Daily Tomorrow-An Eco-blog about green living, health and the environment

Greensburg, Kansas Rebuilds Itself - Completely Green

by Gabrielle on May 3rd, 2008

What would you do if something happened that wiped out your town, razed your municipal buildings and erased your house from the landscape, forcing you to start over again, from scratch? Would you pack up the little you had left and leave? Would you rebuild, and try to make your structures strong enough to withstand the force that toppled their predecessors?

One year ago, a massive tornado plowed through the town of Greensburg, Kansas leaving nothing behind.  Greensburg’s 1,500 residents made the choice to rebuild the town, to make it structurally sounder, and to do it Green.

Blown Away: Greensburg, Kansas tells the story of Greensburg and what the town is doing to ensure that their homes in the midst of tornado alley won’t blow away again. Led by Mayor John Janssen, who inherited the office three weeks after the tornado struck, Greensburg is now looking at wind as an ally and an economic resource, not an enemy. Their new City Hall will generate electricity from solar panels on the roof and a wind turbine in front of the building. Several homes are now geothermal.

Blown Away: Greensburg, Kansas is part of a sneak preview of the Discovery Channel’s newest addition Planet Green which aired on the Discovery HD Channel earlier tonight. It is scheduled to air again at noon (EST), Sunday, May 4th - the one year anniversary of the tornado.

The 13-part Planet Green series “Greensburg” premieres Sunday, June 15th on Planet Green.

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POSTED IN: Energy Efficiency, Fuel & Energy, Green Building, Natural Landscaping, Sustainable Design, Technology