Landmark Resolution Passes To Rebuild Tornado-Damaged City Buildings With U.S. Green Building Council’s Highest Level Of Energy Efficiency And Sustainability

Date: 5 January 2008
Source: U.S. Green Building Council

Date: 5 January 2008

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is  pleased to announce that the city of Greensburg, Kansas has passed a resolution to certify  all city-owned buildings LEED® Platinum, making it the first city in the U.S. to pass  such a resolution.

LEED Platinum is the highest rating a building can achieve under the  USGBC's LEED Green Building Rating System. LEED is a voluntary, consensus-based  program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.



Greensburg, devastated by a massive tornado on May 4, 2007, has focused its recovery  on rebuilding as a model green community. On December 17, 2007, the City Council  adopted a resolution that all city buildings greater than 4,000 square feet will be certified  LEED Platinum and be required to reduce energy use by 42 percent over current building  code requirements.



"The city of Greensburg has taken the extraordinary step of committing to rebuild their  community to a new vision, not settling for simply recreating what had gone before," said  Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. "By  committing to a recovery plan based on green building, the community's leadership has  set a path that will result in a healthier, more livable city for its citizens, turning a crisis  into an opportunity that is an example for us all."  Following the Council's historic vote, City Administrator Steve Hewitt said, "I am so  excited about being the first city in the U.S. to adopt this system for a town. I am ecstatic  about this commitment and what it is telling the world about our town's character and  where we are headed."



Mayor John Janssen said, "This is just another important step in our recovery and our  intentions to come back as one of the greenest towns in America."

BNIM Architects of Kansas City, Missouri, worked closely with the city to draft the  resolution and to educate the community on the benefits of LEED Platinum certification.  The firm is also developing a comprehensive master plan to rebuild Greensburg based  around the principles of economic, social and environmental sustainability.  "BNIM is pleased to help Greensburg achieve its goal of rebuilding in a sustainable,  energy efficient manner that will result in significant operational savings for years to come," said Stephen Hardy, associate of BNIM Architects and project leader for the  Greensburg comprehensive master plan. "This is a landmark resolution for Greensburg

and makes the city a model for communities across the nation.”



Local, state and national organizations and agencies have been instrumental in promoting  green building best practices for Greensburg and helping the community plan for future  generations. The green rebuilding effort has support from Kansas Governor Kathleen  Sebelius and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The U.S. Department of Energy's  National Renewable Energy Laboratory and its subcontractors are providing technical  assistance on all aspects of energy use and building design in Greensburg.



The town and its citizens have undertaken many innovative programs and projects that  have already positioned this rural community as an innovator with an ambitious vision  for the future. As part of the town's "Green Initiative," 10 commercial and public  buildings in Greensburg have already committed to being LEED certified. This number is  especially impressive given the fact that only six buildings currently have received LEED  certification in the whole state of Kansas and that this small rural community had a  population of only about 1400 before the tornado.

600450 Landmark Resolution Passes To Rebuild Tornado-Damaged City Buildings With U.S. Green Building Council’s Highest Level Of Energy Efficiency And Sustainability glassonweb.com

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