Obama: I Want To Make The White House "Green"

CHICAGO — President-elect Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, said their young daughters will still have to do chores in the White House and won't get out of doing homework just because they're the president's children. In an interview with Barbara Walters, the Obamas said Sasha, 7, and Malia, 10, will have lives as normal as possible. That means helping out around the house.

"That was the first thing I said to some of the staff when I did my visit," Michelle Obama said. "I said, 'You know, we're going to have to set up some boundaries,' because they're going to need to be able to make their beds, and clean up."

The girls, who will be attending the prestigious Sidwell Friends School, also will be expected to do their homework as usual. Although, the president-elect said, Malia has her eye on a special spot to write important papers.

When she came back from her White House visit recently, she told her dad that she plans to work at the desk in the Lincoln bedroom.

Obama, who is known to be an avid reader of Lincoln history, said his daughter told him "I'm going to sit at that desk, because I'm thinking that will inspire big thoughts."

During the interview, Obama described the desk as being the spot where Lincoln signed the Gettysburg Address. While there is a copy of the address on display in that room, it actually was the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves that Lincoln signed there.

Obama will be sworn in on Jan. 20, and he said he wants to work quickly to make the White House "green."

The president-elect said he plans to sit down with the chief usher for the presidential mansion and do an evaluation of its energy efficiency.

"Part of what I want to do is to show the American people that it's not that hard," Obama said.

Asked whether he'll be tiptoeing around at night, turning off the lights, Obama said he isn't going to be obsessive about it.

"But I do that in my current house," he added, "and there's no reason why I wouldn't do it in my next one."

The full interview airs Wednesday at 10 p.m. EST.

Comments

[BioLiberty]

The green jobs and training should go to the veterans who were sent to protect "America's way of life and International interests" in Iraq and Afghanistan, nobody deserves it more. Also, who better to take over the failed disaster response and relief apparatus. V.E.M.A.?

[deltaman]

I found this summary of the "Green Economic Recovery" plan ( a template for Obama's energy policy) for those of you who don't have the time to read a 50 page report: http://www.ethanolplug.com/PlugNews/WebExclusiveSummaryofGreenRecoveryProgram/tabid/155/Default.aspx

[orianna]

Malia will be writing her 'papers' at the same desk where Lincoln signed the Proclamation of Independence which freed slaves. Wow! That is totally unbelievable. I am so proud of us Americans. These girls are so lucky.... I pray the good in America will keep their family safe, thus keeping all of America safe.

[schicklett3]

Amen!!
You summed it up perfectly!

[Wiredwilly]

Obama made Wall Street very Green by putting $700 Billion taxpayer dollars into the hands of the Bankers. Perhaps he will make the White House just as Green. His appointment of two Federal Reserve Presidents to the Treasury tell me the White House will indeed be very Green. With OUR money.

[OldKnute]

OH MY!

What a concept???­,,,,,,Lead­ership by example.

`Bout time!

All the best Knute

[cjgnew]

Please don't just say you are going to do it! Do it. And do it ASAP. When it's all done, have a complete section on the White House's Website stating why it was done, how it was done, how much it cost, how much it will save on the electricity bill for the first year, the second year, etc., then put a blurb on the reality of global warming and its potential consequences. Don't forget to invite visitors to pledge to doing what they can to wean America from its addiction to foreign oil.

[deltaman]

Nice piece, I found this summary of Obama's energy plan for those whose don't have the time to read a full pdf report: http://www.ethanolplug.com/PlugNews/WebExclusiveObamasEnergyPolicy/tabid/125/Default.aspx

[chris2fer]

Hey Right Man i hope your house is on the coast cause when you have to swim up your drive way to get to it i just want a good laugh out of the misery of it all.

[chris2fer]

You go big dog. Remember when Carter put solar panels on top of the White House ,then Reagan tore them down.

[JoDeeVa]

If Barack Obama is serious about "greening up" the White House, here are some great, innovative thoughts and ideas for him and for you all to consider:

Sign the petition for The WHO, aka "White House Organic" Farm..
http://www.thewhofarm.org/

Michael Pollan's "National Food Fight..
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/index-flash.html

[AngieMom57]

I totally agree, an organic garden complete with compost is a must in our country! Gardens rule!

[garbovatwins]

You chose your new leader wisely, but a leader can only do so much. Change must begin immediately. Your survival as a species is at stake and there is very little time left.

[ThirdSection]

Good. This will provide a symbolic example for the nation.

[crazylikeafox]

It's easy being green.

Way to go Obama.

Thank god we have a new president who has young children.

When he made his victory speech he brought up the future of his children through the 106 year old woman and what she had lived through in a century.

In 50 years times they will be seeing a very different world. And I think Obama knows it won't be pretty.

The arctic ice gone. Greenland melting. End of oil and possibly nothing to replace it.

Global resource wars.

I know he will have his daughters future and the next generations future in mind when he makes decisions.

[Harrier]

I hate to burst bubbles but Jimmy Carter installed solar energy and was promoting getting away for oil just as hard as people are saying now, but Reagan had them removed. They are still working now at Unity College in Unity, Maine). 23 years after the previous solar panels were removed, two solar thermal systems and a 9 kW photovoltaic (PV) solar electricity system have returned to the White House.
Since September 2002, a grid of 167 solar panels on the roof of a maintenance shed has been delivering electricity to the White House grounds. Another solar installation has been helping to provide hot water. Yet another has been heating the water in the presidential pool.

The impetus behind implementing the solar roof was that a roof on the White House grounds had to be replaced anyway, and it made economical as well as environmental sense to incorporate solar energy. It was time to replace the roof on what is called "The Pony Shed", a maintenance building that replaced the stable that once housed Macaroni, a pony owned by President Kennedy's daughter, Caroline.

It was actually the National Park Service's decision to utilize a solar energy system on the White House grounds, similar to other solar installations made by the Park Service throughout the country. The Park Service, which is responsible for the building, had already mandated that any refurbishments of its facilities should incorporate environmen­tally-frie­ndly design whenever possible.

[ohioan73]

There's a few things most of us can do that contribute to greenness. A few years ago, I stopped buying cases of water packaged in 20 ounce bottles and now I buy the 2 gallon size and recycle them. I stopped justifying the throwing away of aluminum cans because I don't use that many, and I save them in a large bag until it gets full and take it to the recycling center because my town doesn't pick up recycling with the trash. I got a few reuseable totes to carry groceries in when I'm light shopping. I use the biodegradable "Mutt Mitts" to pick up after my dog because adding plastics to the landfill defeats the purpose of picking up after the dog. The fecal matter is biodegradable but its trapped inside plastic which make no sense.

I bet most people are doing these things. It must happen in steps.