Photo via whitehousemuseum.org

In a recent interview with Barbara Walters, President Elect Barack Obama said that he plans to coordinate an evaluation with the Chief Usher of the White House to see how energy is used in the White House. I can only imagine the number of light bulbs in all of the rooms of that place!

For starters, Obama plans on keeping the lights off in rooms that aren’t being used. I’m feeling like a youngin’ since, for many, Obama’s statements are inspiring recollections of Jimmy Carter’s days and his installation of solar panels on the roof of the White House—something I hadn’t even known he’d done. They were taken down during Reagan’s administration (why?), but check out this article for a nice synopsis of Carter’s energy initiatives. I think it’s an important time to look at where we’ve been, to see where we are going.

Our friends over at Eco Times also posted an excellent article today that reminded me of the limitations of some renewables and how we have to keep this energy debate open and balanced.