Greensburg GreenTown

In all of the excitement of the move, I realized I never said too much about the project/town. Please check out the website for the most eloquent explanation of what GreenTown is all about.

http://www.greensburggreentown.org/

Additionally, my drive with my mom out to Greensburg starts in exactly 3 weeks (August 20th), so there are sure to be some updates about that adventure. Then, after the long-awaited mother-daughter road trip, Mama Schwartz will fly back to the Golden State, I will begin my much anticipated year in the windy and uncharted Sunflower State.

But for now, check out the site. 

Rewind

Before I jump too far into the Kansas experience, there is some serious prep work that needs to happen. At this current second in time, I am taking a break from packing up my Davis life--meaning I'm lying on my stomach in bed, head barricaded in a pillow, avoiding all packing responsibilities--to let my brain spill out a little. In the midst of this packing ordeal, my brain starts to shoot off in tangents, and I realize the seriousness of some of the lifestyle changes I will be facing. And, given the current setting, my mind is geared in a more materialistic state of thought. I think about how I am going to have to carefully select what items comes with me to the center state. Is it terrible that I ask myself, "Well, Jana, IF a tornado were to happen, what would you be okay losing?"...as a way sifting through items (mostly concerning shoes). Needless, then I ask, "What if a tornado DOES happen?" To a Californian, earthquakes are chump change. But tornadoes...tornadoes are the real deal. I mean, I've seen Superman, I know of the overpass being a safe place for protection. But there are definitely no overpasses in Greensburg...and I'm pretty sure there aren't any Clark Kents either, unfortunately. I know I am going into a tornado hot-spot, but damn, that's scary! But finally, my thought goes full circle, and I think, "But thank God for tornadoes." Without the tornadoes, Greensburg would still be a freckle on the globe, unknown to the outside-of-Kansas world, and I would not have the chance to help and be a part of such a powerful and significant project. Tornadoes are dangerous, cause tragedy, and are one of the strongest forces Mother Nature conjures up. However, they have provided Greensburg, and myself, the unique opportunity to start over, create a sustainable community model, and remember that Mother Nature is one tough lady. So to that, I say, "Whisk away, tornadoes, whisk away."

How it all started

Soaking up my new surroundings in Greensburg, Kansas

My name is Jana, and I am a recent graduate of the UC Davis Landscape Architecture Department in Davis, California. With the assistance of one of my professors, persistent emails, and a site visit (shown above), I have been given the opportunity to work in Greensburg, Kansas with the GreenTown organization and AmeriCorps. I am able to be a part of the rebuild process of a town that was flattened in 2007 due to a tornado, and has now chosen to revive itself and become a model for innovative and sustainable city development. My job will last 1 year, and in this time, I hope to learn more about myself, my design philosophy, and the reality of living in a totally new environment. I will dive into this new culture, where I am sure to face challenges of various sorts, but learn from every experience. Job details, tales of adjustment, and many, many photos, are still to come, so please stay tuned, this journey will begin shortly.