Moving Forward: The Coastal 5+1 Initiative

Nowhere is our primal connection to the environment more apparent than in in Southern Louisiana. One thing is clear: levees and pumps alone cannot save us. Resiliency is the key to our co-existence with Mother Nature. Launched by the Greater New Orleans Foundation, Coastal 5+1 is about uniting the five coastal parishes of St. Bernard, Jefferson, Terrebonne, Plaquemines, Lafourche and the coastal-dependent urban parish of Orleans.

Overview

In the aftermath of the hurricanes of 2005, the need for a coordinated strategy to protect and to strengthen the coastal communities of the Greater New Orleans metropolitan area has become paramount to our region’s continued viability. With 35% of Louisiana’s population concentrated in its threatened coastal parishes in the City of New Orleans (itself under the threat posed by coastal land loss), a regional agenda must be advanced which addresses the common challenges in the environment, economy, and community leadership.

Mission

Administrated by the Greater New Orleans Foundation, the mission of Coastal 5+1 is to address decades of disinvestment by using coastal wetland loss as an opportunity for sustainable economic and community development.

Goals

1. To build the capacity of leaders to achieve sustainable, vibrant communities capable of adapting to new environmental realities.
2. To preserve endangered, local cultures by creating new social connections, economies, and societies which embrace diversity and social justice
3. To transform coastal changes into entrepreneurial/workforce development opportunities.

Major Strategies of the Coastal 5+1 Initiative

The Coastal 5+1 Initiative will empower diverse communities to confront pressing coastal issues, as defined by local residents working in conjunction with regional and national experts. For the first time in recent history, Louisiana’s coastal communities are beginning to recognize that they are bound by common challenges in the environment, economy, and community leadership. This initiative will empower new leaders to deal with new opportunities and realities in the face of failing ecosystems and global climate change. The Coastal 5 + 1 Initiative seeks to connect emerging leaders with immediate, concrete solutions to long-term problems created by marginalized economies, poor planning and environmental degradation.

We propose to work in Louisiana’s five coastal parishes and New Orleans in three program areas:

1. Civic Engagement and Leadership
2. Environment and Sustainable Communities
3. Sustainable Economic Development