The Funders Network is committed to sharing the stories and strategies of our members, partners and others in the philanthropic sector working to create more sustainable, prosperous and equitable communities.

Today, we’re sharing a recent blog post from Isabel Barrios of the Greater New Orleans Foundation and a member of TFN’s Board of Directors.

 

BY Isabel Barrios, Senior Program Officer, Greater New Orleans Foundation

When was the last time you were at a playground or a bus stop on a hot day? As it turns out, depending on the materials used and availability of shade nearby, these places can be dangerously hot and unsafe on hot days. Jason Neville, Executive Director of the Lafitte Greenway Partnership (formerly Friends of Lafitte Greenway,) recently discovered a nearly 50̊   temperature difference between a sun-exposed playground surface (127̊ ) and a nearby shaded grassy spot (80̊ ) with a user-friendly Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) camera.

On Saturday, September 28, the Greater New Orleans Foundation’s Next 100 Years Challenge participants were hosted by the Lafitte Greenway Partnership for a heat data collection training at the Sojourner Truth Center in Mid-City. Trainers, Janice Barnes and Leo Temko of Climate Adaptation Partners, focused on the hazard that heat presents for communities and how to use heat data to make outdoor spaces safer. Participants learned about why it is important to address heat, how to collect heat data using FLIR cameras, and how to use the data collected to create cooler spaces. After some practice, participants teamed up and took the FLIR cameras outside for a test run.

The Foundation launched the Next 100 Years Challenge in celebration of our centennial year to inspire great ideas for resilient infrastructure projects, including nature-based solutions, that will reduce the threat from storms and other disasters and which can attract federal and state funds for their construction.

 

➡️Read Isabel’s full post to learn more about this event and GNOF’s $1.2 million in awards for projects focused on community-centered and cost-effective infrastructure improvements.

 

Lafitte Greenway Partnership for a heat data collection training at the Sojourner Truth Center.

Photo credits: Greater New Orleans Foundation.