Think Green Live Clean

Two Years ago a devastating tornado ripped through the small Kansas town of Greensburg. The entire area was leveled to the ground and its population of some 1,400 people had to start from scratch to rebuild the place that they called home. Instead of bringing out the old blueprints of the buildings that had once panned the region’s modest skyline however, city officials and community members decided to try a greener approach. The re-resurrection of this small Midwestern town is now underway, and it is being done so almost entirely with environmentally friendly structures and technology.

Greensburg is planning on having several LEED Platinum buildings in its midst (LEED is a rating system that measures how environmentally safe buildings are; platinum is the highest possible rating and is very difficult to attain), as well as several wind and solar power generators that will produce much of the community’s energy. Residential units in the area will also have several “green amenities” similar to those described above. While Greensburg will incur some additional monetary expenses upfront, city officials are confident that this green investment will pay off, both financially and environmentally, in the not-so-distant future.

Greensburg is even encouraging John Deere, a leading producer of tractors and one of the main corporations in the area, to use green technology. Its new plant implemented a heating and cooling system that runs on recycled oil, has wind turbines to generate its power, and uses light bulbs that do not require electricity. Community members hope that Greensburg will serve as an example to other cities wishing to pursue environmentally friendly building options, and that it can help “demystify and depoliticize” the green movement in general. Hopefully Greensburg represents, at least somewhat, what our future cities will look like…and you don’t even need a pair of ruby-red slippers to get a glimpse of it.

Check out the Full Article at CNN