Chronicling A Town's Rebirth -- In Green

Planet Green Docu-Series Follows Rebuilding Of Twister-Devastated Greensburg, Kan.

(CBS)  After a mammoth tornado, an F5 -- the most intense kind -- destroyed 95 percent of Greensburg, Kan. on May 4, 2007, killing 11 people, almost half of the tiny town's resident left.

But the rest moved into a park of FEMA trailers and began the process of rebuilding. They're determined to persevere, let nothing stand in their way, and have sheer will come to the forefront.

They're also rebuilding -- green -- and could serve as inspiration for many parts of the country currently suffering from the wrath of Mother Nature.

The Early Show did a weeklong series of shows from there as the first anniversary of the twister's strike neared.

This weekend the Planet Green network is premiering a multi-part docu-series simply called "Greensburg."

Homeowners are using new, sustainable lumber and reusing older bricks, while designing buildings that rely solely on the sun and wind for energy, points out Early Show weather anchor and features reporter Dave Price.

"This is the biggest green movement on the planet right now, right here," says "Greensburg" Executive Producer Craig Piligian, "because, if this town gets rebuilt green, it will be the first community in the country and the world like it. ... and we can't fail."

Piligian is one of the country's most successful TV producers. And, while "Survivor" may have been one of his most popular projects, Piligian calls "Greensburg" his most important.

"My wife is from a town 90 miles away from here," Piligian explains. "We were here celebrating my mother-in-law's 70th birthday the weekend the tornado hit."

When Greensburg decided to become the nation's first green town, Piligian dispatched a production team to document the entire process.

"The bad guy here was the weather, and the elements," Piligian says. "It's sort of like 'The Grapes of Wrath.' I mean, it's truly the American struggle. You're going to watch this city, which was completely flattened, and they're going to rebuild their lives, post-by-post, pillar-by-pillar. And it's a metaphor for how we built this country, and they want to see it happen. People want to see a good story."

---

To see related Planet Green webisodes, click here and here.

[ndg1979]

This article just continues to demonstrate what we as Americans can accomplish when we work together. Want to change something for the better? Work together. And not one of you should feel obsolete or unimportant for this one simple reason - ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Believe it or not, that phrase was the premise behind my favorite television show from the mid 1980''s - Knight Rider. In the case of the show, "man" was used in place of "person" since the show was about a man and his talking car.

I offer my congratulations to the people of Greensburg for working so hard on something that you will all be proud of, and to the naysayers or anyone who doubts any part of what they are doing - this is a moron free country, and you are not allowed in it.

[downsteamjim]

Sadly missing in the article is how much will it cost.

[kansan6]

Maiingan, if you want to talk about ignorance, I suggest you take a look in the mirror first.

I''ve read your past comments about how you have some miracle formula that will make a building impervious to tornadic storms, and I''ve read your whining about Greensburg "ignoring" you. To me, your statements illustrate you do not understand the fundamentals of how tornadic storm damage occurs. Sure, you can make a structure that won''t blow over in 200 mph winds. But what actually damages structures isn''t the wind; it''s all the stuff blowing in the wind - glass, nails, framing, cars, combines, etc. What''s your plan for thwarting the flying farm equipment?

[maiingan]

This article is seriously ignorant! First, the Greensburg tornado was an EF5, the fist to use the new EF system. While it''s not incorrect by the old system to call it an F5, use of the wrong label shows ignorance. Also, I know for a fact that the new building code does not require wind resistance beyond a 3-second 90mph gust (barely an EF1 tornado); nor FEMA 320 "safe rooms" in every building. Dear "nmlost" - that''s the truth. I''ve defined "greenwashing" as the attempt to promote "green building" (good in itself) as rendering some other feature asked about - in this case, tornado-resistance - not needed. Don''t believe what they might say about cost of tornado resistance. I told them everything they need to get started last year, and they''re ignoring it. Media are being bamboozled, but also refuse to do "investigative reporting" on this topic.

[NMlost]

Please tell me that tornado shelters are going to be an integral part of homes and businesses in Greensburgh!

[clevercandi]

Way to go green, Greensburg.

Maybe you should go to New Orleans and teach them how to persevere.