Photo by Tom Campbell

Students in the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Kansas designed and built the 5.4.7 Arts Center, named after the date of the tornado. It is the first certified LEED Platinum building in Kansas.

Before Greensburg could be rebuilt green, it had to be made clean. It was a daunting task for the 700 or so residents who stayed in Greensburg after the 2007 tornado, and it continues yet today.

But they’ve gotten a lot of help. On any given day, primarily during the summer months, as many as 300 people from more than half of the states in the nation descend on Greensburg to help put the town back together.

“It’s been very fulfilling to see the number of people who have come to help,” says Deb Culley, construction assistant with the South Central Kansas Tornado Recovery Organization. “They just keep coming — church groups, school organizations and private citizens. It’s been fantastic.”

But Greensburg aspires for more than charity.

Greensburg wants to be the shining example to America of the greatness that a small, rural community can achieve, if given the opportunity.

“The tornado is history. It provided the opportunity we now have,” says the green-thinking former mayor, John Janssen, a Purdue Agriculture grad. “Now it is up to us to make the best of the opportunity.”

A University of Kansas architecture class designed and built the 5.4.7 Arts Center, a 1,600-square-foot building named for the date of the tornado and the first building in the state to be certified LEED Platinum (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) by the U.S. Green Building Council. It is the nation’s highest standard for environmental sustainability.

Frito-Lay has provide $1 million in grants to help fund portions of several green projects in Greensburg, including a small business incubator, a new city hall and Big Well/Greensburg Visitors Center that will house artifacts of the tornado.

Janssen expects to see the new city hall in business by the end of 2009. A new high school and a retrofitted Kiowa County Courthouse are expected to reopen in 2010.

Two local dealerships — for Chevrolet and John Deere — have rebuilt green and have reopened their doors for business.

Private residents who stayed have been encouraged to “build green” when they reconstruct their homes, too.

“With every application for a building permit, the applicant is given information about going green,” Janssen says. “They get information about how much money building green can save them, whether for a commercial or private residence.”

Perhaps the 9,000-square-foot, two-story business incubator under construction where Main Street intersects state highway 54 is Greensburg’s most visible sign of a green rebirth.

The lower level will feature five retail spaces, including a restaurant/deli with outdoor seating.

Service-type businesses will occupy the second floor, with a shared reception area and a conference room. The exterior walls of the building will be highly insulated, and the roof is designed to maximize usage of sunlight for interior lighting.

The current concept also utilizes windmills on the roof to collect wind power for the new town. Windows will be primarily on the north and south sides, with minimal windows on the east and west, where heat gain is harder to control. Rainwater will be collected in a cistern to water outdoor foliage.

Of the $2.7 million funding, the majority ($2 million) is provided by a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development grant. The remaining money will come from corporate sponsorships, insurance, grants, taxes, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the South Central Kansas Community Foundation.

But private funding is a major part of the rebuilding process, too. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, a major investor in the Discovery Channel’s new network, Planet Green, has contributed $400,000 to the project.