Impact Roundtable

LifeCity Hosts Impact Officer Roundtable Event on November 9, 2023

On November 9, LifeCity hosted its final Impact Officer Roundtable of 2023. Local business leaders representing a variety of sectors including hospitality, events, large industry, government  and manufacturing came together to share their plans and progress for incorporating sustainability into their organizational operations. The event featured a panel of experts exploring Louisiana’s climate resilience, storm preparedness and New Orleans’ complex relationship with water.

LSU Professor and Louisiana State Climatologist Barry Keim provided historical context to the summer of 2023, describing the weather as wildly irregular. Keim showed that the summer of 2023 was the highest on record by 3 degrees – roughly the same gap between the second and twentieth hottest summers on record. Although he did not describe this as “the new normal,” Keim suggested that the probability of outlier weather events is likely increasing each year due to climate change and other factors. 

Nyka Scott, Director of Public Affairs for Entergy New Orleans, described Entergy’s efforts to increase New Orleans’ storm resilience through proactive steps to preserve and quickly restore customer power during hurricanes. Using lessons learned from Florida’s similar efforts, Entergy has presented the New Orleans City Council with a 10-year, $1 billion plan to harden the city’s electrical grid and make it more stable during disaster conditions. Additionally, Scott described Entergy’s investments into solar, wind, and microgrids as examples of the company’s sustainability efforts.

Scott Burris, Owner of Pure Water Technologies, reminded the group to stop and appreciate the fact that we have the Mississippi River – the greatest water resource in North America – at our fingertips here in New Orleans. While skepticism about tap water is common, Burris explained that New Orleans tap water actually ranks well in terms of quality. Burris described some options for homeowners to ensure that they continue to have access to clean water, especially given the likelihood of future saltwater intrusion events in south Louisiana. 

The roundtable event provided a necessary reminder of good news – that there is a vast network of impact-minded leaders in our city, working daily to ensure that New Orleans is the best city that it can be. If you are interested in becoming an Impact Officer or staying connected with Love Your City and our network, please visit loveyourcity.us and sign up to receive our newsletter.