Actor Brad Pitt recently visited the construction site of a new housing project he helped set up in hurricane-battered New Orleans. The low-income housing project that is being backed by Global Green USA seeks to provide affordable, environmentally friendly housing in the city’s lower Ninth Ward, which was hit particularly hard by the hurricane and flooding. According to the New Orleans Times Picayune newspaper, this is the first new housing to come to this neighbourhood since Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005.
He was interviewed by NBC-TV’s Ann Curry and the Today show, and says that he wants to help the people and the city. “It is really dedicated to the quality of life of the family that will live here,” Pitt noted when asked about the eco-friendly home design. “I know a lot of people here. I care very much for the area.” Pitt and Angelina Jolie purchased a home in New Orleans in January for $3.5 million US.
The development will have five single-family homes and 18 apartment units. They will be constructed with green materials and have energy saving appliances, windows and light bulbs.
“All the materials are non-toxic,” Brad explained. There are blue walls treated with a non-toxic repellent for mould and termites, which will add to the longevity of the buildings. “There’s light coming in from all sides and a lot of ventilation,” said Pitt, when talking about the first of the houses to be constructed. “A lot of thought has gone into this house.”
