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Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

A Fresh Start

Spanish Translation

On May 4, 2007, a powerful tornado hit Greensburg, Kansas. Marvin George, a pastor at the Baptist church, found shelter in a closet. "I wasn't scared until the next morning," he says. That's when he saw the damage.

The twister left hardly any walls standing. At the start of the school year, 80% of Greensburg's students were still homeless. "The first day of school was the first time some kids saw their classmates again," Darin Headrick, Greensburg's schools superintendent, told TFK. "But the normalcy of school is good for healing."

And healing is just what Greensburg's citizens are doing. They have also been planning, planting and building. They want to make a model community with homes and offices that are greener, or better for the earth. The town will use less energy and produce less waste. "This is an amazing opportunity," says businessman Daniel Wallach. "It could demonstrate to the world what a town of the future could look like."

The Greenest

In early January, Greensburg approved a building plan. All the public buildings will meet the highest levels of energy and environmental design standards. The new houses will use up to 50% less energy than the old homes. The changes will also save people money as fuel prices rise.

Hundreds of the town's citizens worked on the plan. Kids are helping too. "You'll see kids at every meeting, sitting at the table," says Headrick. This month, the town's high school students planted 65 trees.

Today, Greensburg is living up to the "green" in its name. Its mayor, John Janssen, promises, "We're going to be one of the greenest towns in the world."

Next: Trouble in the Amazon