Town Rebuilds Green After Destructive Tornado

Almost two years after being practically wiped out by an F-5 tornado, the town of Greensburg, Kansas is rebuilding and they're doing so in a way that could become a model for Oklahoma and the rest of the nation.

Friday, March 20th 2009, 5:29 pm

By: News 9


By Alex Cameron, NEWS 9

EDMOND, Oklahoma -- Almost two years after being practically wiped out by an F-5 tornado, the town of Greensburg, Kansas is rebuilding and they're doing so in a way that could become a model for Oklahoma and the rest of the nation.

A delegation from Greensburg was here in the metro for a conference Friday to discuss their progressive plans.

They spoke at the Oklahoma Sustainability Network's 8th annual conference at UCO.

Sustainability is the concept of operating in a way that's economically viable, ecologically sound, and socially equitable and Greensburg is taking this concept to an entirely new level.

Daniel Wallach, executive director of Greensburg GreenTown, said there are currently about 50 projects underway, from rebuilding city hall to building concrete silo eco-homes. The result, he said, will be America's first model green community, and a community with new life.

"Greensburg was dying," Wallach said. "It had been losing population for years."

Local sustainability advocates say the current economic upheaval is an even better reason than Greensburg's tornado for Oklahoma to also make the move toward greener pastures.

"In Oklahoma, we've invested a great deal in fossil fuels and agriculture, and agriculture right now depends on cheap fossil fuels, and that's not going to be that way in the future," said Harlan Hentges, vice chair of Sustainable Edmond.

Greensburg GreenTown officials say green technologies do cost more up front, but say they generally pay for themselves in three to five years.

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