Aaron Viles

Again, that DC bureau rock star, Bruce Alpert of the Times-Picayune, brings us another painful scoop for the region’s recovery.Yeah, remember that category 5 plan to rebuild Louisiana’s coastal wetlands and defend our communities? The plan Congress passed legislation demanding back in December of 2005? That gave the Corps of Engineers until December 2007 to […]

I was just perusing the Galactic (new orleans funk band) website, to see if they may be available to headline the New Orleans Earth Day Festival (Sun. April 5, mark your calendar) and noticed that they had played Conan O’Brien this year. As I checked out the video, I noticed something even cooler, their drummer

Airlie Center, Rural Virginia – I’m typing this as I wait to head to the airport, and back to the Gulf Coast. As this Times-Picayune article explains, I was here with other members of the Advisory Board of the Gulf Coast Fund for Community Renewal and Ecological Health to discuss our plans for the future.

Reports of a spill of coal ash waste at the Widows Creek Fossil Plant in Alabama again confirm the dangers of burning dirty coal to make electricity. Even when toxic byproducts like mercury and arsenic are removed before they are released from the smokestack, these poisons must still be disposed of. Several spills in the

GRN would never advocate rushing into coastal protection and restoration. We’re certainly opposed to the “Great Wall of Louisiana” approach to storm defense. But we feel a great sense of urgency to get big restoration projects underway sooner rather than later.We therefore greet this news of a new Corps of Engineers investigation into coastal protection

We say it a lot: the Gulf is an amazing natural treasure. Here’s some fantastic proof of that from a charter boat captain out of Orange Beach, AL. The largest pod of orca or killer whales documented in the Gulf. The charter boat captain estimated there were as many as 200 whales from four distinct

The Times-Picayune continues to watchdog the Corps of Engineers and their failure to launch on our coastal protection and restoration initiative. Check out Pulitzer winner Mark Schleifstein’s most recent piece on the NOLA area’s “Category 5” protection plan here. Clearly, the Corps is dragging their feet, and no one in DC is willing to hold

Now that President-Elect Obama has announced his economic and international teams, many (okay, some) are on pins and needles to hear about his Enviro team (EPA, Department of Interior, Department of Energy).To weigh in on which environmental issue President-elect Barak Obama should tackle right out of the gates, head to GRN’s first-ever poll here.Time magazine

Everyday a critical piece of the Gulf region’s natural resources is destroyed – our wetlands! What I find most disturbing is that the very thing we are destroying is what makes our communities healthy, attractive, and sustainable. In many respects, it is the only reason why we exist. Scientific evidence points to the necessity of

For the second year in a row, the Gulf Restoration Network partnered with the Voodoo Experience to educate festival attendees about the issue of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands crisis. Voodoo Experience is one of New Orleans’ largest and most popular musical festivals. As the festival’s official nonprofit partner, GRN worked with event organizers to educate performing