The White House is working towards improving energy efficiency and reducing waste from the main complex, writes Inhabitat. The White House Council on Environmental Quality and the Federal Energy Management Program are leading efforts to upgrade to more energy-efficient equipment, create new sustainable procurement systems, and reduce waste, thereby lowering the presidential home’s carbon footprint.

In comments to Inhabitat, Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and president of USGBC, said USGBC is offering its help in achieving certification. “LEED certification of the White House is absolutely possible and viable. “ However, Fedrizzi also thinks renovating the White House for energy efficiency will be more challenging than other upgrades to historic sites: “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.” Security will add unique requirements.

The teams involved will purchase more sustainable office products and look into integrating more contemporary, energy-efficient systems. “They’ll buy biodegradable cleaners, recycled content products, and low VOC paints. The Council on Environmental Quality is looking into ways to reduce energy use through energy management, more efficient heating, cooling and ventilation systems, and automatic light sensors. They will also upgrade to low flow water fixtures and get rid of cooling equipment that contains ozone damaging chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Additionally, staff will be educated and trained to use recycled content whenever possible as well as to reduce the waste stream.”

According to Inhabitat, previous presidents, including Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, made improvements to the White House that cut energy usage.  Additionally, George W. Bush recently installed a “small photovoltaic system and two solar water-heating systems.”

Green the Grounds, a public education campaign focused on bringing sustainable landscapes to U.S. government buildings, thinks that while Michelle Obama’s vegetable garden is valuable and got lots of great press, “there’s no mention of switching to environmentally responsible landscaping practices on the rest of those 18 acres around the official residence.” With the upcoming integration of the Sustainable Sites Initiative into the LEED rating system, perhaps White House staff will also tackle the challenges involved with moving to a more sustainable landscape.

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Also, read an earlier post on the progress of the ”Green the Capitol” campaign, an initiative of U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

Image credit: The White House Museum