and economic disinvestment and abandonment. Repurposing the Bancroft School is an important signal that long-awaited investment is returning to this urban stronghold.  We have the good fortune of working with courageous neighborhood leadership, Congressman Cleaver, Green Impact Zone leadership, Dalmark, Make It Right, MARC, the City and many others to transform this school into quality housing and critical community services that will build human capital and redefine adaptive re-use, community, housing and healthy neighborhoods. This inspiring group of urban pioneers have created a catalytic force that will revitalize this neighborhood, the Green Impact Zone and establish a template for vibrancy in our urban neighborhoods.” 

Jim Nichols, CEO, Dalmark:

“The Bancroft redevelopment process has been one of the more complicated and difficult adventures of my career; yet has been one of my most memorable and fulfilling personal experiences. By involving the community and merging their vision with our development, financing and design experience, we achieved a holistic and sustainable solution to jumpstart the community revitalization in the Manheim Park Neighborhood.”

Irene Dreiseszun, Trustee, Dreiseszun Family Foundation:

“The Dreiseszun Family Foundation’s mission to serve Kansas City communities in need continues with our involvement in the Bancroft Project. We are thrilled to be part of a project whose mission aligns with ours, to strengthen and enrich people’s lives through affordable housing and community services. Our hope is that the Bancroft Project will be a catalyst of positive change for the entire Historic Manheim Park neighborhood.” 

Anita Maltbia, Director, Green Impact Zone:

“The Bancroft project is an excellent example of what can happen when needs identified by a community are paired with resources that are willing to strategically invest in them.  The Green Impact Zone joins the Historic Manheim Park neighborhood in its appreciation of the many partners who have come forward to not only develop much needed housing but to also bolster the hope of many for the revitalization of the central core of Kansas City.”

Mark Stalsworth, President, Neighborhood Housing Services of Kansas City:

“Neighborhood Housing Services is excited to be a part of this project and thrilled that the neighborhood will achieve the result they have sought for so long; converting the negative influence of a vacant grade school into a vibrant centerpiece for revitalization.  This project will launch a new wave of revitalization in Manheim Park and this entire section of Kansas City East of Troost.”

Ernie Straub, President, Straub Construction:

“We are very excited to participate in the Bancroft Project. Providing affordable, safe housing with the benefits of today’s green energy technology is such a positive step for the revitalization of the Manheim neighborhood. We look forward to seeing this project be a prototype for future improvements in the area.”

CiCi Rojas, Vice President for Community Engagement, Truman Medical Center:

“Truman Medical Center is committed to the Bancroft Project. We recognize and value the importance of a community hub that brings both education and health services to underserved Kansas City communities. TMC’s community outreach efforts in health education and wellness will be paramount to this project and we believe it will encourage a more holistic approach to better physical and economic health in the area.”

Saundra A. Hayes, President, Historic Manheim Park Neighborhood Association:

“Being able to bring a project such as the re-purposing of the Bancroft Elementary School to Historic Manheim Park requires an insider’s perspective to lead to the discovery of what the community is about and what it needs. The Bancroft development team working together with the Historic Manheim Park community found the rhythm (the direction for developing a neighborhood community campus) that will not only help regenerate an urban core neighborhood but will also uplift humanity by improving the lives of the people that live here today and for generations to come.”

The post Breaking Ground on Bancroft appeared first on Make It Right.

The post Introducing Katherine! appeared first on Make It Right.

“[Make It Right homes] are using roughly 80% less energy than a standard code-built house here in  New Orleans. That’s attributable to high-quality construction as well as innovative materials and methods.”

The post Intro to HERS Ratings appeared first on Make It Right.

Welcome to Make It Right’s brand new website. We are transitioning from the old website to the new site, so please be patient with us as we polish everything up and work out the last few details.

We’ll be making a big, loud, public announcement about the new site in a few weeks when everything is perfect and ready for prime time. Until then, please explore all of the new content and material that we’ve been hard at work over the last few months creating for you. Also, please let us know if you see anything that needs to be fixed (broken links and the like) or if you have other feedback. We hope you like the new site and find the information on it to be useful!

The post Welcome (Shh!) appeared first on Make It Right.

Make It Right poured a section of pervious concrete road in our neighborhood more than a year and a half ago to test the feasibility of using pervious concrete on roads in our neighborhood. After holding up admirably to both regular traffic and the construction traffic in our neighborhood, the City of New Orleans is pouring its first ever pervious roads throughout the Make It Right neighborhood.

Pervious roads allow water to filtrate through the concrete, reducing stress on the storm water management system and allowing groundwater to recharge as well as filtering pollutants from the water as it flows through the concrete. Best of all, the pervious concrete roads will reduce flooding during storms, making our neighborhood safer for the families and residents that live here.

The post Pilot Streets Project appeared first on Make It Right.