I saw this news a few days ago but didn’t put it up until I figured out if it was connected to Make It Right or not – and it is!

Meet the FLOAT house, created by architect Thom Mayne and built at the UCLA campus. This 1,000 square foot house was created based on a design that has apparently been used in the Netherlands, but this is the first time that a FLOAT house has been built in the US.

Yes, this house actually floats. It does so thanks to the bottom of the house, which is a high-performance chassis made from polystyrene foam coated in glass fiber-reinforced concrete. It houses the essential equipment to supply power, water and fresh air. It’s not a good idea for residents to remain inside during a hurricane or flood, but the fact that this house actually floats will allow it to survive a flood and for residents who own the homes to be able to move back in within just a few days.

But it not only floats, it has all of the great energy efficient and “green” items that the other homes that Make It Right are building, including solar panels and a roof that is angled to catch rain water. And believe it or not, if mass produced, Mayne says that the homes can sell for $150,000, which is extremely inexpensive, especially since the home floats and has so many wonderful efficient features!

Make It Right is doing amazing things for New Orleans, and is actually even making me try to figure out how my husband and I can make our home more energy efficient!

Here’s a video about the home – enjoy!

A Floating Home Thanks to Make It Right is a post from: Jolie Pitt News

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKW7WXAntJc&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]

More Photos and Video of Brad Pitt at Clinton Global Initiative is a post from: Jolie Pitt News

Brad Pitt did indeed appear at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City today to discuss all that has been going on with the Make It Right campaign. He talked about the houses that have already been built and the ones that are going to be built. And check this little piece of information out:

The average electric bill for one of the energy-efficient homes built in New Orleans by Brad Pitt’s Make It Right foundation is $35 a month.

Can you imagine?! Only $35 a month?! We’re pretty careful about the energy we use in our house, and we still hit at least $75 a month, and definitely over that in the summer months when we need to run the air conditioner. And apparently it’s even getting cheaper to build the houses as they’re building them, proving to Brad that there’s no reason why we can’t all build homes like those that are being built in New Orleans.

“I don’t know how we build any other way anywhere else,” he said. “We can no longer tell ourselves that implementing this technology is too complex a problem because it’s just been proven on this little spot on the map.”

And not only did Brad update everyone on the homes, he accepted a honor from the US Green Building Council for constructing the largest community of green homes in the world – that’s some honor!

I may not love Brad’s goatee as shaggy as it is, but I definitely love all of the amazing things that he and Angelina do for the world.

Brad Pitt at the Clinton Global Initiative is a post from: Jolie Pitt News

They’re not photos of Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, or the Jolie-Pitt kids, but I think these pics are actually pretty special. They’re photos that are taken in person by a blogger who blogs at Smiles Matter. These photos really showed me how amazing (and large!) the houses that Make It Right are creating, and how they’re getting them done, bit by bit.

Thanks so much for these photos, Charlie! Pop on over to Charlie’s site to see more amazing photos from New Orleans!

Some Buildings from Brad Pitt's MIR is a post from: Jolie Pitt News