Greensburg, KS: Eco-building Center of the Universe

Greensburg, Kansas

What I had hoped for the town last year after their devastating tornado seems to have come true:

"Greensburg City Council has approved a resolution that all city building projects will be built to LEED Platinum level standards. This makes us the first city in the United States to do this and it shows the world "how green we are." For more information on LEED certification, go to www.usgbc.org

"This is a great accomplishment for Greensburg, our future and generations to come!"

Greensburg will no doubt be the coolest town in Kansas. I know this because I grew up in Kansas. Funny thing, though...I never did see a tornado. I spent the first 30 years of my life there and never ONCE saw one of these dang things. I saw plenty of lightning, green, churning clouds, big hail, toad-strangling rains, all of that.

The first tornado I ever saw was an F0 on the North Rim of Grand Canyon; it formed under an intensely icky cloud bank that had rolled in during the Monsoon Season and did nothing more that kick up dust below us on the scrubby desert floor.

I am very proud of the Greensburg City Council. This will make their city the "LEED Lab" for the rest of America, and it will bring big players in the construction and design industry to town on a regular basis. For a town that could once only boast of having the world's largest hand dug well, this is a light-year step forward. Keep up with Greensburg's Green building projects here: Greensburg: Green Town