In '81, we went down the wrong path; not just energy, but pretty much everything.
1. 1979 - President Jimmy Carter Installs 1st White House Solar Panels
President Jimmy Carter installed 32 solar panels on the presidential mansion amid the Arab oil embargo, which had caused a national energy crisis. The Democratic president called for a campaign to conservative energy and, to set an example to the American people, ordered the solar panels erected in 1979, according to the White House Historical Association.
2. 1981 - President Ronald Reagan Orders Solar Panels on the White House Removed
President Ronald Reagan took office in 1981, and one of his first moves was to order the solar panels removed. It was clear Reagan had a completely different take on energy consumption. "Reagan's political philosophy viewed the free market as the best arbiter of what was good for the country. Corporate self-interest, he felt, would steer the country in the right direction," the author Natalie Goldstein wrote in "Global Warming."
George Charles Szego, the engineer who persuaded Carter to install the solar panels, reportedly claimed that Reagan Chief of Staff Donald T. Regan "felt that the equipment was just a joke, and he had it taken down." The panels were removed in 1986 when work was being done on the White House roof below the panels
2010 - President Barack Obama Orders Solar Panels Reinstalled on White House
President Barack Obama, who made environmental issues a focus of his presidency, planned to install solar panels on the White House by spring of 2011. He also announced he will also install a solar hot water heater on top of the living quarters at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
usgovinfo.about.com
we're still on the wrong one...
White House Solar Panels Still Stuck in ‘Procurement’ Limbo
by Michael dEstries April 1, 2013
ecorazzi.com |
