Green Infrastructure & Urban Design Volunteer Opportunities in New Orleans
If you're interested in helping New Orleans become more resilient through green infrastructure and urban design, there are numerous ways to get involved as a volunteer. Here's a comprehensive guide to organizations and initiatives that welcome community participation:
Water Management Organizations
The Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans
- Volunteer Activities: Rain garden installations, community education events, water monitoring
- Time Commitment: Monthly volunteer days (typically 3-4 hours
Green Light New Orleans - Community Garden
- Volunteer Activities: Garden maintenance, rain barrel installations, community education
- Time Commitment: Flexible scheduling
- Skills Needed: No experience necessary
- How to Join: Fill out volunteer form on their website
- Contact: greenlightneworleans.org/volunteer
Monitoring & Citizen Science
Water Watch NOLA
- Volunteer Activities: Water quality monitoring, data collection, drain marking
- Time Commitment: Monthly monitoring (1-2 hours)
- Skills Needed: Basic training provided; data entry skills helpful
- How to Join: Attend a training session (offered quarterly)
- Contact: waterwatchnola.org
Common Ground Relief - Wetlands Restoration
- Volunteer Activities: Marsh grass planting, wetland monitoring, seed collection
- Time Commitment: Weekend volunteer events, primarily spring and fall
- Skills Needed: Ability to work in outdoor conditions; transportation to sites helpful
- How to Join: Register through their website
- Contact: commongroundrelief.org/volunteer
Professional Skills Volunteering
Green Infrastructure Technical Assistance Program
- Volunteer Activities: Professional consulting, design assistance, project planning
- Time Commitment: Project-based commitment
- Skills Needed: Engineering, landscape architecture, environmental science, urban planning, etc.
- How to Join: Contact through Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans
- Contact: nolawater.org/technical-assistance
Tulane City Center/Small Center for Collaborative Design
- Volunteer Activities: Design assistance, community engagement, project implementation
- Time Commitment: Varies by project
- Skills Needed: Design, architecture, planning, construction
- How to Join: Contact directly for current opportunities
- Contact: small.tulane.edu/contact
Special Events & Annual Activities
Water Fall Festival
- Volunteer Activities: Event setup, educational activities, site maintenance
- Time Commitment: One-day event each October
- Skills Needed: Various roles available for all skill levels
- How to Join: Sign up through Urban Conservancy
- Contact: urbanconservancy.org
Storm Drain Marking Days
- Volunteer Activities: Installing markers on storm drains with educational messages
- Time Commitment: Quarterly events (3-4 hours each)
- Skills Needed: Ability to walk neighborhoods; all ages welcome
- How to Join: Register through Water Collaborative
- Contact: nolawater.org/drain-marking
NOLA Tree Project Planting Events
- Volunteer Activities: Community tree planting, tree giveaways
- Time Commitment: Seasonal events
- Skills Needed: Ability to perform physical activity; all skill levels welcome
- How to Join: Sign up for their newsletter for upcoming events
- Contact: nolatreeproject.org
How to Get Started
Assess your interests and skills: Do you prefer hands-on work like planting and building, or are you more interested in education and outreach?
Consider your availability: Some opportunities require regular commitment while others offer one-time events.
Start small: Attend a single volunteer day with an organization that interests you before making longer-term commitments.
Connect with multiple groups: Different organizations focus on different neighborhoods and approaches to green infrastructure.
Bring friends or coworkers: Many organizations welcome group volunteers, making it a great team-building activity.
By volunteering with these organizations, you'll not only help New Orleans become more resilient to flooding and climate change, but you'll also learn valuable skills and connect with community members who share your interest in sustainable urban design.
Add content here
← Previous
Add link here
Next →
Add link here