President Obama, a Few Green Habits You Could Pick Up in 2009

President Obama, we here at EarthFirst are incredibly proud and excited to watch your inauguration today and we’re so very hopeful about what you can do for clean energy and the environment during your time as our country’s leader. The next four years are a crucial time, when we must ramp up our efforts to fight global warming and help our economy recover through the creation of green jobs.

When it comes to greening America, we already know that you believe that changing a few light bulbs in your home isn’t enough – and you’re right. We all need to do more than that – and as much green change as you’ll be pushing through on a national and international level, there are some things you could do in your own personal daily life that would be a boon to your health and an inspiration for billions of people across the world.

1. Quit smoking. You set out to quit during your presidential campaign, and then admitted to falling off the wagon. It’s a tough process, but we’ve got faith that you can handle it. And, quitting this dirty habit will not only set a better example for your two young daughters, but will enable you to stop contributing to pollution and deforestation (wood is used in just about every step of cigarette production). Tobacco production in developing countries uses child labor and causes food shortages by diverting farmland usage, not to mention all those noxious chemicals left behind in butts that litter virtually every corner of every state in America.

2. Become a vegetarian. Factory farms are among the worst polluters in the world, and generate disgusting quantities of waste filled with bacteria, diseases, pharmaceuticals and other contaminants. Ranching is a major driver of deforestation worldwide, overgrazing has turned a fifth of all pastures and ranges into desert and the impact of methane emissions from all those cows is greater than that of CO2 from cars. A cruelty-free diet is easy to stick to when you’ve got an uber-talented White House chef who can prepare healthy vegetarian meals for the whole family.

3. Plant a White House victory garden. Instead of that vast expanse of useless, resource-hogging grass, the White House lawn could be home to an organic farm that provides fresh produce for the White House kitchen with the remainder going toward local food pantries. We’d love to see a Victory Garden replanted at the White House to serve as an example for all of America and provide food for needy Washington DC communities at the same time.

4. Evaluate & improve energy use in the White House.  In your December interview with Barbara Walters, you stated your plans to green the White House and conduct an energy efficiency evaluation as soon as possible. We’d like you to not only follow through on that but make the results public so we can all see how making small changes can use fewer resources and save us money during tough economic times.

Stunning Inaugural-Ball-Worthy Gowns Made of Garbage

In honor of the upcoming inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, and the green themes that have appeared throughout his campaign, Great Green Goods has put together a collection of inauguration-worthy ball gowns made of the most creative of materials including junk mail, old t-shirts, men’s ties, candy boxes and even Obama campaign stickers.

It’s quite an impressive set of recycled fashion, with some designs a bit more wearable than others but all achieving the goal of provoking thought about how we can reuse materials.

From Great Green Goods:

Nancy Judd, from Recycle Runway in Sante Fe volunteered heavily in the Obama/Biden campaign this past fall. The day after the election she wasted no time and did a bit of “dumpster diving” behind Obama Campaign headquarters and struck recycled gold. She will be wearing this dress to the inauguration.

Created by the awesome and talented Jamie K. McIntosh from Twisted Textiles this dress is made from waste sheets of plastic film… the film’s original purpose was to protect pieces of plexiglass. (apparently Jamie worked in a manufacturing type plant that threw away this stuff by the boatload) There are details of the project on Jamie’s site, as well as on Craftster. One thing to note is that the bodice is made up of those little take-away mustard packages!

How awesome that Nancy will be wearing her sticker dress to the inauguration – it’ll definitely get some attention and send a message. And the best part is that it actually looks great! Here’s to sustainable fashion gaining more popularity in ’09 as Obama gets settled in.

Check out the rest of the designs and the stories behind them at Great Green Goods.

Link [Great Green Goods]

Summer Rayne Oakes at the Green Inaugural Ball

For more about Summer, see our “Hottest Girl in Green” post with lots of photos!

Thrifty Washington DC Tips for Green Inauguration Visitors

Headed to DC for the inauguration? Expect it to be extremely crowded, really cold and expensive. Don’t let the chaos of the event lead you astray from your green ways, though – Maura Judkis of US News & World Report’s Fresh Greens has a thrifty guide for green inauguration visitors that covers transportation, food, shelter, nightlife, free events – even ‘glamour’.

From Fresh Greens:

Shelter

Another green choice forced upon last-minute visitors: there are no hotels to be found anywhere near this city. That’s ok, though, since there are thousands of Washingtonians willing to rent out their places to you. You can get anything from an entire house to an air mattress on someone’s floor, all priced accordingly. Staying in a house is greener than a hotel (not that you have the option) because you likely won’t be consuming any more energy than the house’s original occupants would have. Many of the apartments are in great parts of town, within walking distance of the ceremony, parade, balls and nightlife. Perhaps your carpool buddy can stay with you, if you find a great deal in a close apartment, so that fewer people will need public transit. For last-minute housing, search Craigslist or AirBed & Breakfast.

Food

You’ll need reservations now if you want to eat at one of D.C.’s nicer restaurants at any point this weekend. With millions of people expected, many of whom are already beginning to file into the city, tables will be at a premium. For upscale eco-friendly dining, I like the appropriately patriotic Founding Farmers (1924 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.). Food is local, organic and delicious, and the bar’s mixologist shakes up prohibition-era cocktails – the restaurant’s specialty. Another notable green restaurant in D.C. is Nora (2132 Florida Ave. N.W.), which was the first restaurant in the country to be certified 100 percent organic. Hook (3241 M St. N.W.) in Georgetown was recently named one of the country’s best eco-friendly restaurants by Bon Appetit magazine.

Get the rest over at Fresh Greens, including details about both green inaugural balls. Have fun, be safe, and take lots of photos!

Link [Fresh Greens]
Photo credit: PIC2009.org