| Energy-thrifty White
House turns deeper shade of green
By Mimi Hall, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — The White House complex and the federal government are
going green — and not just with Christmas trees and holly.
As President Obama meets with world leaders at the United Nations
climate conference in Copenhagen today, the government he runs at home
is quietly engaged in an unprecedented effort to reduce its carbon
footprint, increase energy efficiency, conserve water, cut waste and
more.
In the complex that includes the White House, that means more efficient
heating and cooling systems as well as organic paint, low-flow toilets
and lights that turn off by themselves. Even the 800 Christmas ornaments
adorning the 18-foot tree in the White House Blue Room were recycled
from previous administrations in a nod to the environment and the bad
economy.
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In many of the federal government's other 500,000 buildings, the effort
to go green includes cutting the amount of garbage produced in half and
installing more efficient lights.
"This is a big leap forward for the federal government," says Nancy
Sutley, chairwoman of Obama's White House Council on Environmental
Quality. And the effort will be "sustainable itself beyond this
president."
Sutley says the federal government is the country's single largest
energy consumer, using 1.6% of all the power used nationwide, so
reducing energy consumption will mean big savings.
The nation is the world's second-largest producer of greenhouse gases,
behind China, and the cuts could help there, as well, environmentalists
say.
Erich Pica of Friends of the Earth says, "There are many economies of
scale that President Obama can achieve by forcing the federal government
to rethink its energy habits."
Obama is not the first president to try to green the government. Jimmy
Carter installed solar panels on the White House roof, though they were
removed by Ronald Reagan. Bill Clinton took steps to reduce waste and
energy consumption. Some of the green changes at the White House were
started under George W. Bush.
Environmental groups say Obama's efforts go far beyond what's been done
before. "There's real substance behind the rhetoric," says Joel Makower,
editor of GreenBiz.com, which reports on the greening of mainstream
business.
Under a 15-page executive order Obama signed in October, government
agencies must implement a host of changes, Sutley says. Among the
requirements:
• Agencies must reduce waste by 50% by 2015.
• Agencies must show a 26% improvement in water efficiency by 2020.
• All new buildings and any major renovations to existing buildings must
be eligible for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
certification given by the U.S. Green Building Council to
environmentally responsible buildings. In and around Washington, the
Pentagon and the ornate 121-year-old Eisenhower Executive Office
Building adjacent to the White House are in the process of becoming LEED-certified.
• The government's 600,000 vehicles must operate with 30% less petroleum
by 2020.
Pentagon officials, Sutley says, are "thinking about how they can power
their vehicles in different ways, so they don't have to transport as
much fuel," a change that would save money and improve safety for
servicemembers.
The president's motorcade will continue guzzling gas. Because of heavy
security retrofits, the vehicles can't be altered to use less fuel.
As for Obama's own carbon footprint, environmentalists are willing to
cut him some slack — even after he took his wife to a play on Broadway
by jet in May. "He's the president," Makower says. "He can't jump on the
shuttle the way you and I can."
Contributing: Wendy Koch
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