Green Town USA: The Handbook for America's Sustainable Future

by Thomas J. Fox, Daniel Wallach (Introduction), Alex Wilson (Foreword by), Andrew Flach (Contribution by)

Overview

"There was never a town with a truer name, though it didn't really discover it till tragedy created an opportunity that residents seized with head and heart!"
— Bill McKibben, author Oil and Honey:The Education of an Unlikely Activist

Hope for a greener America . . . from the extraordinary community that made it a reality.

Green Town U.S.A. recounts Greensburg’s inspiring story of resilience, community, and sustainability which began on the evening of May 4, 2007, when disaster struck the quiet Kansas city. A tornado topping all the scales touched down, and in a matter of minutes, Greensburg, which stood for more than 120 years, was destroyed.

Greensburg committed to reconstructing itself from the ground up while embracing green technology and building methods, along with solar and wind energy. The new Greensburg stands testament to the strength and viability of sustainable community redevelopment and energy-efficient living.

Green Town U.S.A. is a story of hope and opportunity—even in the face of obstacles and difficulties—and provides a real-world proving ground for sustainable solutions. Green Town U.S.A. takes you through the entire reconstruction process, from Long-Term Community Recovery planning for Greensburg, to the latest advancements in green materials and technology, to the leadership and teambuilding necessary to realize an achievement of this magnitude.

Every town can be a “green town.” Any community faced with rebuilding after a natural disaster, planning new municipal buildings or schools, upgrading retail or industrial centers, or building homes can gain valuable insight from the example of Greensburg, Kansas.

Green Town U.S.A. is an invaluable handbook for civic leaders, concerned citizens, business owners, and anyone who is a stakeholder in America’s sustainable future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781578263127
Publisher:	Hatherleigh Press
Publication date:	07/30/2013
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	227,752
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Thomas Fox is an attorney and former research editor at Reader’s Digest. Fox is the author of Urban Farming: Sustainable City Living in Your Backyard, in Your Community, and in the World. His work has been published in The Washington Post, Wine Enthusiast, and elsewhere. He writes extensively on sustainability.

Daniel Wallach is the Executive Director and Founder of Greensburg GreenTown, a grassroots community-based organization that works side-by-side with city and county officials, business owners, and local residents to incorporate sustainable principles into their rebuilding processes.

Alex Wilson is the Founder of BuildingGreen, Inc. in Brattleboro, Vermont and the nonprofit Resilient Design Institute.

Read an Excerpt

Foreword

When natural disasters strike, we may watch the news, listen to the tragic stories of loss, and draw inspiration from acts of heroism. A few of us may send donations to the Red Cross. But, fairly quickly, these stories fade from view. Such was the case for many of us with the 2007 tornado that struck the small Kansas town of Greensburg, two hours west of Wichita. The EF5 tornado, more than a mile-and-a-half wide at its base, mowed a swath through the town on the evening of May 4th, destroying 95 percent of Greensburg’s buildings and infrastructure.

For Greensburg residents, the tornado was a turning point, an opportunity to stand back and ask “what do we want to be?” The Greensburg tornado launched one of the most remarkable stories in the country of a community pulling itself from the ashes and committing not only to rebuild, but to rebuild as the greenest, most sustainable town in America.

Greensburg became America’s Green Town.

Now, six years later, Greensburg is ready to teach the rest of us how to do it. Green Town U.S.A. provides a roadmap that will help us use the experiences of Greensburg to transform our own communities. We don’t have to wait for a tragedy to begin this process of change. Sustainability translates into more jobs, improved quality of life, a healthier environment, and resilience, and this book will help you begin the process of achieving sustainability in your town.

Consider Green Town U.S.A. your manual for this transition. By creating a bridge to the future using sustainable practices as our measure, we can renew, restore, and rebuild this great country one Green Town at a time.

—Alex Wilson

Alex Wilson is the Founder of BuildingGreen, Inc. in Brattleboro, Vermont and the nonprofit Resilient Design Institute.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 The Tornado 5

Chapter 2 The Aftermath/Commitment to Green Rebuilding 21

Chapter 3 The Green Rebuilding 41

Chapter 4 Homes 69

Chapter 5 Public Infrastructure 85

Chapter 6 Community Spaces 101

Chapter 7 The Business of Green 123

Chapter 8 Greensburg: Five Years Later/Five Years Forward 151

Chapter 9 Green Town U.S.A. 171

Chapter 10 Lessons Learned and Easy Steps 189

Afterword 219

Editorial Reviews

"There was never a town with a truer name, though it didn't really discover it till tragedy created an opportunity that residents seized with head and heart!"
— Bill McKibben, author Oil and Honey:The Education of an Unlikely Activist

"Extreme and catastrophic climate events are the new normal. Fox is prescient in chronicling the challenges and opportunities of rebuilding a post-disaster Greensburg, Kansas. This is a story of what can be learned from both the successes and failures of rebuilding communities in Tornado Alley in the age of climate change." — Jennifer Cockrall-King, Author of Food and the City: Urban Agriculture and the New Food Revolution

"...a global example of how clean energy can power an entire community, how it can bring jobs and businesses to a place where piles of bricks and rubble once lay." - President Barack Obama

"From the rubble of a tornado, a Kansas town becomes a model for environmentally friendly living" - USA Today

"This town was almost blown off the map—now it’s back, and super green." - Daniel Penner, Grist.org

“…visionary”. – The New York Times
 
“…an example for sustainable communities everywhere.” —  National Geographic
 
“…a living example of what can be achieved when we take that leap into environmental sustainability.”  - The Huffington Post
 
“…the greenest town in America.” — Los Angeles Times

From the Publisher