Brad Pitt was honored on Thursday for his humanitarian work in helping rebuild the hurricane-damaged New Orleans at the Clinton Global Initiative.
The actor was presented with a plaque from the U.S. Green Building Council, which states that Pitt and his foundation “Make It Right” had created the “largest and greenest single-family community in the world.”
Brad Pitt, who founded his organization last 2007, said as he accepted the plaque, “’Make It Right’ has exceeded my expectations. Our criteria from the beginning were at odds, to say the least. We demanded that these homes be sustainable, that they have aesthetic qualities … that they be storm resilient and take safety in mind of the families who live there and that they would be affordable.”
As of today, “Make It Right” has created 13 homes in the New Orleans area the 9th Ward, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Each house is eco-friendly with state-of-the-art green roofs that could cut cooling and heating costs dramatically.
Thousands of people lost their homes in the 9th Ward after Hurricane Katrina flooded 80% of New Orleans, killing 1,500 people and causing more than $80 billion of damage. Unfortunately, majority of the population has not yet returned because re-construction efforts have been slow.
Pitt’s goal is to have 150 green homes up and ready in New Orleans by next year.
Aside from Brad Pitt, other celebrities such as Matt Damon, Quincy Jones, Martin Scorsese,Alicia Keys, Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, Mira Sorvino and Barbra Streisand attended the annual summit.
