“We didn’t have control over whether or not a tornado came here, but we did have control over how we reacted to it.”

In spring of 2007, a series of deadly storms devastated the Midwest. It was the most intense tornado season the region had seen in 50 years and the city of Greensburg, Kansas saw the worst of it. In a matter of minutes, hundreds of families were made homeless. After the skies cleared, Greensburg residents emerged from their tornado shelters to a grim new landscape: 95 percent of the buildings in the town were just rubble.

Having experienced the devastation of extreme weather and environmental disaster firsthand, residents of Greensburg were prepared to take immediate action. When it came time to rebuild, Mayor Bob Dixson prioritized sustainability. The tornado “gave us the opportunity to look at how we could be sustainable for future generations,” he said, and set his sights on building a green community from the ground up.

He – and the rest of Greensburg – were as good as his word. Integrating sustainability into almost every aspect of daily life, Greensburg became the first city in America to use LED light bulbs to power its streetlights. City architects designed new municipal buildings to achieve the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) designation for energy efficiency. Skylights and south-facing building orientations maximized the power of natural daylight and reduced the need to use electric lighting and heating. In fact, Greensburg now has more LEED Platinum buildings – the council’s highest and most stringent standard – per capita than anywhere in the world, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in energy costs.

But the greening of Greensburg didn’t stop with energy conservation. Within a few short years, 100 percent of the electricity used in Greensburg came from renewable sources, thanks to the Greensburg Wind Farm, which produces 12.5 MW of electricity – enough to power every house, business, and government building in the town.

Today, wind power is the very foundation of Greensburg’s economy, an irony not lost on the town’s citizens. “The very wind that destroyed this town in the tornado is now the wind we’re utilizing to power the town,” says Mayor Dixson. “We didn’t have control over whether or not a tornado came here but we did have control over how we reacted to it.” The city of Greensburg came together to redefine what it means to be a community, with residents recognizing their responsibility to take care of one another and people all over the globe.

To Mayor Dixson, sustainability is “about leaving the world a better place for future generations, but it’s gotta start in our local communities. If we each change our habits, we can change the world.” Or to put it another way, climate change may be a global challenge, but individual actions can make a huge difference.

IT’S CLEAR: TIMES ARE CHANGING

Greensburg, Kansas has done a great job of leading the global energy transition, and proves that the rest of America can go renewable right now.

Last year, as part of the Clean Power Plan’s final rule, the EPA started a new program known as the Clean Energy Incentive Program (CEIP), which helps states to reduce carbon pollution by encouraging early investments in zero-emitting renewable energy generation.

Until September 2, the EPA is collecting public comments on the CEIP – and you can help.

Add your name here to support the CEIP and help ensure the US stays a leader in clean energy – for the health of Americans, our future, and our planet.