The sky flashed maliciously onto the rushing black billows of dust and debris. You see tornados on television and they look bad—uncontrollable, destructive masses that threaten lives and homes. This was more than bad. The whirling body measured an estimated 1.7 miles in width, larger than that of the entire city of Greensburg, Kansas; it smashed through 95% of the town, completely demolishing it, classifying the storm as a EF5 maximum damage tornado.

It was the evening of May 4, 2007 when the tornado struck Greensburg. After the disaster, 150 residents met to decide what would become of the small, rural town. They concluded that if they rebuild, they should do something great: something that would make people want to stay.  That’s when the city decided to go green, not for environmental reasons, but because the residents needed to save money after the storm. Greensburg became the first city to pass a resolution requiring all structures to be built to LEED platinum standards.

Since the tornado, the town has undergone awe-inspiring changes. New houses are constructed in a sturdier, more sustainable shape, special insulation has been added to buildings, wind turbines and rainwater ponds scatter the town. Smaller changes are also present such as low-flow showerheads and improved recycling habits by residents. Although the movement began as a financial solution, citizens became accustomed to living a highly sustainable lifestyle, and came to realize that it is not difficult to be green.

How environmentally friendly we are is largely determined by community. We measure our lives side-by-side to those surrounding us, considering their habits the norm. In normal cases, individual choices may fault vaguely in one direction or the other, but we tend to limit our stray from the life patterns of family and friends.

In Greensburg, necessity caused the entire city to become more energy efficient. As a community, the residents supported each other in implementing changes, leading the residents to live more comfortable, rewarding lives. However, there is no need to wait around for a disaster. The key is to first inspect our own personal conventions. Once the individual figure outs what he can do to improve his life and the environment, by sharing these ideas with others, a community can do something phenomenal.