The US Department of Energy has recently published its Rebuilding After Disaster: Going Green from the Ground Up report – a document which brings to mind the words of Theodore Roosevelt: “The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased, and not impaired, in value”. Here, PES publishes an extract from the document, which is essential reading for all of us in the industry who want to see the green message spread throughout all corners of North America.
Information in the guide is based on the real-life experiences of two US Department of Energy (DOE) teams. One team worked with city leaders in New Orleans, Louisiana, after hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, while the other assisted community leaders in Greensburg, Kansas, after a devastating tornado in 2007. Although the two communities are quite different, the teams learned common lessons and found that the reasons for going green from the ground up are compelling
One way to rebuild devastated communities like New Orleans and Greensburg is by redefining them as models of sustainability. This means reducing energy use, using energy more efficiently, incorporating more renewable energy, and much more. That’s what Greensburg did. It’s also happening in parts of New Orleans.
