A Pretty Typical Week
Monday, February 8, 2010 at 04:15PM by Catherine Hart 
We tend to use this space to write in-depth articles about various building projects and other Green Initiative news coming from Greensburg. Today we thought we’d give readers an overview of a “normal” week of life in America’s Model Green Community.
On the rebuilding front, downtown Greensburg continues to be alive with activity. The Kiowa County United (KCU) project is putting the finishing touches on its retail center on the corner of Highway 54 and Main. Several small businesses have started to move into their new storefronts. We’ll have a florist, furniture showroom, framing shop, and other typical downtown businesses. Several folks from the Business Incubator across the street are already doing well enough to move into the larger spaces in the KCU building. This is a really nice story about people from around the county coming together to start up a nonprofit organization and build an “affordable green” project for Main Street.
Also in the first block of Main Street, Centera Bank is very close to completion on their beautiful new facility, aiming for LEED certification.
Kiowa County Memorial Hospital is scheduled to host its grand opening event on March 12. Designed to LEED Platinum specifications, it is on track to be the first critical access hospital in the country with this designation. This stand-out 15-bed facility is situated on Highway 54 on the west side of town, with easy access and many sustainable features.
Other projects that are in various stages of completion include the school, Fleener Funeral Home, and the Youth for Christ Teen Center.
As each project is completed and comes on line, we will feature it on the Sustainable Building Database that is maintained on our website with the coordination of the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL). There are many inspiring comeback stories that are waiting to be told.
As a center for green education, this week Greensburg is the site of a 5-day workshop designed for people who want to become certified as Energy Auditors. GreenTown is co-hosting this class with the Metropolitan Energy Center and the Energy and Environmental Training Center of Kansas City. Eight people from throughout western Kansas are attending class in BTI Wind’s training center on the campus of the local (LEED Platinum) John Deere dealership. Energy raters help homeowners and businesses save money and reduce energy consumption by testing current usage levels and offering specific recommendations.
The high school students who comprise The Green Club have launched a local initiative to encourage residents to choose reusable shopping bags over plastic or paper bags. They have done a lot of research on this issue and are educating folks about the hidden costs associated with the throwaway bags; their next step this week is to create signage to be placed in local stores. The local KwikShop/Dillons grocery store has helped by letting Club members survey shoppers’ bag choices and distribute reusable bags to the store’s patrons.
Media representatives continue to demonstrate interest in our local green rebuilding experiment. The National Public Radio series “State of the Re:Union” has reporters in town all this week to interview residents for a special segment which will air later this year. Greensburg is one of six American neighborhoods that will be highlighted during Season 3 of this highly-touted NPR show.
Other activities and projects show a community that is returning to normal. The Catholic church is resuming their annual Mexican Supper and Enchilada Sale this coming weekend, for the first time after the tornado. A local sandwich shop will be host a Valentine’s Day Dinner. The 5.4.7 Arts Center has been offering a watercolor class in January and February (in their LEED Platinum building). There was a benefit concert last weekend to raise funds for the Twilight Theatre. The Ministerial Alliance meets this week to discuss their fundraising drive to help a mission in Haiti damaged in the earthquake.
This is just a small taste of life in Greensburg this week, where the Green Initiative has been seamlessly interwoven into the fabric of the community. We daresay that there is nowhere else in rural America where one can overhear conversations peppered with talk of “LEED Platinum”, “ground source heat pumps”, and “low-flush toilets” – sometimes all in the same breath. For readers who have yet to make the trip to our community, we invite you to come for a visit. Springtime in Kansas can be pretty wonderful.
photo credit: Joah Bussert
Reader Comments (1)
Its great to read about communities that are working to reduce their carbon footprint. I think its great that they also work towards not only builing green but also educating the younger folks. I liked how the Green Club which consists of high school students were working towards having everyone use resuable shopping bags instead of plastic which creates more waste.