On the 5th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is hosting a design competition in New Orleans. The focus of the competition is helping the local community rebuild after the storm. Students and young professionals will be able to showcase their most innovative and sustainable design concepts to a select panel of jurors.

The Natural Talent Design Competition, now in its eighth year, is in collaboration with Salvation Army’s EnviRenew Initiative. The competition will challenge entrants to design an affordable 800 foot LEED for Homes structure for an elderly resident in the Broadmoor neighborhood. Winners will be announced at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Chicago in mid-November and they will actually see their designs built.

In an effort to engage Broadmoor residents in the competition, they'll be asked to review submissions and give feedback to the jury.

Our co-founder Cameron Sinclair will be on the jury, along with Rick Fedrizzi, President and CEO of USGBC, and Walter Isaacson, President and CEO of Aspen Institute.

You can follow USGBC on Twitter at @USGBC.