Public Power - October 2008 - (Page 36) A Green Reincarnation BY CATHY SWIRBUL A tornado in May 2007 killed 10 people and decimated the city of Greensburg. Photos by Bill Callaway, Clay Center Public Utilities On May 4, 2007,An enormous tornado— Greensburg, Kan., was nearly obliterated. one of the strongest on record with 205-mile-an-hour winds—killed 10 people and shredded nearly every structure into rubble. About 1,400 residents were left homeless. Yet out of the rubble, hope was born, something that had been dwindling for years in Greensburg. The southwest rural community, whose economy was tied to farming, oil and gas, had been losing 2 percent of its residents each year. Just days after the disaster, city leaders began formulating a plan to rebuild Greensburg by making it “green.” 36 OCTOBER 2008 “City leaders decided to rebuild this community as a model for sustainability,” said Daniel Wallach, director of Greensburg Greentown, a nonprofit devoted to providing resources to help Greensburg go green. “We have the perfect opportunity to do this since we literally have a blank slate to work with.” To start the process, the town adopted a resolution Dec. 17, 2007, to rebuild all public buildings to a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum level, making it the first U.S. city to do so. This is the highest rating given by the U.S. Green Building Council, a nonprofit organization devoted to sustainable building design and construction. The standards will be applied to all Greensburg public buildings larger than 4,000 square feet, making them 40 percent more energy efficient than those built under normal building code standards. Greensburg will have at least three LEED-platinum city buildings: a business incubator that provides low-cost retail space for new businesses, city hall and a museum/visitor center. The center provides background information about two local attractions: a 1,000-pound meteorite and the “world’s largest hand-dug well.” Both survived the storm. City Hall will use solar, wind and passive PUBLIC POWER
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Public Power - October 2008 Public Power - October 2008 Contents Perspective 10 Questions The Future of Fuels in a Carbon-Constrained World An Energy Revolution Energy Policy in 2009 and Beyond A Green Reincarnation Beyond the Green Bandwagon Reliability Green Energy Community Broadband Customer Service Hometown Connections Human Resources Parting Shot Public Power - October 2008 Public Power - October 2008 - Public Power - October 2008 (Page Cover1) Public Power - October 2008 - Public Power - October 2008 (Page Cover2) Public Power - October 2008 - Public Power - October 2008 (Page 1) Public Power - October 2008 - Public Power - October 2008 (Page 2) Public Power - October 2008 - Contents (Page 3) Public Power - October 2008 - Contents (Page 4) Public Power - October 2008 - Contents (Page 5) Public Power - October 2008 - Contents (Page 6) Public Power - October 2008 - Contents (Page 7) Public Power - October 2008 - Contents (Page 8) Public Power - October 2008 - Contents (Page 9) Public Power - October 2008 - Perspective (Page 10) Public Power - October 2008 - Perspective (Page 11) Public Power - October 2008 - 10 Questions (Page 12) Public Power - October 2008 - 10 Questions (Page 13) Public Power - October 2008 - 10 Questions (Page 14) Public Power - October 2008 - 10 Questions (Page 15) Public Power - October 2008 - 10 Questions (Page 16) Public Power - October 2008 - 10 Questions (Page 17) Public Power - October 2008 - The Future of Fuels in a Carbon-Constrained World (Page 18) Public Power - October 2008 - The Future of Fuels in a Carbon-Constrained World (Page 19) Public Power - October 2008 - The Future of Fuels in a Carbon-Constrained World (Page 20) Public Power - October 2008 - The Future of Fuels in a Carbon-Constrained World (Page 21) Public Power - October 2008 - The Future of Fuels in a Carbon-Constrained World (Page 22) Public Power - October 2008 - The Future of Fuels in a Carbon-Constrained World (Page 23) Public Power - October 2008 - An Energy Revolution (Page 24) Public Power - October 2008 - An Energy Revolution (Page 25) Public Power - October 2008 - An Energy Revolution (Page 26) Public Power - October 2008 - An Energy Revolution (Page 27) Public Power - October 2008 - An Energy Revolution (Page 28) Public Power - October 2008 - An Energy Revolution (Page 29) Public Power - October 2008 - An Energy Revolution (Page 30) Public Power - October 2008 - An Energy Revolution (Page 31) Public Power - October 2008 - An Energy Revolution (Page 32) Public Power - October 2008 - An Energy Revolution (Page 33) Public Power - October 2008 - Energy Policy in 2009 and Beyond (Page 34) Public Power - October 2008 - Energy Policy in 2009 and Beyond (Page 35) Public Power - October 2008 - A Green Reincarnation (Page 36) Public Power - October 2008 - A Green Reincarnation (Page 37) Public Power - October 2008 - A Green Reincarnation (Page 38) Public Power - October 2008 - A Green Reincarnation (Page 39) Public Power - October 2008 - Beyond the Green Bandwagon (Page 40) Public Power - October 2008 - Beyond the Green Bandwagon (Page 41) Public Power - October 2008 - Reliability (Page 42) Public Power - October 2008 - Reliability (Page 43) Public Power - October 2008 - Green Energy (Page 44) Public Power - October 2008 - Green Energy (Page 45) Public Power - October 2008 - Green Energy (Page 46) Public Power - October 2008 - Green Energy (Page 47) Public Power - October 2008 - Community Broadband (Page 48) Public Power - October 2008 - Community Broadband (Page 49) Public Power - October 2008 - Community Broadband (Page 50) Public Power - October 2008 - Customer Service (Page 51) Public Power - October 2008 - Hometown Connections (Page 52) Public Power - October 2008 - Hometown Connections (Page 53) Public Power - October 2008 - Human Resources (Page 54) Public Power - October 2008 - Human Resources (Page 55) Public Power - October 2008 - Parting Shot (Page 56) Public Power - October 2008 - Parting Shot (Page Cover3) Public Power - October 2008 - Parting Shot (Page Cover4)
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