May 4th Weekend Program

List of the events marking the first anniversary of the tornado

Tragedy to Triumph - Greensburg Rising

May 2, 3, and 4, 2008

A Celebration of Community, Progress, Friendship, and Life

Friday May 2nd

* Business Incubator Ground Breaking 7:00 a.m. - Main Street

* Greensburg Greentown Visitor/Green Information Center - 204 W. Florida Grand Opening 1:00 pm.

(Center open to the public from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.)

* Dedication of Sunset Acres Park - Ribbon Cutting/Dedication Stone 11:00 a.m.

* Picnic at Sunset Acres Park 11:30 - 12:30

* Greensburg Cubed Project arrives for viewing 204 W. Florida

* Big Well Gift Shop open 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. View Big Well all day

Saturday May 3rd

* Golf Tournament 8:00 a.m.

* Care and Share Grand Reopening 9:00 a.m.

* Going To Town (a recreation of Main Street) 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

View Greensburg Timeline

* National Weather Service Presentation of May 4, 2007 events 11:00 a.m.

* Carriage House community Bar-B-Q 11:30 - 1:30 723 S Elm

* National Weather Service display and discussion of May 4, 2007 1-4 p.m.

Storm Chasers/First Responders on hand to discuss weather events

Power Point Weather Service Presentation

* Golf Tournament 1:00 p.m.

* Komatara Apartments Open House 1:30 - 3:30

* Water Tower Ribbon Cutting 2:00 p.m.

* KCMH Open House/photo share/ice cream social 3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

* Greensburg Greentown/Kiowa County Chamber of Commerce Dinner 6:30 p.m. in Davis Park

*Rodeo Club Street Dance and Entertainment 8:30 p.m. Davis Park

Sunday May 4th

* Community Worship Service Davis Park 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

* Santa Fe Trail Car Club Show Main Street 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

* Community Meal 12 - 1 p.m.

* Kiowa County Farm Bureau Association Ice Cream Social 1:00 Main Street

* Presentation and Dedication of Victims Memorial 1:30 p.m. 322 S. Grove

* High School Graduation 3:00 p.m.

* Grand Opening of 5-4-7 Art Center 2:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

* Ground Breaking of First Baptist Church 6:00 p.m.

* Candle Light Vigil 9:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

 

 

Caroma toilets Donated

GreenTown was thrilled to get a call from the Australian company Caroma,  manufacturer of water-saving plumbing fixtures. They are generously donating 200 dual-flush toilets to Greensburg's rebuilding efforts. Dual-flush technology allows the consumer two choices in how much water goes down the toilet. Over a decade of research has found that the average home saves 67% of their bathroom water usage. For years, dual-flush toilets have been the standard in Australia, where people take water conservation very seriously. These units are used in over 30 countries around the world, and are just now getting into the U.S. market. Here is yet another area where Greensburg will be a national leader in green living. GreenTown's board is working to develop a fair way to distribute this generous gift to residents. The first off these units is set to arrive in early January.

 

 Ron Shank and his folks, Esther and Dwane, have been busy planning for the rebuild of their Greensburg  GM dealership that was destroyed in May.  Theirs was one of the first businesses to be back up just days after the storm, but they have been operating out of a small shed on their grounds. Ron has been working with builder Russell Gadberry on their project to rebuild. Kristen Zimmerman, Manager of Environmental and Government Policy for General Motors, contacted the Shanks about helping them come back in a model green building. The Shanks then contacted GreenTown and we convened a group to discuss the possibilities, opportunities, and challenges inherent in the rebuild. GM has provided some financial support to upgrade the new building to LEED* (or LEED equivalent) level standards, and Shanti Pless and Lynn Billman from NREL have been providing technical support. The building design is coming along beautifully, with Ron, builder Gadberry, and GM's Zimmerman thinking big, in terms of what this building might be - a true model for a structure of  its type. There is serious discussion about the possibility of the building being outfitted with a very large solar-powered system. This would be the first photovoltaic system of its kind, and one that GM hopes ultimately will be powering many of its dealerships across the country. Congratulations to the Shanks for taking a strong leadership role in the greening of Greensburg.  Thanks, too, to builder Gadberry who has gone to extraordinary lengths to learn all about the latest in sustainable design and green technologies (even going to the Greenbuild conference in Chicago last week).

Ogden Publications, the Topeka based publisher of fourteen magazines including Mother Earth News and Natural Home, is joining with GreenTown on several exciting projects in Greensburg. The first will be the model home, Resource Center, library and GreenTown offices in the center of town. The "Greenest Home in America" will be a showcase of the latest in energy efficient building design, technologies and materials to help Greensburg residents in the process of rebuilding their home to be a part of this model green community. The home will also serve as a visitor center for tourists interested in finding out what the green initiative in Greensburg is all about. The project is on the fast track and it is hoped to be completed as early as Spring of 2008. We are grateful to Ogden Publications for taking a lead in rebuilding Greensburg as "the greenest community in America!".

There will be more information here soon on this ground breaking project.

GREEN DAY will be held on Saturday, March 29 from 3-8 p.m. in the school practice gym.

VIEW THE FLYER HERE, CHOCK FULL OF INFORMATION OF WHAT THE DAY WILL HOLD.

LATE BREAKING NEWS: Starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday you and the family can visit RnE2EW (Renewable Energy and Efficiency Education on Wheels). This mobile educational unit is a project of NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) and features fun hands-on learning activities for people of all ages. The mobile will be parked on Sycamore, just behind the Kwik Shop between 10-2. Then it will move to the school parking lot and be open from 3-8 p.m. Bring the kids. Learn all about solar energy, wind power, and lots more!

Green Day's purpose is two-fold: to celebrate the tremendous progress that has already been realized in Greensburg’s goal of becoming a model green community, and to offer educational opportunities for local residents and business owners who are wanting to learn more about saving money and resources through energy efficiency and other aspects of green living.

Neighbors who have already built “green” homes will be on hand to share what they’ve done and how much of a difference this technology has made to their wallets and to their families’ overall health and comfort level. Businesspeople who’ve “gone green” will offer information about their plans and accomplishments as their new buildings take shape.

Additionally, the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) will bring in their portable educational unit that demonstrates the science behind various technologies, such as wind and solar power. It’s quite a fascinating exhibit, and people of all ages can enjoy the hands-on displays.

Kiowa County representatives will have the latest information on the recycling program. The Green Club from Greensburg High School will be on hand to talk about their projects.

There will be speakers, helpful written materials, and lots of advice available. A buffet supper will be served, brought to you by NREL. It’ll be a wonderful celebration of the Green Initiative, and we hope you and your family will be able to join us. The event and meal are FREE.

The event is co-sponsored by NREL, the City of Greensburg, Kiowa County, and GreenTown. Please call GreenTown at 620-549-3752 or 620-723-2790 for more information, or check back on the website as the date gets closer.

The above-noted magazine subscriptions are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of gifts to the community from Ogden Publications. Company owner Bryan Welch and his staff have taken a special interest in the green initiative and have committed to a full plate of support for GreenTown and Greensburg. Last month, Mother Earth News editor-in-chief, Cheryl Long, and Ogden's Director of Operations, Bill Uhler, were in town to meet with GreenTown staff and board. Mother Earth News and Natural Home are joining forces to build the first in a series of model homes in Greensburg.

GreenTown launched its model homes project recently. Envisioned is the building of as many as a dozen homes, each featuring different aspects of energy efficiency and the latest green technology. The Mother Earth-Natural Home structure is on the drawing board, and Cheryl and Bill visited several possible building sites during their visit. This first home will serve as an educational center for the community and visitors to the area, and will be a place where people can find out what the green initiative is all about. This home is touted as "the greenest home in America". We are excited and eager to see what they come up with! We'll keep you posted here.

Open House for Energy Efficient Affordable Housing

USDA is excited to announce the groundbreaking ceremony for the first round of its affordable green housing units. These single family homes will be highly energy efficient and this type of housing is much-needed in the community. Join State Director Chuck Banks and his staff from USDA Rural Development for this special event! The groundbreaking will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 12 at 402 South Walnut, Greensburg. Refreshments will be served.

SPECIAL PRESENTATION ON HOME ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Two seasoned energy efficiency pros, Bill Hanlon and Russ Rudy, came to town Saturday, offering the benefit of their experience and knowledge to residents and builders. Twenty people attended this presentation, which offered a wealth of information on how to optimize energy efficiency in new and existing homes.

Bill has worked as a builder and carpenter since 1975. He is an instructor in the Construction Technology department at Flint Hills Technical College in Emporia, and has a knack for presenting information in a practical, user-friendly manner. His book, Outside the Box, offers a cost- effective approach to making the standard built home much more energy efficient.

Russ is the Buildings Program Manager for the Kansas Energy Office. He founded and directed the Kansas Energy Raters Association, which has evolved into the national Energy and Environmental Ratings Alliance (EERA). He has a wealth of experience and is a seasoned presenter with great classroom presence.

Given how positive the feedback was on this program, GreenTown will bring them back for another free workshop in the near future. If you missed this one, and want to be sure to be notified of the next, please let us know and we’ll add you to list. 

 THE LONGEST WALK VISITS GREENSBURG

On April 13^th the city of Greensburg will be visited by The Longest Walk participants. They are expected to arrive in Greensburg in the afternoon, and will provide a meal to residents in the part at 5 p.m. Walkers will be spending the evening and the following day of the 14^th touring Greensburg with GreenTown representative Alanna Goodman.

This is the 30th anniversary of the Walk, a Native American tradition that is open to people of all cultures. The purpose of the walk is to create awareness about the environment, to protect sacred sites, and to promote positive change in the world. Walkers will be launching a campaign to clean up the nation's highways, and will pick up trash along the way, leaving a healthy trail in their path.

Groundbreaking at BTI/John Deere

Mike and Kelly Estes invite the community to join them Friday, February 1 at 11:30 a.m. for the groundbreaking for their new building on the east side of town. Exciting things are happening with the local John Deere building, including wind turbines and a host of other green features. Champions of the green initiative since very early on, the Estes brothers have been tenacious in their quest to design a building that will serve as a model for future Deere dealership construction, and invigorate the green initiative locally. GreenTown volunteer Bill Hanlon is consulting on this project; he is a builder and an instructor of Construction Technology at Flint Hills Technical College in Emporia.

Demonstration Homes Project Picks Up Steam

As one component of the local Green Initiative, Greensburg GreenTown launched a project to oversee the building of a dozen demonstration homes in the community. Each home will showcase different designs, technologies, and products, and will serve as a “living science museum” both for residents and visitors. In addition to the educational aspects of this project, these models of sustainable living will also provide bed-and-breakfast type lodging to give people the opportunity to experience green living first-hand, in true eco-tourism fashion. Homes will be constructed of a variety of wall systems including straw bale, insulated concrete forms, structural insulated panels, and traditional wood built with “advanced framing” techniques. Each home will be equipped with monitoring devices to measure the performance of green design under real-world conditions. There are plans for homes incorporating passive solar elements, photovoltaic cells, wind generated power, and myriad other technologies of sustainable design.

This month saw several developments in this Demonstration Home Project. GreenTown has been given two building lots from Greensburg residents Ki and Kim Gamble. The Gambles are farmers and business owners who operate the local truck wash, among other enterprises. Ki recently finished his term as president of the Greensburg School Board, and Kim is active in the Business Redevelopment Committee. About their donation, Kim said, “Ki and I want Greensburg to be a great place to live for our kids and grandkids. If there’s something we can do to make that happen, we should do it.”

The first home slated to break ground will be built by Mother Earth News and Natural Home magazines, two leading publications in the field of green building and energy independence. The Mother Earth Natural Home, as the project has been dubbed, will feature cutting-edge solar panels and will use a super energy-efficient wall and roof system of structural insulated panels (SIPs). The publisher of the two magazines, Ogden Publications, is based in Topeka , and has enlisted the expertise of Michael Morley to build the model home. Cheryl Long, editor in chief of Mother Earth News, explains that Morley (who is based in Lawrence , Kansas ) is a leading national expert on SIPs who wrote the definitive book about this technology. Long says that they are also working with the Building Technology Center at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Lab. Ogden plans to donate the Mother Earth Natural Home to serve as offices for the staff of Greensburg GreenTown.

On Monday, January 14, a team of four experts in green building from Colorado drove to Greensburg to hold meetings and view potential building sites for the demonstration home they will be building in conjunction with eco-structure magazine. The team from Colorado is headed up by Dan Chiras, author of numerous books on sustainable building and living, and includes architect James Plagmann, builder/architect David Parker, and Brandon Dardanis, expert in composite insulated concrete forms. This team has nearly 100 years’ experience in the green building industry among them. Eco-structure is a magazine devoted to sustainable building and products, its target audience being the architectural and building industry.

Currently, four other teams are in the process of forming to build Demonstration Homes. Shawnee Mission, Kansas architect Robert McLaughlin (who was born and raised in Greensburg ) is designing one of the homes.

Architects J. Stephen Lane of Lawrence , Kansas and Chris Kliewer of Wichita , Kansas serve in an advisory capacity to GreenTown on the overall project.

Last updated on January 28, 2008 by Administrator

 

Free Green Building Presentation February 9

Join building experts Bill Hanlon and Russ Rudy in Greensburg on Saturday, February 9 for a free presentation that will offer information about green building and construction technologies. Bill and Russ have over40 years of experience between them researching and building green. They will share lots of tips and tricks of the trade that can easily be incorporated into your home. Bill Hanlon is an instructor of Construction Technology at Flint Hills Technical College in Emporia. Russ Rudy is Buildings Program Manager at the Kansas Energy Office. This is a great opportunity to learn more, ask questions, and get one-on-one advice for your project. We’ll meet at the GreenTown office inside Brown Auction, 900 E. Kansas Avenue, at noon on Saturday. Call GreenTown at 620-549-3752 for more information. Builders are especially encouraged to attend.

The presentation will be held at noon on February 9 at the GreenTown office inside Brown Auction, 900 East Kansas Avenue, Greensburg. Bring your lunch - we'll provide dessert and beverages. For more information call 620-549-3752.

Model Homes Project Launched

The Model Homes Project will feature the building of twelve state-of-the-art green homes in Greensburg . Our vision is that these homes be built not only to showcase to residents what is possible for their own homes, but also to serve as lodging and eco-tourism destinations.

The twelve homes will serve as demonstration sites for a variety of building construction technologies and green products and services. Each home would also serve as a testing site/laboratory with monitoring equipment that would give observers information on how each type of construction performs under real world conditions. The homes also would provide lodging to tourists that would give them experience in a particular type of home that interests them.

So, in the short term, Greensburg residents will have the opportunity to view first-hand how the various buildings look and behave, and in the long-term, the homes will serve as a source of revenue for the community and GreenTown in their role as eco-tourism destination. As noted in the above article, the Mother Earth-Natural Home model home is in the works. Several other companies and educational institutions have expressed interest in this project. More on this as additional parties sign on to build their green dream homes.

 

Local builders attend seminar on energy efficient design

Welcome new staff to GreenTown

A Big Week in the Greening of Greensburg

The team from the National Renewal Energy Lab (NREL - a division of the U.S. Department of  Energy) was in Greensburg in mid-November to meet on several new building projects. Two new team members were part of this visit: Shanti Pless is a specialist in commercial building design with NREL, and  John Thornton is a 40-year veteran of solar power technologies who is under contract with NREL to assist on the solar possibilities for Greensburg. (Thornton is also known as "Mr. PV" - PV standing for photovoltaic - which is the technology of solar power.) Also in town was Stephen Hardy from BNIM, the architectural firm that is developing the Master Plan for the City of Greensburg andthat is designing the high school. The team from PEC Engineering and representatives from the MVP architecture firm, both from Wichita, were also in town to discuss how best to "green" several buildings, including the Kiowa County Courthouse, the new business incubator building, and several commercial buildings. It was a flurry of activity and impressive teamwork, and a tremendous amount was accomplished in a few days.

First Green Building Teleclass this Thursday!

Join GreenTown for the first in a series of telephone classes that will answer your questions about building green. On Thursday, November 29 at 7:00 p.m., GreenTown staff and green experts will make a brief presentation about what's entailed in "going green" and be available for a conversation about any aspect of the green building process you need information about. To participate, all you need to do is dial a long-distance number and join in. So if you're interested,  dial-in Thursday at 7 p.m. to 1-712-429-0689. When prompted, enter the participant code 285526#. That's it! If you'd like to submit questions ahead of time, please call  620-549-3752 or email info@greensburggreentown.org. If you're unable to make this week's call, there will be more to come.

RON JONES OF GREEN BUILDER MAGAZINE VISITS GREENSBURG AND GREENTOWN

Ron Jones, a highly respected expert in the green building industry and publisher of Green Builder Magazine, came to Greensburg to visit with GreenTown and to experience Greensburg. Green Builder Magazine is distributed to all memebrs of the National Home Builders Asssociation and they have a great deal of influence in the building industry. Ron has been a great resource to and supporter of GGT and it was an honor to host him for his visit. To check out the magazine or subscribe, go here. To peruse the incredibly useful back issues of the magazine, go here.

Town meeting was a great success

Hundreds came out in Greensburg Thursday night to enjoy a great evening of food, socializing and to get caught up on some aspects of the rebuilding process. The outstanding meal (Kansas City BBQ) was sponsored by the DiCaprio production company. The evening also included ice cream bars, drinks, a rock band, a singing quartet and an entertainer for  the kids. There were brief presentations by Mayor John Janssen and Daniel Wallach (Director GreenTown) to bring people up to date on the activities relating to the green initiative in Greensburg. A short video was shown where Leonardo Dicaprio offered his gratitiude to the people of Greensburg for allowing the production of "Eco Town", the 13 part series that will air in early 2008.  Dicaprio also let residents know that he will come for a visit to Greensburg in January. We will have a link to the video here soon for those that missed it at the picnic. While the evening was co-sponsored by the city of Greensburg and GreenTown,  all the food and drink were lined up and donated by the DiCaprio production company. They also did the set up and the clean up. MANY THANKS to the production company  for a great celebration  and an evening enjoyed by many Greensburg residents.

Thank you Ogden Publications and Mother Earth News

Mother Earth News and Ogden Publications (Topeka based publisher of Mother Earth News and 13 other prominent magazines) has generously donated many books and magazines to our resource center. If you live in Greensburg, stop by our office and peruse these great resources.

 

Get your housing questions answered at the Free HOUSING FAIR - Saturday,    September 22

A housing fair conducted by the USDA  and a consortium of federal, state agencies and nonprofit organizations is being held for residents of Greensburg, Kiowa County, and surrounding counties who are exploring housing options   Saturday, September 22 from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., at Davis Park,in Greensburg. Booths and seminars will provide information on all aspects of housing - including  finance, energy efficiency, credit, and building options. Many experts will be on hand to answer your questions related to rebuilding. Vendors are invited to display their information.

The City of Greensburg, Mayor John Janssen and Greensburg GreenTown present:

                         "Come Home to Greensburg" 

A Pre-Homecoming Community Barbecue, Thursday, September 20 4PM- 7PM under the  big tent at Davis Park in Greensburg. 

Come to Davis Park for a free picnic and a meeting to discuss what is going on in Greensburg related to the green initiative. Representatives from Discovery, The City of Greensburg and GreenTown will be there to offer reports on the latest developments on the rebuilding of the town. Come join your friends, neighbors and visitors in this celebration of accomplishments and the latest look at the future. ALL ARE WELCOME!

Seminar for builders in Greensburg on September 8 

The US Department of Energy’s Building America program will be offering a special, five-part training series for builders and homeowners involved in rebuilding Greensburg as a healthy, energy efficient and affordable town.  For more information go to http://www.buildingamerica-greensburg.com/
The workshop will take place Saturday, September 8, in the trailer north of the courthouse (where city council has been meeting). This workshop is free and open to all builders working in Greensburg.

DISCOVERY NETWORK SHOW, "ECO TOWN" PRODUCTION STAFF IN GREENSBURG

In late August, the producer of the series, "Eco Town" and two associates were in Greensburg to meet residents and city leaders. The program will be a 13 part series documenting the rebuilding of Greensburg as a green community. Filming has started and the show is set to air in early 2008 on the new network, Planet Green (this is a network owned and operated by Discovery).  Producer, Johnny Gould, said several times in his rounds visiting with residents that Discovery was  here to "tell the story"  and not dictate the way the story unfolds. He said that they do want the story to be one of success and will do what they can to help bring resources to the town to help it fulfill its vison. Greensburg GreenTown will be working closely with Johnny and his production staff in hopes of keeping the residents informed about the production and to ensure the smooth acquisition and distribution of resources that this project is bringing to town. Another priority of GGT will be to listen to the residents  feedback or questions they have about the production and communicate that to the Eco Town production team.

Welcome National Renewable Energy Labs (NREL)!

NREL is a government agency dedicated to the development of alternative energy sources. Two experts are  in town the week of  August 13th to help  Greensburg analyze its options for alternative energy (wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and others) to power the city. Many believe this power generation system would be the centerpiece of Greensburg as a model green city. Thanks to NREL for coming to town and supporting Greensburg in  its quest to become the first green town in America.