Tragedy struck Joplin Missouri this past Sunday as one of the largest single tornados in this half century ripped through the town of 49,000 people, leaving the area in complete devastation. April 27th 2011 tornado storm overcame the southern states striking the area with 135 tornadoes, taking the lives of 319 Americans. A month later victims of this the calamity are still held up in shelters as recovery of the leveled neighborhoods moves forward. The tornado outbreak was the largest recorded since 1974 when a similar storm destroyed nearly 2,500 miles of U.S territory. The New York Times deemed the effects and tolls of the storm one of ‘historic proportions’ damages that are closely comparable to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.
As national services come together to help support the victims of these
devastating natural disasters fellow sympathetic Americans question how
else to support for the sufferers of the wreckage. Bringing
sustainability to the home front by education of green city
restoration can inspire those affected by the tragedy and hopefully
lead to similar achievements as those accomplished in Greensburg
Kansas.
Nearly 4 years ago Greensburg was practically leveled to the ground by
a level F5 tornado. The destruction of Greensburg could have been seen
as complete desolation but alternatively the city used this
opportunity to develop and implement a plan to make the city a leader
in sustainability by aiming for LEED Platinum for city building
standers. As reported by CNN, Greensburg is now “a national model for
environmentally conscious living” with green innovation energy
standards. Greensburg achieved the town’s energy requirements by
switching to the alternative energy available investing in locally
owned wind farms, solar, and geothermal energy. The city now mandates
that buildings larger 4,000 sq. ft. must be up to LEED Platinum
standers, increasing energy requirements to at least 42% higher than
prior building standards. These mandates apply to city buildings but
it is the change of the community its self that inspires the
motivation toward sustainability. Greenburg’s commitments to energy
efficiency created by the city’s innovation lead to more job
opportunities and increase community welfare. It is this inspiration
that leads us to offer more to those devastated by the tornado crisis
as plans to rebuild the communities progress.
