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Following the green, sustainably designed road to Greensburg, Kansas

Posted by: Helen Walters on January 02

2007 wasn’t a great year for residents of Greensburg, Kansas. In May, a tornado swept through the city and near enough flattened 90% of the town. But here’s a forward-thinking way to turn a horrible reality into a positive: Greensburg City Council has adopted a resolution specifying that all city buildings greater than 4,000 square feet must be certified LEED Platinum. That’s the highest possible rating in the US Green Building Council’s sustainable architecture program, and it’s a big deal. The planners aren’t looking to rebuild the past, but instead are striving to build a bright green future of which they can be rightly proud. Only six buildings in the entire state of Kansas have any kind of LEED certification right now, and this tiny rural community is the first city in the U.S. to pass such a resolution. Bravo.

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What comes next? The BusinessWeek Innovation and Design team of Michael Arndt, Jay Greene , Reena Jana, Damian Joseph,  Jessie Scanlon, and Helen Walters chronicle new tools for creativity and collaboration, innovation case studies in both the corporate and social sectors, and the new ideas that have the power to change the way things have always been done.

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