5 Years After Katrina, New Orleans Is a Gumbo of Hope, Disappointment and Green Building (Photos)

Like more than 1,000 volunteers from all over the country, I traveled to New Orleans during the last week of August 2010 to participate in (and cover) Fifty For Five, an effort by Rebuilding Together to revitalize 50 homes that are still damaged from Hurricane Katrina. It's been exactly five years since that shocking tragedy, and the news from the Gulf is decidedly mixed. While Sears (which covered my travel expenses), Wells Fargo, HGTV, Choice Hotels and others are contributing significantly to rebuilding efforts -- and much of the work is being done with energy efficiency and sustainability in mind -- there are 100,000 people who haven't been able to return to the Big Easy. Crumbling structures are everywhere and residents grumble that politicians have yet to make good on past promises.

Still, there's no place like New Orleans, and the spirit of the community burns brightly in every nail that is hammered and off every fresh coat of paint.