George W. Bush-Our "Green" President
 

http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2...george-w-bush/

President Barack Obama has chided the federal government to be more energy efficient with cost-saving moves, as part of his groundbreaking initiative to transform the nation’s energy infrastructure. Doing so would save tens of billions of dollars, the administration has argued.

What’s gone unnoticed is President George W. Bush had already launched the federal government on an energy efficiency program back in 2003, a program that is already saving U.S. taxpayers lots of money, notes Seth Leitman, otherwise known as The Green Living Guy.

Leitman is the author of a number of alternative energy books, including “Green Lighting, Build Your Own Electric Vehicle,” “and the Green Guru Guides for McGraw-Hill. Leitman also worked for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority on marketing and managing alternative-fueled vehicle and electric vehicle programs.

“Before we get into political fights over cutting government waste on energy, the federal government is already well on its way in cutting waste in its energy,” says Leitman.

The federal government spends an estimated $500 billion annually on its energy needs, from light bulbs to cars to fuel, Leitman says, and that budget is coming down. “The government is already trying to be efficient and has been efficient during both Republican and Democrat administrations,” he says.

At present, the U.S. Congress is moving to enact a five-year freeze on non-security spending, in keeping with a proposal from President Obama. However, the freeze will not affect new moves to install energy-efficient features at federal facilities, officials say. During the Bush Administration, the federal government launched an energy efficiency program. Beginning in 2003 the federal government started creating the regulations and changes to make the federal government more energy efficient. For example, Leitman says the US Air Force starting dumping inefficient computers in 2004, saving an estimated net $15 million annually.

By 2008, homes on military bases had to be more energy efficient, saving an estimated net $30 million annually.

From 2003 to 2008, the federal government turned in a 15% reduction in energy costs during the Bush administration alone, Leitman says.

President George W. Bush didn’t stop there. The Bushes installed a geothermal heating and cooling system for their home in Crawford, Texas, using only about a quarter of the electricity that standard heating and air-conditioning systems ordinarily consume, USAToday reports.

How did they do it? They had several holes drilled 300-feet deep, where the temperature is a constant 67 degrees, the report indicate.

Pipes were then connected to a heat pump inside the house to circulate water into the ground, and then back up and through the house. The water, usually at 67 degrees, in turn heats their central Texas home in winter and cools it in summer, reports indicate. Also, the water for the outdoor pool is now heated with the same system, reports indicate. The moves proved so efficient, the Bushes evidently cancelled their plans to install more solar energy panels.

President Bush also reportedly has installed a system that uses 25,000 gallons of rainwater storage, waste water collection from sinks and showers for irrigation for the flowers and shrubs surrounding the house, reports indicate, The wastewater travels through underground purifying tanks and then into a cistern. The Bush’s Crawford home was reportedly designed by a professor of architecture at a leading national university.

Now, lets do a comparison with the Gore House!! :munchin :D

(From "The Democratic Underground")

LOOK OVER THE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE FOLLOWING TWO HOUSES AND SEE IF YOU
CAN
TELL WHICH BELONGS TO AN ENVIRONMENTALIST.

HOUSE # 1:

A 20-room mansion (not including 8 bathrooms) heated by natural gas. Add
on
a pool (and a pool house) and a separate guest house all heated by gas.
In
ONE MONTH ALONE this mansion consumes more energy than the average
American
household in an ENTIRE YEAR. The average bill for electricity and
natural
gas runs over $2,400.00 per month. In natural gas alone (which last time
we
checked was a fossil fuel), this property consumes more than 20 times
the
national average for an American home. This house is not in a northern
or
Midwestern "snow belt," either. It's in the South.

HOUSE # 2:

Designed by an architecture professor at a leading national university,
this
house incorporates every "green" feature current home construction can
provide. The house contains only 4,000 square feet (4 bedrooms) and is
nestled on arid high prairie in the American southwest. A central closet
in
the house holds geothermal heat pumps drawing ground water through pipes
sunk 300 feet into the ground. The water (usually 67 degrees F.) heats
the
house in winter and cools it in summer. The system uses no fossil fuels
such
as oil or natural gas, and it consumes 25% of the electricity required
for a
conventional
heating/cooling system. Rainwater from the roof is collected and
funneled
into a 25,000 gallon underground cistern. Wastewater from showers, sinks
and
toilets goes into underground purifying tanks and then into the cistern.
The
collected water then irrigates the land surrounding the house. Flowers
and
shrubs native to the area blend the property into the surrounding rural
landscape.

HOUSE # 1 (20 room energy guzzling mansion) is outside of Nashville,
Tennessee. It is the abode of that renowned environmentalist (and
filmmaker)
Al Gore.

HOUSE # 2 (model eco-friendly house) is on a ranch near Crawford , Texas
...
Also known as "the Texas White House," it is the private residence of
the
President of the United States , George W. Bush.

The last time I was in one of those, it was kind of dark. There were... oh, wait a minute, you said "Gore" house. Never mind... :D

Sem sem. ;)

I was going to say the same same. :D