SILVER SPRING, Md., April 25 /PRNewswire/ -- In May 2007, Greensburg, Kansas was leveled by one of the largest tornados in U.S. history. Very few structures remained in the aftermath of the deadly EF5 tornado, and the town lost everything. Inspired by the desire of the townspeople to rebuild 'green,' Planet Green is chronicling the rebuilding of Greensburg into an environment- conscious town. The epic docu-series is a mixture of compelling human stories and amazing feats of green building and engineering that will give the people of Greensburg a new home and a new town built for the future. GREENSBURG will premiere on Planet Green on Sunday, June 15 at 9:00 PM ET/PT and will air every Sunday for 12 additional weeks.
With more than 1,500 people displaced by the tornado and waiting to return to their homes, the series will document the story of a community coming together and the enormous scope of greening a small city from climate impact to architecture, building and design to the personal stories of those impacted by the disaster. "We're starting from the beginning," said Steve Hewitt, Greensburg's city planner. "We're creating a town and building it energy effectively and rebuilding it green."
"The chance to rebuild Greensburg as an eco-friendly community is a model for the communities throughout the U.S. and throughout the world," said executive producer Leonardo DiCaprio. Fueled by their ambitious goal to create a green community and by experts and leaders such as visionary John Picard, one of the preeminent energy, technology, telecommunications and real estate infrastructure advisors in North America and Asia, the people of Greensburg each have their own personal and compelling stories through which the overall story of the rebuilding of Greensburg will be told.
From the high school principal's commitment to make the school green and sustainable to the single mother trying to support her children, and who is now uncertain about their housing situation, viewers will see the aftermath of the destruction and the deep faith and commitment to Greensburg that keeps the townspeople rooted there.
Planet Green will tell the compelling story of Greensburg in a 13-part series. Greensburg is also the subject of featured programming on the Discovery Communications, Inc. sister networks Discovery Channel, Science Channel and TLC.
Craig Piligian's production company, Pilgrim Films and Television, Inc, executive produced the series with Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way for Planet Green. Timothy Kuryak is executive producer for Planet Green.
Planet Green is Discovery Communications' global, cross-company initiative with a commitment to document, preserve and celebrate the planet, including the 24-hour television network in more than 50 million homes. Planet Green speaks to people who want to understand green living and to those who truly want to make a difference by providing tools and information to meet the critical challenge of protecting our environment.
About Discovery Communications:
Discovery Communications is the number-one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Through TV and digital media, Discovery's 100-plus worldwide networks include Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, The Science Channel, Discovery Health and Discovery HD Theater. Discovery Communications is owned by Discovery Holding Co. , Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, Discovery's founder and chairman. For more information please visit http://www.discoverycommunications.com/.
