If you have to rebuild a town anyway...

Greensburg, KS : This weekend the town is hosting something that resembles a grand re-opening of their town. One year ago tomorrow, 90% of the town was wiped out by a tornado. Homes, businesses, schools, town offices, infrastructure - everything. Making the best of a horrible situation, the town has chosen not only to rebuild itself, but is also rebuilding itself green. "Greensburg GreenTown" would seem almost too cute to be true, had it not been for the horrible reality of having virtually an entire town wiped out in a few short minutes and the enormous amount of work they've accomplished in the last year.

The largest business in town, the local John Deer dealer, was badly hit. But they are rebuilding to LEED standards- they are trying to go Platinum - the highest LEED rating possible. The town itself is trying to use 100% renewable energy.

In December 2007, the city council also voted to become the first city in the US to demand that all city-owned buildings be LEED Platinum certified.

They've even recycled their damaged trees. They are also looking for donations of new trees.

They have future plans for a green industrial park in the city as well.

On April 4, 2008, the town starting distributing two-button flush-style water saving toilets to it's residents.

How is an older, rural farming community on the plains managing to pull off this ultra-green conversion? The town leaders have apparently managed to spread the ideals of energy efficiency and renewable resources in a non-political way: they've framed the green ideals not as a hippie-type earth friendly thing to do but as a common-sense move to control energy costs. In doing so, they hope to keep not only the businesses they had before the tornado upended their town, but also attract new green businesses.

I wonder how much tourism this will generate. If you build it, will they come?

Now, if we could only convince those that live in town the switchgrass is just as good as a lawn - then they could send their cuttings to the local biodeisel plant.

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On an interesting side note, I've just heard that Pres. Bush will be speaking at their high school commencement this week. That's kind of funny. A community of white people get wiped out, and a year later they have rebuilt to a great extent, and the President comes to their high school graduation. When was the last time the President visit the Gulf Coast? How well is the rebuilding going down there?