MEDIA ALERT:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 21, 2008
INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEERS FROM MIT SLOAN FELLOWS PROGRAM TO HELP GLOBAL GREEN'S
"GREEN SEED" INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF LOUISIANA BUILD CULTURAL HERITAGE CENTER
Global Green USA brought together twenty-two members of the MIT Sloan Fellows Program in Innovation
and Global Leadership, a one year full time executive MBA program for students from 26 countries around the
world, with their "Green Seed" International School of Louisiana (ISL) from Jan. 23 through Jan. 25 to help the
school build its own Cultural Heritage Center on its Coliseum Square Campus.
Student volunteers representing the future of world leadership from USA, Argentina, Canada, Japan, Korea,
Mexico, Lebanon, Spain and France will come on Wednesday to help gut the blighted caretaker's cottage on
the Euturpe St. side of the school's campus to begin the development of the new Center. Among the
volunteers will be Senior Manager of LG Corporation of Korea, Chihon Park, Senior Manager of the Bank of
Tokyo of Japan, Shuey (Shuichi) Yokoyama, Assistant Deputy Minister of the Canadian Ministry of Economic
Development, Innovation and Exports, Pierre Cleroux and Senior Strategy Consultant of Clarke Modet & Co.
of Spain, Clara Pombo.
ISL's new Cultural Heritage Center will be an example of how green building can be realized while preserving
the unique architecture of New Orleans and improving the fabric of the New Orleans urban landscape.
WHY:
As the International School of Louisiana's academic program grows with the help of Global Green's Green
Seed Schools initiative, the new Cultural Heritage Center project will provide much needed classroom space
for arts and music instruction. The integral nature of ISL's educational philosophy demands involvement and
understanding of arts as a universal language, transcending individual differences in cultures, ethnicities and
races. The new spaces will aid students in further developing their knowledge of the world while piquing their
interests to create and explore all it has to offer.
The shotgun structure to be gutted and remodeled will utilize green building techniques, while contributing to
the preservation of original New Orleans architecture. ISL's new Cultural Heritage Center will not only play a
role in the conservation of New Orleans' own cultural identity, but also show how green building can be
seamlessly integrated into its unique landscape.
MIT/ISL – add 2
More about International School of Louisiana:
Named 2007's Charter School of the Year by the Center for Education Reform, the INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF
LOUISIANA is the only tuition-free, multi-language immersion school in Louisiana. Students at ISL are
introduced to the world’s rich cultural heritage through a rigorous and expansive education taught in either
French or Spanish by native speaking teachers and learn a second language naturally, through everyday
conversation and classroom instruction. With its emphasis on international awareness, the celebration of
diversity and community responsibility, ISL's unique curriculum strengthens basic academic skills as it
prepares students for success in today's worldwide marketplace.
With the help of President Mikhail Gorbachev, Global Green's Founder, the International School of Louisiana
was announced as a Green Seed School in October of 2007. Since then the school has had projected annual
savings of $20,000. In addition to installation of the cistern, other green building upgrades include sensors,
light fixture improvements, energy-saving window treatments, and a solar powered hot water heater.
More about Green Seed Schools:
The International School of Louisiana is the second of three New Orleans area schools that will receive up to
$70,000 in green upgrades through Global Green USA's Green Seed Schools Initiative. The chosen schools
will be retro-fitted and upgraded for maximum efficiency and global sustainability as part of Global Green's
stalwart commitment to a greener future for New Orleans.
Through Green Seed, Global Green is improving local learning environments while serving as a model for
national economic, social, and environmental sustainability. The third school to be included in the Green
Seed series will be the 9th Ward's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School, where Global Green will embark
on greening yet another New Orleans area school in late January 2008.
More about Global Green USA:
Global Green USA is a national environmental organization that merges innovative research, cutting-edge
community based projects and targeted advocacy to create a sustainable future. Global Green is calling to
environmentalists, community developers, urban organizations and others to join together to offer expertise,
support, and resources to the leaders and citizens of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
Global Green USA has helped build nearly $20 billion in affordable housing, school, college, and municipal
building construction through technical assistance, partnerships, advocacy, and education. The organization
has written and implemented green building, energy efficiency, and solar power guidelines in addition to
legislation and incentives at the local, state and federal level. It has also pioneered partnerships with
countless non-profits, developers and government agencies.
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