In a fire lasting from October 8th to October 10th, 1871, Chicago suffered one of the greatest disasters of the 19th century but the city built back with a vengeance.  Rubble from the fire was pushed toward the lake front and now sits under areas beyond the sidewalk of Michigan Avenue and under such landmarks as the Art Institute of Chicago.

By comparison, Greensburg, Kansas was leveled on May 4th, 2007 by a powerful tornado that all but shattered hopes of residents of ever building the city back to its previous state.  Instead of just picking things up and moving on, Greensburg has become a one-of-a-kind city where a chance was given to go completely green.

Greensburg is now building back homes that once stood, but LEED Gold certification is now the norm for such construction.  All new city buildings, for example, are required to meet LEED Platinum certifcation and businesses are making a go of the 'green' lifestyle changes as well.  Google is considering placing a wind-powered data center in Greensburg.

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