President Barack Obama

In the 2011 State of the Union Address, President Barack Obama highlighted many goals as part of the administration’s “winning the future” campaign. Energy efficiency was one such goal, and last Thursday the President, speaking at Penn State, unveiled the Better Buildings Initiative, a plan for a 20% improvement in energy efficiency in commercial buildings by 2020. It’s no coincidence the plan was reveled at Penn State, a school with more than 500 researchers working on energy and environmental studies. The President touted Penn State as a leader in the research towards a clean energy future.

The initiative also strives to reduce companies’ energy bills by $40 billion per year. The plan aims to achieve these… [view entry]

Under mounting pressure from 10-10-10 groups, 350.org’s Bill McKibben, and various other environmental activists, the Obama Administration announced today that it will re-install solar panels on the White House roof. After weeks of rallying support for the Solar Road Trip including over 40,000 signatures by citizens who urged the President to retrofit the White House, Bill McKibben, 350.org, Unity College students, and the 40,000+ who were following the event were ultimately disappointed; previous coverage. The White House refused to take the Carter-era solar panel which was removed when Regan took office, and has since been living in Maine. however, the administration promised that they would “continue deliberative processes” surrounding solar on their roof. Since that day, not much has been mentioned on this topic by 350.org/Bill McKibben,… [view entry]

Beginning September 7th, Bill McKibben and students from Unity College in Maine are on a road trip to Washington D.C., with a specific goal in mind. This 350.org-affiliated group plans to approach the White House to urge President Obama to install solar panels on his roof in order to finally make a stand on energy issues, set an example for citizens, and to participate in 350.org’s “Global Work Party” on October 10th (10-10-10).

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter put solar panels on the White House. In 1986, President Reagan removed them and they were never replaced. Years later, Unity College in Maine adopted the panels where they have lived ever since. Until now.

Unity College has removed one panel from their cafeteria roof and donated it to 350.org’s campaign… [view entry]

On April 20th, 2010, in the open ocean 42 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana, a 560-million-dollar deep-water oil rig licensed to BP, experienced an explosion. Eleven workers were killed and 17 were injured in the explosion, with the other 98 on board exiting safely unharmed. After the initial explosion, the rig burned and two days later sank to the bottom of the ocean.

A few days after this shocking event made headlines, the resulting oil spill became apparent. Oil from the rig’s well immediately began to spew forth into the water column through a damaged well-head, forming a 5-mile long oil slick on the ocean’s surface in short time. Within two weeks, BP had tried and failed to use the well’s blowout protection, President Obama declared dedication of any… [view entry]

President Obama will be speaking in Cambridge at MIT in Kresge Auditorium this Friday.  While attendance is by invitation only, MIT will have a live webcast available to the public.  The president will deliver the address in Kresge Auditorium on clean energy and will be joined by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick.

President Barak Obama has been an advocate of clean energy solutions to the climate change challenge, calling for the US to, “make the investments that would allow us to become the world’s leading exporter of renewable energy”.  The White House website has an Energy & Environment page dedicated to the accomplishments they have achieved up to date including efficiency investments in the American Recovery and Investment Act and increasing fuel efficiency standards.    These have been great steps… [view entry]

From the New York Times Green Inc. blog an article on the options being debated for either totally replacing the current carbon cap and trade system or tweaking our current set-up. On one side of the argument, many are saying that giving carbon emission credits to big business amounts amounts to rewarding polluters. (Given the fact some companies have been selling off carbon credits they got for free, it’s not hard to see that point.)

Some environmental groups favor a ‘carbon tax’ which would be applied to all non-renewable carbon-based energy sources. The revenue generated from levying this tax would be used to fund renewable energy development and offset current tax burdens.

There is no doubt a carbon tax would have an immediate effect on… [view entry]

From our ‘talk the talk, walk the walk’ department, comes this item on the Green Inaugural Ball, held last night at the Smithsonian Institute-located just off the National Mall.

The Green Ball, of course, was billed as carbon neutral. The emissions generated from the electricity used at the event were offset by buying emissions-reduction credits from Native Energy, which supports Native American, farmer-owned, community-based renewable energy projects. It was a lot of electricity, judging from the megawatt sound system. “It’s a bit loud,” said Paula DiPerna, executive vice-president for the Chicago Climate Exchange, who regretted not bringing earplugs.

Possibly the only ball  where the star wasn’t President Obama, it was this guy.