The Field Museum of Chicago recently opened an exhibit this past spring called “Nature Unleashed: Inside Natural Disasters.” It explains how the tornado in Greensburg happened and offers ideas for protecting yourself in such an event.

Twelve persons died in or near Greensburg, and 95 percent of the town’s structures were destroyed by the May 4, 2007, storm, whose winds reached 200 mph.

The exhibit, which runs through Jan. 4, 2009, includes large photos showing the aftermath of the tornado and artifacts from the south-central Kansas town that bear witness to the force of the EF-5 tornado:

•A stop sign, bent around a sign post.

•A tree stump stripped of its bark.

•A piece of bent metal embedded in a block of wood.

Besides the section on tornadoes, the exhibit also explores hurricanes, earthquakes and volcanoes.

I found the posting below on a site called Decatur Metro, which happens to be where I currently live.

Anyway, it seems that our friends down in Greensburg, Kansas aren’t the only ones building green.

I’m not sure if this home that is being built is apart of the Renovation Nation series, or just something to be shown on Planet Green, but according to Decatur Metro episodes are set to air on the channel regarding the “green” home that is being built in a neighborhood in decatur called Oakhurst. The home also has a blog which can be accessed by clicking here and you can also view pics from the AJC, which is the local Atlanta newspaper by clicking here.

[photo courtesy of the AJC]

So the premier of Discovery Networks Planet Greencame and went and I did my due diligence by attempting to watch all the shows that premiered during this first week. Overall, I liked the channel and for a green newbie such as myself it really helped to give me some insights and fill in all the gaps for me.

Renovation Nation premiered, which is hosted by Steve Thomas of “This Old House”.

Alter Eco also premiered, and though I thought I was going to like this alot, I think I need a few more episodes to convince me. It seemed very scripted and Adrian’s “celebrity” friends just did not convince me. They seemed to just be doing the show because of him and not because of their interest in being green.

And of course the most anticipated for me was Greensburg. Just the sheer magnificence of the project will keep me watching.

Watch clips below of Alter Eco, Renovation Nation and Hollywood Green.
Alter Eco

Renovation Nation

Hollywood Green

Planet Green’s new hit show, Greensburg premiered on the channel on Sunday, June 15th at 9PM ET/PT.

The 13-part documentary series follows the rebirth of the town that was hit by the EF5 tornado back in May 2007.

Check out the upcoming episode guide below to learn more about how the residents of Greensburg, Kansas are rebuilding.

Episode 1 
Premiered, Sunday, June 15th, 9PM ET/PT
Meet the town people of Greensburg and hear from them how they survived one of the worsts tornadoes in United States history. 

Episode 2
Premiered: Sunday, June 15th at 10PM ET/PT
After coming back to the town 4 months later they have nothing to come home to. No homes and no connects. Watch as the residents boosts their spirits with a homecoming parade and football game.

Episode 3
Premiered: Sunday, June 22nd at 9PM ET/PT
Rebuilding is not going a quickly as the townspeople expected and to top that off money and materials are scarce.

Episode 4
Premieres: Sunday, June 29th, at 9PM ET/PT
Its Christmas in Greensburg and an ice storm has swept over the town, which has now halted the rebuilding efforts. The obstacles just keep coming one after the other.

Watch the video below as Jeff Gordon and Habitat for Humanity and Dupont help to rebuild homes in Greensburg.

Image Credit: Steve St. John - A graduate student from University of Kansas puts up a recycling cube.

According to cnn.com, 2008 could set the record of greatest number of tornado deaths. By May 30th, 2008, the death tolls from tornadoes had already reached 110, while in previous years the average had been about 62. Since the Weather Service began organized record-keeping in 1950, the deadliest year was 1953, with 519 deaths.

The most lethal single tornado of all was even earlier, in the era when record-keeping was spotty: the Tri-State Tornado of 1925, which killed 695 people as it roared more than 200 miles across Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.

Check out the following link to donate to the Greensburg GreenTown Charity which is a nonprofit organization that has been established to provide the residents of Greensburg, Kansas with a variety of resources and support services.

As I’ve mentioned before, Greensburg will air on Planet Green beginning June 15th and will have a total of 13 episodes to fill the season.

After much debate and several postings, thanks to Gellar and Ed we have found out that the Greensburg Theme Song is ‘To Build a Home” by the Cinematic Orchestra. On May 14th I posted info about the new show on Planet Green called Greensburg. The show is about the rebuilding efforts that are taking place in Greensburg, Kansas after the tornado devastation in 2007.

The Cinematic Orchestra is a British-based jazz and electronic group that was created in the 1990s. The song, ‘To Build a Home” is from their Ma Fleur album and was used on the September 27, 2007 episode of Grey’s Anatomyas well as “Children of the Dark” episode of CBS’s Criminal Minds which aired back on October 17, 2007 and the November 2nd, 2007 “Let’s Get it On” episode of NBC’s Friday Night Lights.

On May 14th I posted info about the new show on Planet Green called Greensburg. The show is about the rebuilding efforts that are taking place in Greensburg, Kansas after the tornado devastation in 2007.

Dave was kind enough to post a comment about the song playing in the commercial for the show. I haven’t gotten a chance to see the show yet but my sources are telling me that the song is “Anyway” by Martina McBride. Here is the video below. If you could listen and let me know if this is the song playing in the commercial.

Back in May 2007 the town of Greensburg, located in Kansas was leveled by one of the largest tornadoes in United States history.

The tornado was an EF5 and very few structures remained in this town. More than 1,500 people were displaced and were waiting to be placed into homes.

Discovery Networks has been very inspired by the passion of the town and its residents insistence on rebuilding. Planet Green, one of the newest networks under the Discovery umbrella, will chronicle the rebuilding of the town as an environment conscious town with the new series Greensburg.

The eco-friendly series is executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio. He believes that the “chance to rebuild Greensburg as an eco-friendly community is a model for communities throughout the US and the world.”

The story of Greensburg will be told in a 13-part series and will premier on June 15th.

Image Source: Steven St. John - Greensburg Residents