News from Wichita

Recently, GreenTown represented the community at Wichita’s second annual Regional Energy & Sustainability Conference. We were invited to have a booth at the event which ran January 22-23 at Wichita State University. Our booth, staffed by Andrew Ryan and Catherine Hart, featured brochures and display boards from several Greensburg projects, and we ran a Power Point presentation about the community’s history and rebuilding throughout weekend. Mike Estes, manager of the local John Deere dealership, spoke about BTI Wind Energy on the Corporate Sustainability Panel Friday morning. GreenTown Director Daniel Wallach was asked to speak at a break-out session on Friday, and joined Simran Sethi as keynote speaker at Saturday’s luncheon. (Simran is an award-wining journalist and associate professor of journalism at the University of Kansas. She has reported on sustainability issues for numerous media outlets and on a host of shows, including CNBC, Oprah, the Ellen DeGeneres Show, Sundance Channel, The Today Show, to name a few. We are fortunate to have her friendship and her heartfelt support of the Green Initiative.)

Friday’s program was geared toward City officials and business owners, while Saturday was tailored to individuals and families. We had the opportunity to meet with many folks who are interested in the Green Initiative and Greensburg’s recovery – residents, corporate people, Wichita City Council members, a State senator and representative, and staff who work for the City’s Environmental Services department. Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer attended the event both days, which was a demonstration of the City's interest in sustainability.

People came up to the GreenTown booth throughout the weekend, sharing memories of Greensburg, asking about the LEED buildings, inquiring about the new Big Well Museum, and watching our Power Point presentation. It was heartening to feel the support of so many people, and to hear promises of future visits. We find that it’s always good to go out of town to get outside perspectives about Greensburg’s progress as “America’s Model Green Community”.

For a couple of years we have been cultivating a relationship with Wichita as an informal “sister city”. We have attended meetings with their business community and discussed co-hosting various events and fundraisers. For their part, Wichita has made some big strides in convening businesses that are committed to sustainability. The Green Biz Wichita group officially launched their membership drive at last weekend’s conference. (Their website is under construction, but readers can get a sense of their focus by checking out the link.) Their mission statement outlines their vision:

“Green Biz Wichita believes that Wichita area businesses can do well for themselves while doing good for the environment. The group's membership extends this belief through active education, partnership, advocacy and recognition programs designed to encourage local businesses to reduce the environmental impact of their operations while enhancing overall business performance and sustainability practices.”

They have set a goal of recruiting 500 business members by the end of this year. Green Biz organizers are promising to bring a group to Greensburg for a GreenTour soon – hopefully on an electric bus! We see this relationship as a great opportunity to share information and experience. Wichita area individuals and businesses who are interested in membership are encouraged to contact Candace Wilson at 316-691-3715 or cwilson (at) kcoe.com to get in on the ground floor of this visionary group. 

Readers may already be familiar with the huge impact that Wichita businesses have had on projects in Greensburg. At the risk of leaving anyone out, we will not list them here, but suffice it to say that their impact has been considerable – in terms of outright gifts of volunteer time and money, and through advice, consultation, and publicity. As a community we will continue to nurture our relationship and look  forward to a long and fruitful partnership.