In 1979, President Carter installed a solar water heater on the roof of the White House, which Reagan removed in 1986. Ironically, it was George W. Bush – much maligned by environmentalists – who brought solar power back to the presidential home with a grid of photovoltaic cells. (NEWSCOM / FILE)
Obama plans to ‘green’ the White House
By Eoin O'Carroll | 12.01.08
President-elect Barack Obama says that he plans to make the White House more environmentally friendly to set an example for other Americans.
Barbara Walters, who interviewed the president-elect and his wife, Michelle Obama, for an ABC special that aired Wednesday night, asked if Americans should be expected to make any sacrifices in light of the financial crisis. Here’s how the exchange went:
Barbara Walters: Are there sacrifices that Americans as individuals can do?
Barack Obama: Yes. The first thing, I think, is for the American people to draw on that reservoir of confidence and stick-to-it-ness and perseverance that my grandparents had during much tougher times during the Great Depression. The second thing: Each of us have a role to play in not being wasteful when it comes to energy. For us to turn off the lights when we leave the house, to make sure that we’re unplugging the chargers that we use on our cell phones.
Walters: You talk about light bulbs and so forth. When you’re in the White House, are you going to green the White House? Are you going to turn off the light bulbs, tell the kids to turn the - you know?
Obama: Absolutely. One of the things I want to do is, is to – I’ve already met the chief usher there, a wonderful man, a former Admiral of the Coast Guard, and one of the things I want to do is to sit down with him and, let’s do an evaluation. How are we using energy in the White House? Part of what I want to do is to show the American people that it’s not that hard.
Walters: Are you going to tiptoe around at night and turn out the lights?
Obama: Well, you know, I’m not going to be obsessive about it. But I do that in my current house. So there’s no reason why I wouldn’t do it in my next one.
The most notable instance of a presidential attempt to reduce the 132-room building’s energy use occurred in June 1979, when President Jimmy Carter had a $28,000 solar water heater installed on the roof of the West Wing. The panels lasted seven years, until Ronald Reagan, in an act seen by many as a synechdoche for President Reagan’s renewable energy policies, had them taken down during roof repairs and mothballed in a Virginia warehouse.
But other presidents have picked up where Carter left off. On Earth Day, 1993, President Bill Clinton announced a plan for a comprehensive energy audit of the 200-year old building. Like Carter, President Clinton hoped to set an example:
“For as long as I live in the White House, I want Americans to see it not only as a symbol of clean government, but also a clean environment. We’re going to identify what it takes to make the White House a model for efficiency and waste reduction, and then we’re going to get the job done. . . Before I can ask you to do the best you can in your house, I ought to make sure I’m doing the best I can in my house.”
This quotation is from the Greening the White House report [PDF] that Clinton commissioned. The report, which was prepared by the Rocky Mountain Institute, a sustainability think tank identified a number of improvements – from modifying skylights to provide more natural light to upgrading the HVAC systems to installing more efficient windows – that could reduce the building’s resource consumption by 50 percent, all without disturbing the Clintons or their cat, Socks.
It’s not clear how many of these upgrades were actually implemented under Clinton, but President Bush continued with his predecessor’s initiative.
In 2002, a grid of 167 solar photovoltaic panels were installed on the roof, as well as a solar water-heating system designed on the same principles as the one Carter had installed. In 2007, an NBC reporter noted that the White House featured energy efficient lighting, low-flush toilets, smart lawn sprinklers, improved insulation, and fuel-efficient minivans.
The White House has often served as a showcase for innovations that subsequently became widespread. Examples include an indoor water closet installed by Thomas Jefferson, a central heating system installed by Martin van Buren, electric lights installed by Benjamin Harrison, and an elevator installed by Chester A. Arthur.
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2. Olivia | 12.01.08
I see your point, Mike. However, may I say that one of the biggest, best ways that the Obamas can “green” their new house and that we can “green” our homes actually costs nothing. We can all slow down (and stop) our consumption of flesh. The domino effect — on water and land pollution, on land and food prices, on human physical and mental health, on rich and poor nations’ economies — that comes from NOT raising animals for food is mind-boggling to contemplate.
Hmmmm, can you picture a State dinner at the White House that features Tofurky, Celebration Roast, and Fakin’ Bacon? I think the new White House residents and their guests would find such green (and cruelty-free) diets delicious!
3. TIMOTHY COLMAN | 12.01.08
I am going to design a green White House poster to get ideas on paper for the Obama move from Grey to Green Living.
Elements for the White House I imagine will include the recommendations for a green boot camp training for all staff, and continuous improvement efforts that get measured every year on how people are changing the way the White House works inside and out. See your Rocky Mountain Institute link for details on the process there.
My main interest is to develop a landscape that includes the White House roof, and making better use of the current lawn– including an organic garden (author Michael Pollan recommended this) which is tied into work by low income and food bank organizations to cultivate, grow, sell and distribute food.
In addition to illustrating a green roof, organic farming area, I want to see permeable pavers, permeable pavement used in the walk ways around the White House, and Rain Gardens designed to help filter water and keep the Chesapeake Bay cleaner.
There are a number of low impact development applications such as rain barrels, cisterns, french drains, and special gutters that would green up the White House.
Stay tuned. We should have a rough sketch up of the proposed Green White House by mid December.
LEED certification would be the natural step for Barack and Michelle as they work on changing the inside of the White House.
The point of this whole exercise should be to inspire, educate and teach all Americans the great value in ecosystem services we can design into all our homes.
I welcome ideas and other elements you would like to see in this “Green White House” design .
Best fishes,
TImothy Colman, publisher
Good Nature Publishihng
Seattle
4. Ian | 12.02.08
The solar pannels that Carter had installed are not “mothballed in a Vergina warehouse,” they were donated to Unity College in Maine.
5. RJ in NY | 12.02.08
I think it’s great that President Elect Obama is getting on the “Green Bandwagon”. Maybe he should consult with President Bush as his house in Crawford, Texas is off the grid. The Texas ranch is heated and cooled geothermally, has solar power, stores and uses rain water, etc. And to think that someone in Tennessee who received a Nobel, has a house that costs $2400 monthly for utilities.
6. Rob | 12.02.08
Mike,
This isn’t comprehensive, but here’s a quick list of energy-saving tips I got from the Delta Institute’s newsletter:
Use a programmable thermostat.
Use compact fluorescent or LED light bulbs.
Put Hi-Fi Components on a Power Strip.
Weatherize Your Existing Home.
• Make sure your heating and safety systems are well maintained before weatherizing.
• Hire a contractor that specializes in weatherization. Replace windows and doors.
•
When Purchasing New Appliances, Always Purchase High Efficiency Energy Star Certified Appliances.
Lower/Raise Your Thermostat When You Leave Town.
Save Water, Save Energy.
Identifying which electrical devices consume electricity while off and putting them on a switched power strip will help you save energy.
I’ve also been reading that the single best thing you can do to make your home more efficient is to make sure it is properly insulated.
Finally, I don’t have any links handy, but there are subsidies and tax breaks for solar panels and the like, both state and federal. For the tax breaks you could talk to your accountant (if you have one).
7. RJ in NY | 12.02.08
I think it’s great that President Elect Obama is getting on the “Green Bandwagon”. Maybe he should consult with President Bush as his house in Crawford, Texas is off the grid. The Texas ranch is heated and cooled geothermally, has solar power, stores and uses rain water, etc.
8. Matt D. | 12.02.08
Come on Olivia!
Vegetarianism does not equal green. When fringe elements of the green movement try to use it debate other issues it really does the movement a disservice. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a meat eater and wanting to create a more environmentally friendly world. If you want to bring diet into the green discussion, I would argue that buying locally is a green issue. This comes from the fact that transporting food across the country has an actual negative effect on the environment, while the effect of raising livestock is debatable.
9. Eoin | 12.02.08
Ian, you’re right that the solar water heating system is currently at Unity college, but for five years after Reagan had them taken down, it sat in a warehouse in Virginia.
10. OHBOY | 12.02.08
When will have to bow at the alter of the invirolmentials??? we are being suckered in and most of you are to stupid to to know when your being had. I’ll never bow to them…
11. Will duRANT IV | 12.02.08
Enough, already! There’s no evidence whatsoever that mankind can have or ever has had or ever will have any effect on the Earth’s climate. “Green” is, indeed, the new Red — the new communism, the new totalitarianism, the new despotism, and the way back to the Dark Ages.
12. Obama is a fraud | 12.02.08
This comes from a man who flew a private plane with a personal logo instead of the US flag on it consuming massive amounts of fuel while leaving a large carbon footprint. This is from a man who, along with Bill Ayers, took millions of dollars from the Annenberg Foundation with no visible results in the schools of where that money was spent. This comes from the man who says he’s for womens rights and then pays his female staffers less than the men. This is from the man who refuses to show his birth certificate along with his SATs, LSATs and college records and holdes the record in Illinois for the most present votes. The man is a liar, deceiver and fraud and belongs in jail instead of the WH. Before all you crying liberals start your name calling, grow up and address facts only or don’t bother responding.
13. Jennifer Taggart, TheSmartMama | 12.03.08
I appreciate the efforts to use less energy. But there is so much more that could be done for the entire administration. Instead of redecorating after taking office as has become the custom, use what is there. Choose soaps without the antibacterial triclosan; use “green” cleaning products; buy all food locally; eliminate disposable plastic cups, plates, coffee stirrers, straws, etc.; and I could go on and on. It isn’t just about energy consumption, but consumption.
Jennifer
http://www.thesmartmama.com
14. e pluribus unum | 12.03.08
This is the silliest thing I have ever heard. I hope Obama uses his time more wisely than trying to micromanage energy usage in the White House. Capitulatig to the environmental jihadists is detrimental to the economy and an embarrassment.
15. Mike B | 12.03.08
I’m sure the millions of dollars spent will be worth the carbon savings in a few hundred years. Al Gore should be in charge and he can buy carbon credits from his company to offset the thousands of tons of emmisions the “greening” of the White House will produce. What a load of trash. Hopefully all the new stuff they install will be bolted down so the President and his wife can’t load it into their U-haul when they depart for good.
16. Eric | 12.03.08
I hope everyone commits to being green, including President-elect Obama. That leaves more energy for me to squander as I see fit. Global warming is a sham.
17. Bobc | 12.03.08
Couple of months ago, a science mag. had a picture of a cow, with a huge red plastic bag covering his entire back…it was supposed to capture flatulance!
With so many scientists with opposing views concerning, man made global warming, before anyone wrecks our economy, (more than it already is)..they need to review both sides of this issue.
18. enchanted | 12.03.08
What a crock. This country is in a recession, people are losing their jobs and he is going to green the white house? Going green is great, however it is very expensive. Check out who goes green. For the most part it is people that make a lot of money. Regardless, the bill will be passed on to you and I. There is only so much the middle class can handle in the way of taxes. On the path to socialism, next stop communism.
Second. The White House is an institution. Why does he want to change, ooops there is that word, a building that has housed 43 over decades of time? He is already snubbing his nose at the constitution, and wanting to eradicate our first and second amendment rights; now he wants to change the White House. What next, paint it a different color? I wouldn’t be surprised since he is embarrassed about 50% of his own heritage.
Obama this is not about YOU, this is about the American people. You are not the RULER, regardless what your spokesperson says. Get off your high horse and quit speaking down your nose at us and attempting to make us submit with your clenched hand and pointed finger continually wagging at us.
You obama, are contemptuous.
God Bless America and may she always be free from tyranny
20. JP | 12.03.08
The cynics and haters are missing the point here. The presidency is a bully pulpit and Obama plans on using that bully pulpit for a very important message we’ve been missing for too long: we need use energy much more efficiently. It’s not about global warming, it’s about wise use as part of a strategy to save money and improve national security. It’s not “environmental tyranny.” It’s about pulling our head from the sand and waking up to reality.
21. Mike | 12.03.08
Boy there is an awful lot of sour grapes coming from the right who are posting here. Didn’t we just suffer one the worst presidential regimes in the history of this country? Economic destruction, an illegal and unjustified war, big corporation corruption supported by Bush and CO. (does the word Halliburton mean anything?). Bush blew his nose on the Constitution on a daily basis, trampling over the rights of the individual while forcing the country into war. Those are the hallmarks of tyranny not a person suggesting we use solar panels.
As far as global warming is concerned, if you don’t think we have an impact on the enviroment perhaps you should put down your intelligent design tracts and pick up a real science book. Take a look at the number of animals that have gone extinct since the advent of the Industrial Revolution and then tell me with straight face that humans don’t affect the world in a negative manner.
22. not so stupid person | 12.04.08
anyone who thinks humans don’t affect the planet or the climate are just plain stupid. (either unintentionally stupid or deliberately ignorant).
we genetically alter nature, create nuclear waste, drive species to extinction, over fish seas, de-forest, spew tons of carcinogenic dust, particulate-matter, toxic chemicals and greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in massive quantities, continue to endlessly multiply, replacing nature with concrete boxes … and you think this has no effect ? How long do you think we can continue doing this with “no effect” ?
yup…idiots
going green could fix the economy, and improve things for everyone as well as the planet.
new tech, wind farms, more public transport, insulation, converting homes and a whole new host of spin-off tech industries.. and usa could lead the way.
it would also mean tons of new jobs generated to make all this happen.
for everyone… benefits would be lower utilities bills, less gas costs, cleaner air, better health, no dependance on foreign energy, tax benefits for being green.
23. william | 12.05.08
If President-elect OBAMA wants to ‘green’ the White House, he should use a similar budget and methods that most Americans might be able to use when they try to ‘green’ their homes. Don’t spend millions of dollars on large scale investments that may take years to pay for themselves. Do practical, free or VERY inexpensive things. This will demonstrate his committment to a greener world and his appreciation of the costs associated with going ‘green’. If more people utilize these low hanging fruit items, the impact will be greater than big expensive project that only add to our government debt.
24. Olivia | 12.07.08
Right on, #20 and #21. As for Matt D. (#8), it is irresponsible to believe that cutting down on — or, better yet, cutting out — the consumption of the flesh and secretions of animals is a fringe issue in the greening of America and its White House.
In fact, several articles in the past week alone — in The New York Times, The International Herald Tribute, The Chicago Tribune and the San Diego North County Times — contradict your assertion. Water contamination from factory farms is only one of the severe problems arising from our indoctrinated-from-youth craving for animal products.
One piece, in the Dec. 4th NY Times, notes: “What to do about farm emissions is one of the main issues being discussed this week and next, as the environment ministers from 187 nations gather in Poznan, Poland, for talks on a new treaty to combat global warming. In releasing its latest figure on emissions last month, United Nations climate officials cited agriculture and transportation as the two sectors that remained most ‘problematic.’”
‘Nuff said.
25. Tim | 01.07.09
RJ in NY — thanks for letting us know about the steps Pres. Bush has take at his Crawford, TX ranch. I have never heard this before. Not surprising that the media never reported on this. Yes, Al Gore is a fraud.
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1. Mike McFadden | 12.01.08
I think it is a fine thing for the various presidents to improve the efficiency and enviromental ‘footprint’ of the White House as an example to the rest of Americans (the only instance where the trickle-down theory may actually work). My problem is that I don’t have access to a huge amount of capital in order to bring my home up to the green standards I would like. My house is over 130 years old, built in a time when even insulation wasn’t considered. Where can I find a variety of DIY projects and/or a listing of subsidies to help defray high remodeling costs but still bring my home into the 21st Century (I’d even settle for the late 20th)?