10A NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY OF LALEY KANSAN
MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2009
ASSOCIATED PRESS
On March 20, first lady Michelle Obama sets an eco-example for the nation by breaking ground for an organic herb and vegetable garden on the South Lawn of the White House with students from Washington's Browntower Croft School.
BY NANCY BENAC Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will find out two things as he studies how to make the White House more environmentally friendly:
GOVERNMENT
Obamas announce eco-friendly initiatives
No. 1: It's already been done.
No. 2. It needs to be done again.
It was Earth Day 1993 when President Bill Clinton launched his ambitious "greening the White House" project. That effort saved more than $1.4 million in its first six years, largely from improvements in lighting, heating, air conditioning, insulation, water sprinklers and other measures.
During George W. Bush's two terms, workers installed three solar systems, including a thermal setup on the pool cabana that heats water for the pool and showers and photovoltaic panels atop a maintenance shed that supplement the mansion's electrical supply. Bush also made a big push to recycle office paper, although the overall go-green effort lost momentum during his tenure, according to many outside observers.
in his economic stimulus package and budget, environmentalists are chattering about what further steps he will take at the White House.
No. 2: It needs to be done again.
Obama promised before he took office that he wanted to sit down with White House staff to evaluate what could be done to conserve energy in a 132-room bemouth of a mansion/office that leaves an EEE-sized carbon footprint.
"They're very focused on leading by example," said Rick Fedrizzi, chief executive of the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council, which has offered advice to the White House. "It's great to see that they're focused on solid solutions and not just throwing sound bites over the fence every day."
"Part of what I want to do is to show the American people that it's not that hard," Obama said in a television interview during the transition. He said he's one of those people who tiptoes around and turns off lights at night. "I'm not going to be obsessive about it. But I do that
the White House, but administration officials report that small steps are under way: The housekeeping staff's making the switch to greener cleaning supplies, and complex managers have asked engineers and groundkeepers to use greener products whenever possible. Efforts are afoot to improve and promote recycling.
As for what more can be done, outside experts on green buildings report that the administration is seeking out information about what's feasible. Given the priority Obama placed on renewable energy
Obama isn't ready to give details of his broader go-green plans for
in my current house. So there's no reason why I wouldn't do it in my next one"
The family already is taking action to set an eco-example for the nation. First lady Michelle Obama recently broke ground for an organic herb and vegetable garden on the South Lawn. The Obamas have installed an environmentally friendly wooden swing set for their children on the White House grounds. Cushioning underfoot is made from recycled rubber tires.
Sometimes, good intentions have gotten ahead of the technology in eco-efforts at the White House.
NATIONAL
Per-pack cigarette tax rises 62 cents this week
BY RICARDO
ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - However they satisfy their nicotine cravings, tobacco users are facing a big hit as the single largest federal tobacco tax increase ever takes effect Wednesday.
Tobacco companies and public health advocates, longtime foes in the nicotine battles, are trying to turn the situation to their advantage. The major cigarette makers raised prices a couple of weeks ago, partly to offset any drop in profits once the per-pack tax climbs from 39 cents to $1.01.
Medical groups see a tax increase right in the middle of a recession as
a great incentive to help persuade smokers to quit.
Other tobacco products, from cigars to pipes and smokeless, will see similarly large tax increases, too. For example, the tax on chewing tobacco will go up from 19.5 cents per pound to 50 cents. The total expected to be raised over the 4 1/2 year-long health insurance expansion is nearly $33 billion.
Smokers are mulling their options.
Tobacco taxes are soaring to finance a major expansion of health insurance for children. President Barack Obama signed that health initiative soon after taking office.
Standing outside an office building in downtown Washington last week, 29-year-old Sam Sarkhosh puffed on a Marlboro Light. His 8-year-old daughter has been pleading with him to quit, he explained, and he has set a goal to give up smoking by his 30th birthday.
"I'm trying to quit smoking, and it could help," said Sarkhosh, an information systems specialist. "I don't think it will stop me from buying cigarettes every now and then, but definitely not as often." A friend who smokes Camels went out and bought four cartons in advance, he said.
The tax increase is only the first move in a recharged anti-smoking campaign. Congress also is considering legislation to empower the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco. That could lead to reformulated cigarettes. Obama, who has agonized over his own cigarette habit, said he would sign such a bill.
Prospects for reducing the harm from smoking are better than they have been in years, said Dr. Timothy Gardner, president of the American Heart Association. The tax increase "is a terrific public health move by the federal government," he said. "Every time that the tax on tobacco goes up, the use of cigarettes goes down."
About one in five adults in the United States smokes cigarettes. That's a gradually dwindling share, though it isn't shrinking fast enough for public health advocates.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says cigarette smoking results in an estimated 443,000 premature deaths each year, and costs the economy $193 billion in health care expenses and lost time from work.
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