Green Options » white house

Obama Announces New Recovery Act Smart Grid Funding — $3.4 Billion

Zachary Shahan — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:45:49 +0000

Obama discussed a big project long overdo and sorely needed today — modernizing the US electric grid. But it is more than discussion. $3.4 billion in Recovery Act funding is going towards this new project.

This is the most money ever awarded for clean energy in a single day from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act!

Obama spoke at the opening of the Florida Power and Light’s (FPL) DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center (the nation’s largest PV electricity center) to announce and discuss the various benefits of this project.

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Michelle Obama’s Straight Talk on Women and Health Insurance

Rhonda Winter — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:00:29 +0000

First Lady Michelle Obama talks straightforwardly about women and why we all so urgently need health care reform in this five minute short that was just released by the White House. At the moment I know that I am existing in something of a self-absorbed cancer bubble of my own, but I actually found this quite moving and powerful.

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White House Unveils Landmark Fuel Economy and Emissions Standards

Nick Chambers — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:50:59 +0000

Today the Obama Administration released a 1,200 page document of proposed regulation changes that will drastically alter the fuel economy and emissions standards that auto manufacturers are required to meet in the US. Although it could be an incredibly contentious topic, it seems that so far the proposal has gained wide support from all sides of the spectrum including environmental organizations and industry lobby groups.

The changes — which would alter both the Department of Transportation’s and the Environmental Protection Agency’s rules — call for what amounts to about a 5% increase in fuel economy standards per year from 2011 to 2016 starting with 27.3 mpg in 2011 and ending with 35.5 mpg in 2016.

In addition to the new economy standards, the White House has outlined the first ever greenhouse gas emissions limits for new cars sold in the US. Starting with model year 2016, each manufacturer’s new car fleet would have to meet an average limit of 250 grams of carbon emitted per mile driven.

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Gilding the Lily on Green Jobs

Joe Walsh — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:25:54 +0000

Following on Red Green and Blue’s lead last week, today’s New York Times editorial notes that the White House and their Congressional allies on cap-and-trade have all but acknowledged that the climate change argument will not be enough - on its own strength - to win support for comprehensive energy and environment legislation in 2009. So, while climate-based arguments by the movement’s superstars - like Al Gore - are gaining wider public acceptance and near-unanimous adoption in the intelligentsia, the case is still not enough to win political support when the Senate takes the issue up in the fall.

Last week brought us climate as a security threat and White House officials are continuing to float trial balloons throughout August as they grope for a communications strategy. This week’s angle: green jobs. Steven Chu has been making the green jobs pitch a strong part of his summer road show. He continued to beat the drum as part of a round table discussion with Gore and others at Senator Harry Reid’s National Clean Energy Summit 2.0 last week in Las Vegas. Taking the measure of the two approaches, the Boston Globe editorial page joined today’s NYT in bringing the White House’s previously tacit acknowledgment of the need for a new course out into the open.

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Food Policy Friday: Barack Obama’s Advisors Have Ties to Monsanto

Gina Munsey — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:04:10 +0000

There’s an organic garden on Barack Obama’s lawn. The First Family eats local, organic, and seasonal food.

So why did the President’s scientific advisory team for last fall’s election include Sharon Long, a former member of Monsanto’s board of directors?

And why did Obama recently appoint Barbara Schaal, a plant geneticist with connections to Monsanto, to his Science and Technology Advisory Council?

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New Report Shows that Climate Change “Literally Affects People in Their Backyards”

Ruedigar Matthes — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:58:18 +0000

It’s in the papers and on TV. It spreads across the Internet (including this very post), and it is finding its way into the classroom. Global climate change is nothing new. And it certainly isn’t going away. Not yet, anyway.

A report, “Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States,” was put out on June 16, 2009. The report compiles years of scientific research and takes into account new data not available during the preparation of previous assessments. It was produced by a consortium of experts from 13 U.S. government science agencies and from several major universities and research institutes.

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10 Ways to Change the World Through Social Media

Jennifer Lance — Wed, 13 May 2009 03:46:33 +0000

Citizen journalism, open government, status updates, community building, information sharing, crowdsourcing, and the election of a President.

Editor’s note: This is first guest post from Max Gladwell.

Our children will inherit a world profoundly changed by the combination of technology and humanity that is social media. They’ll take for granted that their voices can be heard and that a social movement can be launched from their laptop. They’ll take for granted that they are connected and interconnected with hundreds of millions of people at any given moment. And they’ll take for granted that a black man is or was President of the United States.

What’s most profound is that these represent parts of a greater whole. They represent a shift in power from centralized institutions and organizations to the People they represent. It is the evolution of democracy by way of technology, and we are all better for it.

For most of us, social media has changed our lives in some meaningful way. Collectively it is changing the world for good. Given the pace of innovation and adoption, change has become a constant. Every so often we find the need to stop and reflect on its most recent and noteworthy developments, hence the following list.

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10 Ways to Change the World Through Social Media

mcmilker — Tue, 12 May 2009 19:00:45 +0000

Editor’s note: This is guest post from Max Gladwell, founder of #EcoMonday. Rob Reed a web strategist in the green field, is the voice behind Max Gladwell and a blogger buddy of mine for a few years. I value Rob’s take on growth in the green field and his input on social media strategies.

This post is, in Rob’s words, part of a grand social media experiment to publish the first collective, simultaneous guest blog post from Max Gladwell. Our goal is for it be published simultaneously on 100 blogs, thus inspiring 100 simultaneous conversations from various points of view. We have more than 70 confirmed with some of the biggest and coolest in the blogosphere.

Enjoy!

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SolveClimate: The Next 100 Days — Let’s Launch a War Against Energy Waste

SolveClimate — Sat, 02 May 2009 15:20:19 +0000

Editor’s note: This post was originally published on Friday, May 1, at SolveClimate.

It is time for President Obama to mobilize us all to help build the new energy economy.

He has begun shaping the public policies we need. Now he needs to launch an Apollo project, interstate highway project, war effort and Marshall Plan all rolled into one.

For starters, he should call on us all to pick up our caulking guns and enlist in the war against energy waste – a national clean energy surge.

The potential for savings through efficiency improvements and conservation is enormous.

As Obama noted during the campaign, the United States is only the 22nd most energy-efficient major economy in the world right now. With very few exceptions, every vehicle, home, power plant, factory, community and state is hemorrhaging energy, energy dollars and greenhouse gas emissions.

Consider just a few examples:

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Earth Day Round-Up (the Non-Toxic Kind)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:53:56 +0000

Even after doing this for years, I still get a little flustered with the requisite Earth Day post. No, it’s not a matter of saying “Screw Earth Day” (though I get that…); rather, it’s a recognition that there’s so much content out there that I’m unsure what I can add. So, rather than taking a feeble stab at something, I’ll make my contribution by sharing some of the good stuff I’ve seen around the web and blogosphere today.

Green Living Ideas points to a couple of new films that may be worth checking out: Disney’s Earth, and A Sea Change.
Cleantechnica profiles a family that’s tweeting its energy use today. Triplepundit covers this one, also.
Speaking of “Screw Earth Day,” Grist wishes all a “Happy F’ing Earth Day!”

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Garden with a Purpose: Five Mission Ideas for Your Victory Garden

Lisa Kivirist — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:46:10 +0000

Want more out of your garden this season? By “more,” think beyond increasing tomato yield of zucchini size. Drawing inspiration from the Victory Garden era of WW II, plant your seeds with a deeper mission this season.
Strengthen your growing your efforts on a personal level by giving your garden a purpose, a symbolic calling and goal that connects your plot with changing the planet.

The Victory Garden concept is going through a well-deserved revival, currently fueled by First Lady Obama’s White House garden plantings inspired by the Eat The View campaign.

As I write about in this month’s Hobby Farm Home, Victory Gardens today redefine what “patriotism” can be, bringing self-sufficiency and healthy, local eating back into the realm of national pride that just might take us back to where we were over sixty years ago, when 30 million Americans grew about 40 percent of the vegetables consumed nationally.

Victory Gardens today hold opportunity for deeper creativity and self-expression. Sure, we garden for everything from fresh flavor and health benefits to cost savings to the family budget. But this season, give your garden an extra eco nudge by defining a “mission” for your growing efforts. What bigger planetary issue do you hope to address by working the soil?

Such a garden mission can be private, something just you know and keep in your heart as a motivator when the mercury rises and you need an extra reminder of why you garden. Or you can take your mission public, using it as an education tool to help others make the connection between a radish seed and transforming the world.

Here are some sample missions to get you started:

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Obama White House to Plant Organic Garden on South Lawn

John Chappell — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 16:30:25 +0000

In a symbolic victory for sustainable living and home gardening proponents, the White House announced that they will be resurrecting the tradition of planting a kitchen garden at the US capital.

First Lady Michelle Obama is scheduled to break ground shortly on the organic garden in conjunction with her agenda of promoting better eating habits for American families. Mrs. Obama plans to involve local school children from the Washington DC area with the planting, maintenance, and harvesting of the vegetables in a grass roots effort to teach families better nutritional habits. The idea for the current garden is to have a multitude of vegetables including spinach, chard, collards, hot peppers, and several varieties of lettuce.

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Home Grown Food, What Could Be More Sustainable and Healthy?

Scott Cooney — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:33:44 +0000

The Obamas could change America and the world if they were to swap out some of their White House lawn for an organic or biodynamic garden. But what about YOUR backyard? Heck, for that matter, what about your front yard?

Hiring a good landscape designer knowledgeable about permaculture and organic/biodynamic gardening would be a terrific step toward food independence for you and your family. With Monsanto and other agribusiness contributing $60+ million to political campaigns last year, to Republicans by a wide margin (but down from almost a 4:1 ratio just 8 years ago, as an interesting aside probably affiliated with the growing interest in ethanol), isn’t it time to take some money and power away from them? One easy way to do that is to start growing your own food, free of GMOs, free of chemicals, and free of transportation pollution required to bring it to your kitchen.

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White House to Plant Organic Vegetable Garden

Elizabeth Balkan — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 22:10:42 +0000

ABC news’ Brian Hartman has reported what many have been wishfully waiting to hear for months: the Obamas will soon plant an organic vegetable garden on the White House South grounds.

Following a 60 Minutes interview with Chez Panisse chef, renowned slow foodist and activist for improved national eating habits in the US, Alice Waters, on Sunday March 15th, wherein she called with continued clarion for an organic garden at the White House, First lady Michelle Obama talked of her plans for the garden in an interview for Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine that will feature in its April issue.

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Raccoons Move into White House– Should Obama Let Them Stay?

Levi Novey — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:28:48 +0000

Last week news surfaced that several raccoons had been seen repeatedly in areas around the White House grounds. Humane traps have been set to capture them, and if caught, the fuzzy-looking bandits will be released in a forested area by the National Park Service.

Forget the need for economic stimulus, Barack, can you come up with a better plan for the raccoons? The Obama family is always looking for opportunities to put action behind their beliefs, so would it be better for them to send out a pro-wildlife message by letting the raccoons stay?

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White House School Garden Project: Open Letter to the New Mom-in-Chief

Jennifer Lance — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 04:44:51 +0000

Editor’s note: The following post was originally published by OnEarth. I felt it was such a wonderful suggestion and fits right in with the idea of Michael Pollan to turn the White House lawn into an organic farm, that I asked to republish it on Eco Child’s Play.

Dear Ms. Obama:

What will be your first order of business as “Mom-in-Chief”? Here’s a suggestion: invite Malia’s and Sasha’s classmates to plant an organic garden at the White House. Think of the lessons that your children and their classmates will reap.

There can be no grain without pain.

Digging up turf and prepping soil is hard work. Success in the garden is a direct function of the effort that went into creating and sustaining a hospitable environment for plants.

Addressing challenges requires a systems approach to problem solving.
Contrary to popular myth, the most successful organic growers think and act like scientists. They try to emulate not annihilate natural processes.

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Obama Criticizes Bush’s Response to Katrina on New White House Website

Jennifer Lance — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 23:45:49 +0000

Out with the old and in with the new! Following Obama’s inauguration, change is already underway. From halting tribunals at Guantanamo Bay to accelerating the drawdown of troops in Iraq, Obama is wasting no time as the United States’ 44th president.

The “new era of responsibility” expressed in Obama’s Inaugural Speech extends to the past, particularly criticizing George W. Bush’s response to Hurricane Katrina on the new White House website.

President Obama will keep the broken promises made by President Bush to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. He and Vice President Biden will take steps to ensure that the federal government will never again allow such catastrophic failures in emergency planning and response to occur.

President Obama swiftly responded to Hurricane Katrina. Citing the Bush Administration’s “unconscionable ineptitude” in responding to Hurricane Katrina, then-Senator Obama introduced legislation requiring disaster planners to take into account the specific needs of low-income hurricane victims. Obama visited thousands of Hurricane survivors in the Houston Convention Center and later took three more trips to the region. He worked with members of the Congressional Black Caucus to introduce legislation to address the immediate income, employment, business, and housing needs of Gulf Coast communities.

President Barack Obama will partner with the people of the Gulf Coast to rebuild now, stronger than ever.

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Is There a Vegan In the White House? PETA, Rejoice!

Michael A. Weber — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 06:25:21 +0000

Soon-to-be-President Barack Obama has appointed animal advocate Cass Sunstein to head the relatively obscure, yet powerful Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

The regulatory czar, as the position is generally called, is responsible for every regulatory agency in the country, such as the EPA, and will oversee all administration rules.

Sunstein is best known for his balanced views between government regulations and cost-benefit analysis and for his theory of behavioral economics and he is widely considered to be a great choice for the office. However, a new controversy is arising over his views on animal rights and animal welfare.

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Victory Garden Redux

Becky Striepe — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:00:55 +0000

Two activist groups are teaming up and petitioning Barack Obama to plant an organic victory garden on the White House lawn!

[Creative Commons photo via Eat the View]

They’re calling the White House “America’s House” and asking the new administration to lead by example. They see a food garden on the White House lawn as a first step towards “a new National Victory Garden Program.”

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7 Fun Things to Do at the White House (When You’re Not Busy Leading the Free World)

Timothy B. Hurst — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:04:55 +0000

Abraham Lincoln was a self-described billiards addict. John Adams swam almost daily in the nearby waters of the often chilly Potomac River. Gerald Ford made use of the White House facilities as if they were at his own private country club wedged in a corner at the intersection of Pennsylvania and Executive avenues in Washington, D.C.

Whether entertaining high-powered guests or for personal enjoyment, American presidents and their families have a long tradition of recreating on the grounds of the White House. When the ability to find simple seclusion in the outside world is nearly impossible, these seven White House facilities can offer respite from the high-pressure job.

1. Basketball

It is no secret that Barack Obama is a huge basketball enthusiast. From his high school days in Hawaii when he earned the nickname “Barry the Bomber”, right up until the day he gave his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, Mr. Obama has played basketball as a way to keep fit, focused and healthy. With an incoming cabinet basketball team said to be the best ever and with Obama’s proclivity for shooting the rock around, the single-basket outdoor court may not be enough.

Installed by George H.W. Bush in 1991, the 26′ by 26′ court sits near the swimming pool and just off the Oval Office. But when Mr. Obama hinted throughout the campaign that he’d like to upgrade from the driveway-sized basketball court to a full-sized indoor court by replacing the existing bowling alley, bowling industry groups raised vocal opposition.

2. Bowling

As opposed to his skills on the basketball court, Mr. Obama’s skills in the bowling alley are, let’s say, not as sharp. Obama displayed his proficiency as a bowler in the Spring of 2008 whilst campaigning in Altoona, PA, when he bowled a less-than-stellar score of 37. But whether Obama will actually make good on his promise to replace the White House bowling alley, remains to be seen. After news broke that Obama was considering gutting the bowling lane and building a basketball court, a coalition of bowling groups offered to redesign the White House lane(s) with a decidedly twenty-first century feel:

The first White House bowling alley was actually built as a gift for President Harry Truman in 1947 in the location of what is now the Situation Room. Though not much of a bowler himself, the Truman bowling alley was well used by guests and staff until it was relocated across the street to the Executive Building. In 1969, President Richard M. Nixon brought bowling back to the White House with a single lane in a basement area below a driveway that exists today.

3. Swimming

Nestled in the trees not far from the basketball court and the West Wing is the White House swimming pool, installed in 1975 by Californian and avid swimmer Gerald Ford. Outfitted with a cabana, a solar hot water system for the pool and a spa that was later added by President Bill Clinton, the pool area is the perfect place to entertain guests, let alone Malia and Sasha.

The original White House swimming pool was built by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933. Roosevelt, who suffered from polio, used the indoor West Wing swimming pool as therapy to strengthen his upper body. The Roosevelt pool was ultimately filled in by Nixon who used the space as an area for press to gather.

4. Tennis

Tennis courts have been in place at the White House since 1902 when there was a court just off the South side of the West Wing, adjacent to the Oval Office. It was on this court where the then-president’s son, Calvin Coolidge, Jr. got a blister after playing without socks, which led to his death by blood-poisoning at the age of 16. This court ultimately made way for the West Wing Terrace.

Ford built a new tennis court in 1975 and on occasion the President would invite Washington bigs over to talk politics over a couple of sets, as he was doing with number 22, Donald Rumsfeld, pictured above.

5. Horsehoes

Nothing says America like horseshoes. Maybe Barack Obama could redeem some middle America cred it he buffed-up his horseshoe toss on the George H.W. Bush installed horseshoe pit next to the basketball court. Pictured above with son Marvin, Mr. Bush apparently preferred to use an underhand grip, whereas, Marvin preferred the overhand. [I'll have to go with the elder Bush on this one]

6. Golf

A putting green was first installed on the South Lawn by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1954. While most presidents since have been golfers of various abilities, playing golf on the White House lawn hasn’t always projected the best image of a person Americans expect to be working for them tirelessly.

In 1996 President Bill Clinton moved the putting green to its current location with the assistance of a professional course architect. Unless I knew better, I would guess the above was taken at a country club.

7. Billiards

After a long day of sporting around on the White House grounds with Heads of State and foreign dignitaries, where better to retire to and discuss the intricacies of international law than over a game of eight-ball, cutthroat, or snooker? The billiards table currently sits in the White House game room on the third floor in what used to be a bedroom.

Presidents as far back as John Adams had pool tables installed in various spots throughout the White House. Abraham Lincoln was a self-confessed “billiards addict”, who described the game as a “health inspiring, scientific game, lending recreation to the otherwise fatigued mind.”

Images: All images except; 1. Front View of White House(Scott Ableman via flickr under a Creative Commons License)and 4. Bowling Alley Concept (Bowlers’ Proprietors Assoc. of America) come courtesy of WhiteHouseMuseum.org