How Green is Kansas?

Last night, at President Obama’s speech to the joint session of Congress, a humble Mayor from Kansas sat with the First Lady to hear the President’s speech. What makes this unusual is that Bob Dixson, mayor of Greensburg, Kansas, was there as a symbol of the environmentally friendly building movement to the nation.

Greensburg was all but destroyed in a tornado on May 4, 2007. The tornado traveled quickly through the area, leveling at least 95 percent of the city and killing eleven people in a town with a population of nearly 1600.

The town made a remarkable decision amidst the devastation. They decided to rebuild Greensburg as a “green” town. It was the first city in the nation to adopt, by resolution of the city council, LEED- platinum standards for all city building
“I think about Greensburg, Kansas,” Obama said, “a town that was completely destroyed by a tornado but is being rebuilt by its residents as a global example of how clean energy can power an entire community — how it can bring jobs and businesses to a place where piles of bricks and rubble once lay.”

For more information on Greensburg, Kansas visit their website http://www.greensburgks.org/