H2O--Stronger, Better, Greener Traditional Cache
Alpine Reviewer: As I have not received an update from the cache owner, I am archiving this cache to keep it from continually showing up in search lists, and to prevent it from blocking other cache placements. If you (the cache owner) wish to repair/replace the cache sometime in the future, please contact me, and assuming it meets the guidelines, I will be happy to unarchive it.
Alpine Reviewer
Volunteer Geocache Reviewer
H2O--Stronger, Better, Greener
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A small lock n lock hidden near one of Kansas' eight wonders. A log book and a few small swag items.
On May 4, 2007, Greensburg Kansas suffered a direct hit from an EF5 tornado, the first time that rating was used. 95% of the town was destroyed, and 11 lives were lost. The old water tower that sat next to the Big Well was reduced to a metal heap. All but one building downtown was destroyed, as was the school, hospital and emergency services.
The town could have died. But the people of Greensburg united around the vision to not only rebuild, but to rebuild as a national model of eco-friendly building practices and "green" living. They decided that all new city buildings should meet LEED Plantinum standards, (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) the highest level of sustainable building practices around. The can now boast of several LEED Plantinum buildings, and the 547 Art Center just north of this cache was the first one in Kansas. They have more LEED Platinum buildings in the works than New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles combined! The hospital, school, Praire Point townhomes, the John Deere dealership, the 547 Art Center, City Hall, Sun Chips Business Incubator, Dwane Shank Motors (GMC Dealership) are all either LEED Platinum certified or will be upon completion. The renovated Kiowa Courthouse is certified LEED Gold.
Greensburg Greentown is a non-profit organization committed to helping people learn about sustainable building practices and "green" living. They have a walking tour of some of the LEED Platinum buildings, as well as a series of 10 eco-friendly homes in the works. Just diagonal from the cache is the Silo Eco-home, a reinforced concrete cylindrical home that can withstand tornadic wind forces. We worked in this home, installing toilets and other plumbing work. You can visit this home by taking a tour. Soon the home will be a bed and breakfast downstairs, with the Greentown offices upstairs. A spiral staircase from the second floor veranda will take you to the roof, which has been planted with a garden. When the home was first formed, they took a old Ford Escort, craned it up 60 feet above the roof and dropped it. The house sustained absolutely no damage, but the car wasn't in such hot shape!
When we were down in Greensburg helping them rebuild we found that this cache had gone with the tornado and not been replaced. Amazingly, there was a spot to hide a cache at almost the exact same location, coords-wise, and even the hint worked. So we decided to go ahead and replace it. We hope you will take time to learn about Greensburg and all they are doing. This wonderful town is like no other, and the people are just amazing.
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