City sanitation services are not a constitutional right. Public sanitation is only executed by the city to help citizens dispose of accumulated waste to improve overall city health and beautify the streets for tourists.

We in New Orleans have been blessed with a generous sanitation system. What would The Big Easy do without the lemon-scented deodorizer that local sanitation company SDT sprays on the sidewalks in the French Quarter? We have assumed such luxuries into our routine. We believe we deserve to have someone else constantly checking our diapers and cleaning up our mess.

Many people here even designate an entire Carnival season to getting wasted and to trashing the city in the name of fun. Given that I am from New Orleans, I, too, believe Mardi Gras is the time to let loose, although to offset the excesses of Fat Tuesday, we should act conscientiously for the rest of the year.

Now in the wake of Mayor Ray Nagin’s decision to cut most city contracts and offices by 10 percent, trash crews will take longer to clean the city. JNE Enterprises Inc., which collects construction detritus, roadside trash, and trash in parks, will be laid off in March. Mardi Gras cleanup crews will be pared down.

This is all happening during, or due to, the global economic crisis. Every municipality must change, even the Crescent City. Who can be upset with Nagin for stepping up? Perhaps the fines for littering will be enforced as strictly as they recently have been for traffic. May God help our crime cameras to function and to catch city litterbugs.

Trash is a lucrative business because everyone makes waste. After next year’s pay cuts, city sanitation contractor Richard’s Disposal is projected to receive a flat rate of $14.3 million. Overall, the Nagin administration proposes spending $38 million in 2010 on sanitation.

It is up to New Orleanians to decide whether we want to help the city or to let it fail. Although there is no money for a city-wide recycling program, the city is abundant with free, private drop-off points for recyclables. Diminishing landfill space is a reality, and there is rarely a good reason to throw away anything valuable, such as tin, plastic, or paper.

Tossing refuse, such as fruit rinds and even old rags into the mound of dirt and leaves that accumulates after raking the yard is the essence of a compost pile. The value of the compost is seen after a few months when it can be used to grow strong, happy plants, or even to replenish land that washes away after a storm. (A note for beginners: salt and oils should be kept from the soil since these ingredients are corrosive and attract pests.)

New Orleanians can see how these outcomes of re-use are better for our valuable garbage than for it to sit in a remote, poisonous landfill. It is the individual’s job to manage his own daily byproducts. The community must be educated to know that even their garbage has worth.

Who Dat!

The creators had a few goals in mind when designing the game. They wanted to teach others about the importance of communication during emergencies. The game shows how using local knowledge, determining needs, and proper resource use can be life-saving. They wanted to draw attention to the struggle residents are still having, such as the inability for some to find affordable housing.

One aspect that many players should be pleased with is the atmosphere. They definitely got the landscape  and culture right.

PLAY TEMPEST IN CRESCENT CITY

Recap:

Some of the breeched levees during Katrina were caused when waves over-topped and eroded the ground as they crashed on the levee’s dry side. This constant action weakened the soil, allowing the levee to simply flop over. Also, the levees are only held up by a vertical pole stuck into the river bank. Apparently the instability of vertical poles is well-known by girl and boy scouts worldwide. They can show how the most stable mechanism uses poles at angles. Think of a makeshift stove, tent, or even a levee. How could the Army Corps of Engineers make such an elementary blunder? Most sources say that the Corps knew there were structural errors from the beginning, but they were short on time and money.

The debate included some radical suggestions concerning future New Orleans city development. One idea is to let the river flow through the city to Lake Ponchartrain (i.e. making New Orleans into a water town, such as Venice, or those near Shanghai). Another idea is to develop City Park, and turn the 9th Ward into the next city parkland.

Win by eradicating the flu, or by vaccinating a percentage of the population. Avoid high panic, infection spread, and population death. Note that quarantining an infected city kills everyone inside and results in tax revenue loss.

Fun for when your roommate is in a panic over the sniffles.

“You have been appointed to resolve the situation before we are destroyed by the Swine Flue, or are destroyed by ourselves…”

Play American Swine

The worldwide release of the movie “Home” was organized by Luc Besson’s movie company EuropaCorp on June 5th, 2009 – World Environment Day and DJ Relish’s Birthday.

“This movie is a non-profit initiative fostering the protection of Environment.” Profits will be donated back to GoodPlanet, the organization responsible for initiating the project, say producers Besson, Francois-Henri Pinault, and Yann Arthus-Bertrand.

It was only one year before that multi-billion euro luxury goods conglomerate PPR, formerly Pinault-Printemps-Redoute, whose subsidiaries include Gucci and Puma, recieved a low D rating on its Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) performance.

“Greenhouse gas emissions which are caused by air-travel and hours of photography by helicopter will be offset by supporting clean development projects,” according to standards set by Arthus-Bertrand’s organization Action Carbone.

Go here to learn more about Action Carbone’s bio-gas production project in the Hassan district in India.