Louisiana coastal restoration Archives

Glass Half Full: Turning Waste into Coastal Restoration

Glass Half Full, a grassroots recycling program based in New Orleans, is making significant strides in the realm of glass recycling, according to this feature article from The Advocate. Founded in 2020 by Franziska Trautman and Max Steitz, this innovative initiative is dedicated to transforming glass waste into eco-friendly sand and gravel. The primary goal of Glass Half Full is to contribute to Louisiana’s storm relief and coastal restoration efforts, all while reducing the burden on landfills and promoting sustainability.

Franziska Trautman, a native of Carencro, Louisiana, shared the inspiration behind the creation of Glass Half Full. As a chemical engineering student at Tulane University, she witnessed the lack of glass recycling programs in the state and felt compelled to make a difference. Trautman and Max Steitz realized that their recycling efforts could not only address the glass waste issue but also provide a valuable resource for coastal restoration and disaster relief projects.

The journey began in Trautman’s backyard, where the duo started collecting glass. They initiated a GoFundMecampaign to raise funds for the necessary equipment, and their initiative quickly gained momentum. Today, Glass Half Full operates out of a sprawling 40,000-square-foot facility, having successfully diverted an impressive four million pounds of glass from landfills. Their reach extends beyond New Orleans, as they now offer glass collection services to residents and businesses in Baton Rouge and the Northshore.

Once the glass is collected, Glass Half Full undertakes a meticulous in-house processing procedure at their New Orleans facility. With the capacity to convert two tons of glass per hour, the team transforms the material into sand and gravel. These recycled products are then supplied to various industries, with a significant portion allocated to coastal restoration projects.

According to Trautman, Louisiana faces the constant threat of coastal erosion, losing a substantial amount of land each passing hour. To combat this issue, numerous organizations and agencies are actively engaged in restoration efforts that heavily rely on sand. Traditionally, sand for such projects is sourced through dredging or importing from other regions. However, recycled glass sand offers a more sustainable and readily available alternative, effectively meeting the vast demand.

In collaboration with Tulane University and the National Science Foundation, Glass Half Full is conducting research to explore the additional benefits of recycled glass sand. Preliminary findings suggest that it could exhibit enhanced erosion resistance and the potential to remediate harmful algal blooms. These exciting prospects open up new possibilities for maximizing the effectiveness of coastal restoration initiatives.

Furthermore, Glass Half Full plays a vital role in disaster relief efforts. In anticipation of flooding, homes, and businesses often require sandbags for protection. The finest and most absorbent sand produced by Glass Half Full is used to fill these sandbags, which are then distributed ahead of storms, mitigating potential damages.

The impact of Glass Half Full continues to expand, with their pickup services now available in Baton Rouge and the Northshore. Future plans include introducing commercial pickups and establishing free drop-off points in these areas. Looking ahead, Glass Half Full aims to extend its operations into Mississippi, further amplifying their positive influence on coastal restoration and environmental sustainability.

Through their dedication and innovative approach, Glass Half Full is not only transforming glass waste into functional materials but also making a tangible difference in storm relief efforts and coastal restoration. Their commitment to sustainability and proactive response to environmental challenges serve as an inspiration to individuals and communities alike. As Louisiana battles the ongoing threat of coastal erosion, initiatives like Glass Half Full prove that even seemingly small actions can contribute to significant positive change.

For more Louisiana-related articles, click here.

Nicholls Farm Gets Donation For Coastal Restoration Efforts

For the fifth year in a row, the Nicholls Farm has received a sizable donation in order to advance their research into coastal restoration, as per a feature from the University’s press department.

Recently, The Port of South Louisiana once again displayed their support of Nicholls State University and their efforts towards coastal restoration by way of an $18,000 donation. The fund will reportedly be used to produce native coastal plant materials for restoration projects, to support student coastal research projects, and to help with all that is involved with actively maintaining and upkeep the Nicholls Farm.

Nicholls Farm is an educational research center located on a 277-acre farm three miles south of Nicholls’ campus. In addition to serving as an environmental research center, the property also serves as an education center for Nicholls and other partners. Labs, classrooms, greenhouses, shade houses, storage barns, and a 7.5 acre-pond for wetland plant production are all housed at the farm.

Coastal restoration efforts are spearheaded by Nicholls biology students and faculty, and together they have grown, harvested, and planted over 35,000 plants in coastal habitats in recent years.

Dr. Allyse Ferrara, a distinguished service professor and Jerry Ledet Endowed Professor of Environmental Biologysaid of the donations to the farm, “Support from organizations like the Port of South Louisiana is absolutely critical for our native coastal plant materials program. Without support from the Port, we would not have the ability to hire students to maintain the farm and produce plants for restoration projects, and we would lose an important source of supply funds for the farm. We very much appreciate the support we have received from the Port and look forward to continuing this valuable relationship.”

The Nicolls Farm will continue to play an important, key role in the University’s growing commitment to restoring coastal Louisiana. The university is helped in these efforts by public-private partnerships. One such effort is to rebuild a bridge that will expand faculty access to farmland which can be used to plant rare and native Louisiana plants; additionally there are plans to expand research as well as educational capabilities at the farm. There are also plans for the site to partner with the planned Nicholls Coastal Center for conducting coastal research.

These donations are greatly needed and thus appreciated, as they show support for the restoration to one of the most vital aspects of Southern Louisiana’s culture and environmental landscape. The Port of South Louisiana is the premier sea gateway for U.S. export and import traffic, and it stands within American’s largest tonnage Port district.

The Port of South Louisiana has its headquarters located in LaPlace, Louisiana, and it stretches 54 miles along theMississippi River, making it the largest tonnage port in the entire Western Hemisphere. This single stretch of river contains 67 industries, thus supporting over 30,000 jobs.

With these statistics, the need for coastal restoration cannot be understated, so it is imperative that institutions take direction from Nicholls State University’s Nicholls Farm in order to rebuild the Louisiana Coast. Thus, with donations annually coming in from The Port of South Louisiana, strides are appreciated made in these efforts.

Paul Sucoin, the executive director of the Port commented on such importance by saying, “it’s important for everyone to get involved in coastal protection and coastal restoration. Our future depends on it, and this contribution is our small way of contributing to that effort. I we don’t do this, we will lose our coast. We will lose Thibodaux. We will lose Louisiana,” Aucoin said. “We are not in the business of coastal restoration. So we help by contributing to programs like Nicholls State University that are.”

For more education related information, click here.

Louisiana Expects to Build More Coastline in 2020 Than It Loses

In 2020, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority expects to build more to it’s coastline and coastal wetlands, ridges, and marshes than Louisiana will lose. CPRA Chairman Chip Kline said “2020 for the coastal program is going to be the year that we’ve been waiting on.” We have many large scale projects that have been studied for years ready to come off the drawing board and into the construction process, Kline added.

One of those projects includes a plan to use dredge material to nourish the marsh south of the town of Jean Lafitte. This 1,4000 acre project represents the largest marsh creation project the state has ever attempted. A large portion of the funding comes from the fines and settlements that are associated with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill that occurred in 2010.

In the next few days, the $10 million project to restore 37 acres of Queen Bess Island is expected to wrap up. Queen Bess Island is an important brown pelican nesting area that was heavily affected by the oil spill and is hugely important to our coastline.

Aside from those projects, the state is going to deploy 18 dredges on a variety of other projects. This means the state will move more dirt in 2020 than in any other given year. “We will actually build more land in coastal Louisiana over the next four years than we will lose,” Kline said.

The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority projects that while Louisiana will lose around 48 miles of coast this year, the state will build 68 square miles.

It’s important to note that hurricane season can heavily affect these projections. Hurricane Katrina that occurred in 2005 wiped out 300 square miles of land in just 30 hours. Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States on August 29, 2005. She was a category 3 rating on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, brought sustained winds of 100–140 miles per hour and stretched about 300 miles.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama were displaced from their homes, and experts estimate that Katrina caused more than $100 billion in damage.

The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is established as the single state entity with authority to articulate a clear statement of priorities and to focus development and implementation efforts to achieve comprehensive coastal protection for Louisiana.

They work with federal, state and local political subdivisions, including levee districts, to establish a safe and sustainable coastline that will protect our communities, the nation’s critical energy infrastructure and our bountiful natural resources for generations to come.

The CPRA has a multitude of coastal programs that are funded through a variety of federal and non-federal programs, each of which has different requirements, parameters and processes of implementation.

Those programs are Berm to Barrier, Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP), Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA), Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS), Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Restoration, State-Only Projects, Non-State Projects.

For more Louisiana related articles, click here.

Nicholls Makes Strides In Coastal Restoration Efforts

Nicholls State University has once again made its place known as an official part of Louisiana’s efforts toward coastal restoration, preservation, and water management.

In a press conference held on the university’s campus in September, Nicholls President Dr. Jay Clune, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, and the President and CEO of the South Louisiana Economic Council (SLEC) Vic Lafont announced the new Louisiana Coastal Technical Assistance Center (CTAC). The CTAC will be located on the Nicholls campus and will assist local companies and organizations that are competing to work as contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers on various coastal restoration projects in the state.

Other organizations represented at the press conference wereLouisiana Economic Development (LED), the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), and The Water Institute of the Gulf. The organizations came together to sign a memorandum of understanding for the creation of the CTAC.

Governor John Bel Edwards stated that the Pelican State will be funding hundreds of millions of dollars into coastal restoration throughout the next fifty years. In addition to preserving the coast, coastal restoration also helps Louisiana businesses by creating a market for them to compete in for work along the coast. It is the state’s way of making sure Louisiana businesses are at the forefront of the coastal restoration process.

The center will be overseen by the South Louisiana Economic Council, which will also help companies gain the necessary qualifications needed for coastal recovery bidding processes. Similarly, Nicholls will provide vast technical support and research services as its role as the CTAC’s higher education partner. Nicholls will also provide a shared office and business space that will be specifically dedicated to coastal restoration.

This is not the first time Nicholls State University has taken a stand in the realm of coastal restoration and preservation. The university has previously partnered with the University of New Orleans, Water Institute of the Gulf, and the Coastal Preservation and Restoration Authority. Just this past spring, Nicholls and the CPRA announced a joint effort to build a Water Research Center for Coastal Restoration on the university’s campus.

LED and CPRA is providing a combined $750,000 initially to establish the new center. After that, each agency will give $125,000 every year for three years. The first year will be the 2020 fiscal year.

“CPRA’s investments will transform the coast,” said CPRA Chairman Chip Kline Jr. “By teaming up with LED, Nicholls, SLEC, and the Water Institute, we believe we have a real shot at transforming the economy of South Louisiana as well. CPRA is measuring success in restored land and reduced flood risk, but CTAC also gives us the opportunity to measure our impact in jobs and business development.”

The Water Institute of the Gulf will join the newly established Coastal Technical Assistance Center in boosting employment and business opportunities within the water management sector. The Institute, which is based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is a leading applied research center with a focus on coastal and deltaic solutions across the world.

For more education related information, click here.

Mississippi River Stopping Louisiana From Coastal Restore

The Mississippi River isn’t nearly as muddy as it used to be, and that could be bad for Louisiana coastal restoration. According to a recent article written by nola.com, “A new study indicates the concentrations of sediment in the lower Mississippi River have decreased by more than half in recent decades. That’s not good for Louisiana, which depends on a constant supply of river silt, sand and mud to rebuild land on its ever-eroding, ever-sinking coast.”

Although this is devastating news for coastal restoration warriors around Louisiana, there are many who are prepared for what this new study shows. The article written by nola.com also reveals, “The Mid-Barataria and Mid-Breton diversions the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) plans to build in Plaquemines Parish would channel sediment-rich water from the Mississippi into estuaries and bays that have been starved of sediment by the river’s levee system. The two diversions, which would cost a combined $2 billion, are expected to restore marshes lost to erosion, subsidence and sea level rise.”

For more information on the coastal restoration future for Louisiana, click here.

For more articles similar to this one, click here.

Grants Available for Coastal Resiliency Projects

Coastal Resiliency Grants

In an article recently released on govtech.com, it is stated that the federal government is providing $30 million in grants for coastal resiliency projects which could benefit south Louisiana. The articles states, “Areas eligible for matching grants include much of the coastal U.S., including the entire southern coast of Louisiana.”

Land Lost in Louisiana

“In less than a century, Louisiana lost nearly 1 million football fields of land,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. “Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike exacerbated our land loss. We’re in a David versus Goliath battle to save our coast. This partnership will help us strengthen our coastal communities and protect the habitats that are so unique to Louisiana.”

What the money will be used for

The article discussed possibilities of what the money would be used for stating the following, “the money will be aimed at helping restore, increase and strengthen natural features that protect coastal communities. That includes features such as marshes, beaches, coral reefs, mangroves, forests and barrier islands that help minimize the impact of storms. The restoration projects will focus on threats such as increasing water levels, river flooding and coastal erosion. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the program will benefit local economies while sustaining habitats and wildlife.”

For more information on the federal grants and coastal resiliency projects, click here.