By Edie Hall, Hutchinson News

Daniel Wallach says that rebuilding Greensburg as the greenest city in America is a "marathon, not a sprint."

Still, it might feel like the green initiative is moving at break-neck speed as sustainable buildings and homes continue to come out of the ground, eco-tourism projects are launched and the green industry comes knocking on Greensburg's door.

"There are a lot of exciting things happening," said Wallach, executive director of Greensburg GreenTown, a nonprofit organization purposed with spearheading green initiatives in Greensburg.

For example, the Kiowa County Courthouse is undergoing renovations and is on track to become at least LEED Gold certified, which would make it one of the greenest historical buildings in the country.

Also, city leaders are wrapping up plans on a community energy plan and are poised to make an announcement soon. Wallach expects the announcement to stay true to a past commitment to power the city on 100 percent renewable energy.

Perhaps the biggest news for the town is that California-based Extreme Homes is considering building a factory in Greensburg.

The company builds off-site, highly sustainable homes and delivers them to clients. Extreme Homes believes a central location will allow it to deliver its homes to a larger portion of the United States and is looking initially at a coverage area of up to 400 miles from Greensburg, Wallach said.

Extreme Homes is considering purchasing about 50 acres of the former airport land, which the city wants to develop as an industrial park.

Wallach said the company is still working on financing issues, but that discussions are "well down the road."

"It's an amazingly good fit because they build extremely sustainable homes," Wallach said. "They are custom-designed, so we're not talking about cookie-cutter homes."

A line of "Eco Homes" is being designed to model the best sustainable building and design techniques. The homes will double as a living science museum and lodging for residents and visitors.

When completed, the eco homes will be the centerpiece to Greensburg's eco tourism concept, allowing visitors to stay the night in a truly green home.

The project is gaining momentum with two graduates of Washington University in St. Louis agreeing to move to Greensburg for two years to oversee work. Also, Kansas State University architecture students will work with Extreme Homes to design one of the eco homes.