How Green is The Green Inaugural Ball
President Obama is expected to be the most environmentally friendly president in a long time so having one of the famous inaugural balls be The Green Inaugural Ball is a no brainer. But how green will that be?
Extremely green, from the energy, water and transportation used to the environmental luminaries and sponsored environmental causes, this promises to be the greenest ball of all.
According to an Event Emissary announcement, the staff and speakers will be using electric GEM cars to drive around Washington. The event is scheduled to take place at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium because of its proximity to the Metro.
The energy for the event will be offset by “credits to buy wind power”. A biodiesel generator will be used to power some of the event. Those who drive their own cars to the ball are being encouraged to purchase carbon offsets. Rather than traditional lighting, the venue will be using LED Color Blasts that use much less energy and generate considerably less heat, which in a crowded ballroom can be a godsend.
The food according to The Green Inaugural Ball website will be entirely local and organic with vegan and vegetarian choices. The drinks will include local and organic wines and other beverages that, if not local, are domestic. The water provided will come from an Ecoloblue atmospheric water generator.
Even the trash will be green. The event is only using recyclable products which will indeed be recycled at the end of the event. The left over food will be sent to a local farm for composting.
The invitations, programs and other written material are on 100 percent recycled paper that will also be recycled and will be printed with a carbon neutral waterless printer.
Then there are the speakers and environmental celebrities that will be attending the ball:
…presented by Discovery Channel’s Planet Green, will feature a performance by Grammy(R) Award-winner, Wyclef Jean. Additional entertainment for the evening includes JUST.LIVE and celebrity DJ Beverly Bond. Local radio personality, Tony Richards, is slated to be the Master of Ceremonies. Top environmentalists are scheduled to speak, including: Graham Hill, founder of TreeHugger.com and VP of Planet Green Interactive; Summer Rayne Oakes, model, activist and on-air correspondent for Planet Green; Christiana Wyly, environmental entrepreneur; Margie Alt, Executive Director of Environment America; Gay Browne, founder of Greenopia and Honorable Consul Thassanee Wanick.
After a celebrity list like that and the environmental considerations that have gone into this gala event from beginning to end, it will come as no surprise that also included in the evenings entertainment will be Recycle Runway artist, Nancy Judd. She will be showcasing her “Campaign for Change Couture”. Her garments for the collection are made from recycled Obama campaign posters and flyers.
I wonder how many of the attendees will be wearing shades of green.
Sources: Event Emissary announcement, American Progress, and The Green Inaugural Ball.
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January 16th, 2009
I just bought tickets to the ball, because of your article. Thanks