News: Can the Obamas Turn the White House Green?

[Kelly]

When First Lady Maichelle Obama, boldly broke ground on an organic
vegetable, fruit, and herb garden on the South Lawn of the White House
this year, the administration sent a strong message about its plan to
“walk the talk” on health and the environment.
The Obamas are not the first presidential couple to flaunt their
environmental consciousness at home. Past presidents like Bill Clinton
and Jimmy Carter cut back on energy use in the White House, and George
W. Bush installed a small photovoltaic system and two solar water-
heating systems. But in its first hundred days, the Obama
administration indicated it plans to go further than its predecessors,
starting with the garden and moving soon to the White House Center—the
complex of buildings and facilities at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
According to government officials familiar with greening efforts, the
Obama White House intends to be the first White House to earn LEED
certification, a system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council
(USGBC) to measure and reward buildings and communities that implement
green building design, construction, operations, and maintenance.
“LEED certification of the White House is absolutely possible and
viable,” said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and president of USGBC, which has
offered to help advise the White House on the process. However,
Fedrizzi noted, it will not be easy because of the building’s historic
status and the security required to protect the President and his
family.
“A normal building is already a challenging assignment, and this is
something that’s a historic structure, one of [the] nation’s most
historic structures,” he says.
The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program
(FEMP) played a lead role in the White House greening effort under
President Clinton, focusing on energy efficient lighting and heating.
DOE partnered with the General Services Administration, the White
House Ushers Office, the National Park Service, and experts from the
fields of architecture, engineering, building management, and
environmental health, according to the agency.
FEMP is teaming up again this year with a variety of agencies,
including the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).
The Change We Need
According to Christine Glunz, spokeswoman for CEQ, the Obama greening
effort will make changes in procurement, energy and water systems, and
waste. Staff will consider toxicity and life cycle when making
purchases for the facilities. They’ll buy biodegradable cleaners,
equipment made with recycled content, and paints and sealers with low
volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
“[We are] also improving the carbon footprint of our facility by
identifying better ways to light, power, heat, and cool our
buildings,” Glunz said in an email message, adding that the White
House is indeed pursuing LEED certification.
CEQ is looking at a variety of strategies to reduce energy use through
computerized energy management systems; heating, ventilation, and air-
conditioning systems that adapt to variable power requirements;
automatic light sensors that shut off lights in unoccupied areas; low-
flow water valves in restrooms; and disposal of equipment like air
conditioners that emit ozone-damaging chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
These steps will garner points in the LEED system and could add up
enough to win a higher certification level—silver, gold, or platinum.
USGBC’s Fedrizzi says that typically windowpanes can be replaced as an
energy saving device but that it would be difficult at the White House
because of their external historic glazing. But he says they may be
able to apply window films to cut ultraviolet rays.
The team is also attacking the White House Center’s waste stream and
will train employees to use recycled content whenever possible. Glunz
noted that they hope to donate leftover renovation and demolition
materials to local reuse organizations.
Outdoors, the vegetable garden, started March 20, will feature 55
varieties of vegetables, as well as hives for honey, herbs, and
berries. It's the first vegetable garden at the White House since
Eleanor Roosevelt planted a victory garden in WWII. The Obama girls
will also play on a chemical-free swing set. home & garden website:
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