On May 4, 2007, the western Kansas town of Greensburg was almost completely destroyed by an EF5 tornado (one of only two ever recorded). This past weekend, the town, along with supporters, well-wishers, and likely lots of media, came together to celebrate Greensburg’s commitment to rebuild itself as a “model green community.”
The event’s theme, “Better, Stronger, Greener,” seems an understatement in the face of the tremendous progress Greensburg has made since the tornado. Among the projects undertaken in that time:
The Chain of Eco-Homes: these “living laboratories” serve as models of “building techniques, prices, sizes, energy efficiency features, and green living products and services.” The “chain” will consist of twelve unique homes.
Sustainable Building Database: Want to get a broader look at green building efforts in Greensburg? This database currently contain twenty-two case studies of residential and commercial buildings in Greensburg (including two LEED Platinum certified buildings).
The High School Green Club: Greensburg’s youth have been involved in the rebuilding process from the beginning, and the Greensburg High School Green Club is one result of those efforts. The club’s mission: “educating and inspiring people of all ages to learn about what ‘green’ means.”
Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. For the latest information on Greensburg’s rebuilding efforts, visit the Greensburg Greentown blog (and consider making a donation). The town’s official site provides a complete set of documents on recovery plans. Finally, the first five installements of Simran Sethi’s The Good Fight web series took a look at the town’s progress one year after the tornado.
May 4th, 2009 - 2:53 pm
Good find, Jeff. It is interesting — in effect, it required having a clean slate before this kind of attention and action was given to environmentally sound living.
For the rest of the country and the world, we must also start without assumptions, and without attachments to our current ways of living. We can learn from our pasts, but need to begin re-examining all the prior assumptions.
May 4th, 2009 - 3:41 pm
Kansas goes green–way to go!
June 19th, 2009 - 3:29 pm
[...] little town that’s attempting to rebuild itself as a “model green town” after a disastrous tornado doesn’t use the phrase “energy independence” much, the Kiowa County Community [...]