Launch of GreenTown GreenTours
Monday, June 1, 2009 at 03:43PM by Catherine Hart 
People are flocking to town to see the green sites and get informed about all facets of America’s Model Green Community. GreenTown is now formalizing the touring process, and will officially launch our GreenTour business on Monday, June 8. We offer several varieties of tours.
For groups who make reservations in advance, there are options for one- and two-hour tours. The shorter route will focus on the Downtown/South Sycamore area. (This includes the Silo Eco-Home, Sun Chips Business Incubator, 5.4.7 Arts Center, GreenTown office, Greensburg Cubed Project, and other sites of interest.) People who want to tour Kiowa County Memorial Hospital, the John Deere dealership (BTI Greensburg) and other sites on the outskirts of town can sign up for the two-hour version. There is a fee of $5 per person per hour, up to 20 people (with a two-person minimum). There is no additional charge for groups larger than 20, although donations are always gratefully accepted.
Folks who want to take themselves on a self-guided tour can download – for free – the GreenTour booklet here. The guidebook details the special features of 16 of the greenest buildings in Greensburg which appear on our Sustainable Building Data Base. We will add sites on an ongoing basis.
There has also been considerable interest expressed by visitors to tour private homes. GreenTown hopes to implement a special green home tour program in the near future. We are soliciting residents to determine who would like to participate in this GreenTour project.
Tours will be presented by GreenTown staff and specially-trained volunteers from the area. Several residents have expressed interest in sharing their enthusiasm about their home town with visitors.
We hope this new system will streamline the processing of requests that come into town and will meet the needs of visitors and eco-tourists. If you would like to take advantage of a special guided tour, please call to make reservations (620-723-2790) and we’ll get you on the calendar. There is a lot to see and there are many unique buildings here which are unlike anything else in the country. The concentration of energy-efficient, sustainable structures is a one-of-a-kind phenomenon. We welcome your visit.
Reader Comments (4)
Hi Greensburg.
Love watching the show on t.v. Cannot wait to I can fly into America to visit Greensburg.
The whole town just amazes me !
Congratulations on all your achievements, cannot wait to see even more progress!
Thanks for writing such a lovely note, Gina! We look forward to meeting you someday and offering you a GreenTour of the town. It seems that every week there is notable progress.
Happy travels.
Greensburg epitomizes the pride of our nation with it's pioneering spirit to turn tragedy into opportunity! You have shown us that it is possible, profitable, and fun for our society to be eco friendly. I believe your town is the blueprint for our country's success. Please keep up the good work and keep spreading the word!
We came through your sweet little town yesterday and spent part of our afternoon at the 5.4.7. Art Center, which I could find with little effort -- in fact, I am so familiar with your town since the tornado, I knew exactly where everything was both pre-and post tornado. All I lacked is the cultural atmosphere...!
We had a wonderfully detailed tour of the 5.4.7 facility, right down to basement.... Informative, thoughtful and spiritual, even though they are between exhibits, working on one for the State Fair. While I have watched the series "Greensburg" on the Discovery Channel, nothing prepares you for the up-close view we got yesterday. I was humbled to my core.
You people, the strong Survivors of this EF5, are a truly remarkable lot - your forebearers would be proud of your efforts, your vision and your fortitude. You are all made of that tough Midwestern charm that I hope to eventually acquire. We were in awe every step of our visit....I was keenly aware we were treading through someone's backyard while we walked through the vacant lots from the Big Well to the 5.4.7.; where there was only driveways and damaged sidewalks, and where there was wonderoreus progress.
Progress comes with time and often at a cost, as does your healing - and while there is much to do, there is already so much done! Congratuations on the three LEED-Platinum buildings! What an honor....!