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This just in from Dan Chiras, author of The Homeowner's Guide to Renewable Energy and EcoKids, and co-author of The Natural Plaster Book and Superbia!:

NSP Author/Green Building Expert Dan Chiras Leads Design-Build Team to Rebuild Greensburg, Kansas

On January 14, 2008, author and green building expert Dan Chiras led a team of green home designers and builders from Denver, Colorado to meet with residents of Greensburg, Kansas to discuss ways they can assist in the green rebuilding of the town.

Greensburg, Kansas, a community of 1,000 people, was nearly completely destroyed on May 4, 2007 by one of the most powerful tornados ever witnessed in the United States -- one of the consequences of global climate change.

"The tornado leveled 95% of the buildings and killed ten residents in this small community in the western part of the state," Chiras noted. "Homes, businesses, schools, and churches were demolished by the storm. The devastation is almost unimaginable."

Soon after the tragedy, though, the town's citizens rallied behind the idea of rebuilding the town green, creating the nation's first green town. Their vision calls energy-efficient buildings powered by renewable energy, including wind and solar energy, both of which are abundant in the sunny wind-swept plains of western Kansas.

A brief blogging break turned into a week's hiatus while New Society's website was migrated to a zippy new server - now our page loads (which were previously happening at the speed of erosion) are as fast as the blink of an eye! We hope this will make the site more user-friendly for everyone - I know it's already making a huge difference in my …

Via Cecile Andrews blog...

The American Booksellers Association has recently updated their "Shop Local Notable Titles" list. The list honors "informative titles on the importance of building and strengthening a vibrant local economy" and includes four (that's right four!) New Society titles: Slow is Beautiful by Cecile Andrews, The New Village …

OK, I admit it, today's blog post is really just an effort to justify the 20 minutes I just wasted invested in ElectroCity - a fascinating online game that lets players manage their own virtual towns and cities in order to learn about energy, sustainability and environmental management. The game comes complete with teacher resources and online …

Put your community on a low carbon diet! The Empowerment Institute is mobilizing communities to take action against climate change through its Cool America campaign. Make this year a turning point. For more information listen to "A Practical and Accessible Strategy on Global Warming" airing on radio stations worldwide between January 23 - 29 and …