The Australian company donated 200 of its dual-flush toilets to Greensburg, Kan., as it rebuilds after the damage of a catastrophic tornado swept it away nearly a year ago.

Caroma USA is helping Greensburg, Kan., on its quest to be the greenest town in America. The Australian company donated 200 of its dual-flush toilets to the town as it rebuilds after the damage of a catastrophic tornado swept it away nearly a year ago.

With 95 percent of the town destroyed, residents and officials decided to rebuild potentially as the greenest town in the country.

Derek Kirkpatrick, North American manager for Caroma, said, “It has been inspiring to see how the residents pulled together toward a common goal and found a calling in the face of disaster.  We are honored to have the chance to help them rebuild their community and show the need for sustainable building practices that will have a long-term benefit for their residents.”

Daniel Wallach, founders of Greensburg GreenTown, a non-profit organization that provides residents with information, support and resources to build green, says Caroma’s donation was significant. 

“Thanks to Caroma for being the first large-scale donor of construction materials for Greensburg residents. When companies saw that Caroma had jumped on board to help, we started getting calls from others wanting to assist. It also made our residents realize this plan was really going to happen.”

John Janssen, mayor of Greensburg, was one of the first to receive a high efficiency, dual-flush donated by Caroma. His home was among those destroyed by the F6 tornado. The rest of the fixtures will initially be installed in lodging, demonstration homes and city offices. GreenTown is devising a distribution plan for residents ready to rebuild their homes. 

Commercial businesses also are participating in building green. Among the businesses that will be installing the Caroma product in their rebuilt facilities are the local GM and John Deere dealerships.

Caroma’s dual flush fixtures reduce water consumption by as much as 67 percent over federally mandated fixtures, saving as much as 7,000 gallons of water per year over the currently mandated single lever fixtures ― even more if the toilet was installed before 1994.

For more information about the donation, visit www.greensburggreentown.org.