Greensburg GreenTown is a non-profit organization designed to help Greensburg, Kansas rebuild sustainably after an EF5 tornado devastated the town in May 2007. To contact us, click here.
COEH Competition
Friday, July 10, 2009 at 01:57PM by Catherine Hart 
The Chain of Eco-Homes design contest co-sponsored by GreenTown and FreeGreen has been extended by a month, to August 15. We want to make sure that as many people who are interested get the opportunity to vie for the $10,000 grand prize and the chance to have their design built in Greensburg. In May, we wrote about this competition in detail here.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 04:00PM by Emily Schlickman 
Bob Mosier was green long before May 2007. For six years, Bob served as the President of the local Resource Conservation and Development chapter. During that time, he helped implement a variety of sustainable initiatives for Greensburg including a curbside recycling service as well as a bike refurbishing program.
After the tornado and the community's decision to rebuild sustainably, Bob took it up a notch. Not only is Mr. Mosier the new state President of RC&D, he is rehabbing his historical home to be significantly more energy efficient, he is a board member of Greensburg GreenTown, he is preparing to install a solar array on his roof, and most importantly...he is a proud owner of a 100 mpg scooter.
Monday, June 29, 2009 at 01:25PM by Catherine Hart 
In the early days, as the recovery from the tornado got underway, it became clear that Greensburg was in a unique position to pass on information and advice to other communities, both at home and abroad. One of the things that gives meaning to tragedy is being able to turn around and help others.
Two years out, we find that we are being called upon more and more to share from our experiences. As we like to say, “We can help you learn what to do and what NOT to do.” There is a lot in Greensburg that is working quite well; of course, as with any human endeavor, mistakes are made as well. We like to give people the whole story behind the Green Initiative.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009 at 10:39PM by Catherine Hart 
Rendering courtesy of BNIM
Last month, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) announced the winners of its 2009 Professional Awards. BNIM Architects (Kansas City, MO) was bestowed an Honor Award in the Analysis and Planning Category for their work on Greensburg’s Sustainable Comprehensive Plan (known locally as “The Master Plan”). The jury of this competition noted "This story has captured the imaginations of the public and the practice. They've created standards that are pragmatic, modest, and achievable. A plan to which other towns should aspire.”
Wednesday, June 24, 2009 at 12:05PM by Emily Schlickman 
Images courtesy of Planet Green
In late April, the Green Club helped put one of the finishing touches on the Silo Eco-Home: they planted a beautiful garden on the roof! The garden, which can be accessed by a spiral staircase, is truly unique. Unlike most green roofs, the one on top of the Eco-Home can support deeper root vegetables. Furthermore, it boasts a drip irrigation system (which significantly reduces water needs) as well as a rainwater collection system.
We invite you to watch this video that Planet Green posted on June 5th.
Saturday, June 20, 2009 at 01:58PM by Georgia Abrams 
Left photo courtesy of Courtney Crain
Scott and Susan Reinecke once had a dream to open up their own stained glass shop once they had both retired to a tourist town. The tornado gave them the opportunity to put their plans into motion a lot sooner than expected…
Scott has been cutting glass, both for the local Greensburg auto body shop and artistically, as long as Susan has been working with stained glass – about 30 years – but Susan said his second piece of stained glass was better than anything she had ever produced, so she switched to fused glass to keep herself interested.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at 07:05PM by Emily Schlickman 
At 11 am on July 10th, the county will be hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony for one of the only structures that survived the May 4th storm. The Kiowa County Courthouse, which was originally built in 1914, received substantial damage from the tornado but was able to be restored.
Friday, June 12, 2009 at 11:51AM by Catherine Hart 
The Kiowa County Farmers Market is in full swing! Each Saturday, vendors gather in Davis Park in Greensburg to sell their wares to the public. Recent offerings include veggies, homemade jams, grass-fed beef, bedding plants, rhubarb, and sprouts. As the summer progresses we are expecting more and more locally-grown produce to makes its way to the Market. The weekly event is co-sponsored by the City of Greensburg, Kiowa County Extension Office, and Greensburg GreenTown.
This year, the Kiowa County Extension Agents will offer a monthly Plant Problem Clinic at the Market. Gardeners and homeowners can receive free advice from our local Master Gardeners. Additionally, the community is again making available plots in the Community Garden. For more information about of these projects, call the County at 620-723-2156.
The community of Greensburg is growing on many levels - new buildings, residents, gardens, and projects. Come see what all the excitement is about.
Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 02:09PM by Emily Schlickman 
Illustration courtesy of Jonathan Park
Ben Jervey, an environmental journalist out of New York, recently sized-up four "eco-cities" in his most recent article for GOOD, a progressive integrated media platform. In the article, Jervey provided a brief description of each community and then assessed their likelihood of succeeding on a scale from 1-10.
Of the four, Tianjin - a rural community in China comprised of 350,000 migrants - came in last with a rating of 5. In third place, with a score of 7, was a self-contained Florida community to be powered from solar. Then came a carless community in Abu Dhabi with a rating of 8. Any thoughts on who got first place?
