CHAPTER 1 Going Green On May 4 2007 a tornado swept through Greensburg Kansas destroying 90 percent of the town’s buildings Roofs were torn from homes Fierce winds ripped trees out of the ground and threw them through walls Bricks and other rubble dotted the streets This tornado is still one of the strongest on record It left 1,400 people homeless Greensburg lay in ruin The community decided to rebuild in a new way Today close to 10 years after the tornado Greensburg has been reborn into a totally green town with many LEED-certified buildings LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design It became the first city in the United States to use all LED light-emitting diode streetlights LED lights use energy in a more efficient way And most importantly 4 21st century skills library
Solar panels are one way to make a building greener Photo Caption all the electricity used in the city is produced by the wind which means it is 100 percent renewable LEED-certified buildings use less energy and less water They are built with sustainable and recycled materials whenever possible There are many reasons to be interested in green buildings According to the Green Building Council buildings commercial and public buildings and homes use around 40 percent of the country’s energy Green buildings greatly reduce energy consumption and water use This saves natural resources C O O L V O C AT I O N A L C A R E E R S 5
Since the tornado Greensburg has remodeled many of its buildings 6 21st century skills library
The people of Greensburg now live in homes built by green contractors The well-insulated homes cost less to heat and to cool They are made of recycled wood Lawns are filled with native plants instead of grass These plants are adapted to the environment and require less water than traditional grass Green contractors installed Energy Star rated appliances to help save gas and electricity This means the appliances use much less energy than the limit given by the government Life and Career Skills The Green Schools Alliance is an international organization that encourages schools all over the world to go as green as pos sible It teaches schools how to use less energy and water as well as how to connect more with nature The alliance includes more than 3,000 schools in over 37 different countries Do you want your school to join Check out greenschoolsalliance org for more information C O O L V O C AT I O N A L C A R E E R S 7
