Opinion: The Obama White House commitment to solar

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Just last week, Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality Nancy Sutley announced the White House was getting solar panels.

They also unveiled plans to install a solar water heater on the roof of the White House.

According to the White House website, the switch to solar is part of ‘a project that demonstrates American solar technologies are available, reliable, and ready for installation in homes throughout the country.’

The announcement kicked off the GreenGov Symposium, which brought together leaders from government, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions and the private sector to identify opportunities for greening the federal government.

Obama’s Executive Order in 2009 requires federal agencies to ‘set greenhouse gas reduction targets, increase energy efficiency, reduce fleet petroleum consumption, conserve water, reduce waste, support sustainable communities and leverage Federal purchasing power to promote environmentally-responsible products and technologies.’

-- Lori Kozlowski
twitter.com/lorikozlowski