Day 6

Today we went to the lower ninth ward and assisted with a program called Capstone.  Capstone is a program that makes food gardens to support the local community.  As a part of our day we were split into a few different groups.  We started off weeding a small garden in the front yard of the house.  I planted a baby head of lettuce. 

Next, one team was helping to improve the house of the founder David so he can get ready to paint it.  Another team was sent to a lot down the street to mow the lawn (mini forest) and clean the area.  I was with this group and I was one of the people who mowed the lawn.  It was very hard but really fun because it was very satisfying to see the end result.  The last group was a group that everyone ended up helping in the end because they had the duty of washing the clay rocks so they could be put in a filtration system for David’s Aqua Farm.  His Aqua Farm held 200 catfish and helped to support the growth of the plants.  David had two different types of lettuce and kale.

After we left Capstone we went into the Central Business District and went to a law firm that discussed a case between 97 oil and gas companies and the SLFPA (Southern Louisiana Flood Protection Agency).  Our last stop was at the NOLA.org news office and we talked to a Pulitzer prize winning journalist who talked about what he deals with on a daily basis in regards to the politics and repercussions of Katrina.