Recently, Brad Pitt was in New Orleans’ 9th Ward, one of his most beloved places, where he and Angelina Jolie have been working hard to rebuild the homes lost to Hurricane Katrina three years ago. In the background, you could easily see the newly-erected neighborhood. Being very eco-conscious, the couple pushed for a certain type of building materials, which are more resistant to hurricanes and tropical storms, and which are thus less prone to be washed away during following hurricane seasons.

Pitt and Jolie have an active interest in the area of New Orleans, for two main reasons. First of all, they are humanitarians and a tragedy such as Katrina could not have left them impassible, especially since the tragedy had affected so many people in such a short time. It suffices to say that even three years after the hurricane hit New Orleans, the town is still not completely restored.

In their efforts to rebuild this particular area of New Orleans, the couple has managed to raise millions of dollars and have donated even more, managing to reach their set goal, of rebuilding 150 affordable housing units. 80 unites had already been build or were in the process of being finished as Brad Pitt gave details about his and his wife’s work.

The new houses held some interesting aspects that might escape at a first glance. For instance, all the new houses have solar panels for more environmentally-friendly sources of energy. All the new homes also have a neat feature underneath, namely carports. The carports will enable the houses to float if another flood such as those brought on by Katrina will hit the homes again. The houses will thus survive the floods and the hurricane itself.