Al Gore to host 'green' inaugural ball

[Zeno Swijtink]

Al Gore to host 'green' inaugural ball
By Christina Bellantoni
Washington Times
Thursday, December 11, 2008

Former Vice President Al Gore will host a "green" inaugural ball the night before President-elect Barack Obama takes the oath of office.

"The Green Ball: Inauguration of a New Green Economy" will be held Jan. 19 at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington.

A draft version of the invitation, obtained by The Washington Times, urges people to join Mr. Gore to "bring together a diverse coalition of environmentally-forward organizations, entrepreneurs, scientists and advocates, celebrating a commitment to growing the New Green Economy."

More than two dozen environmental organizations are listed on the invitation.

It also features a green-shaded image of Mr. Obama, along with a quote from the Democrat's interview with Time Magazine from the fall.

"There is no better potential driver that pervades all aspects of our economy than a new energy economy. ... That's going to be my No. 1 priority when I get into office."

Mr. Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden huddled with Mr. Gore in the Chicago transition office Tuesday to discuss energy policy and ways climate change efforts can create new jobs.

The president-elect is expected to name his environmental posts soon, perhaps as early as Monday.

Meanwhile, a second group is planning a "green inaugural ball," calling it the first "eco-friendly" inaugural celebration. It is planned for Jan. 17 at the Andrew W. Mellon auditorium in Washington.

A press release issued Wednesday notes the catering will be "100 percent organic" and that the bars will feature both local and organic beverages. The food waste and floral arrangements will be composted and the lighting scheme will be energy efficient. The group will also pay for wind power offsets and carbon credits to make the event carbon neutral.

It urges guests to sport green or black ties.

The founder said the goal was to inspire the official inaugural committee to incorporate similar plans into their events.

Mr. Obama's team announced Wednesday the theme of the Jan. 20 inaugural celebration is "Renewing America's Promise," along with a preliminary four-day schedule of events that will wrap around the inauguration, including Martin Luther King, Jr. Day the day before, Jan. 19.

The theme of "Renewing America's Promise" reflects a vision that underscores the new administration's "commitment to restoring opportunity and possibility for all and re-establishing America's standing as a beacon of hope around the world," the Presidential Inaugural Committee said.

The schedule of events includes:

- Sunday, Jan 18: A welcome afternoon event open to the public.

- Monday, Jan. 19: Mr. Obama, Vice President-elect Joe Biden and their families "will participate in activities dedicated to serving others in communities across the Washington, D.C., area." Those activities will be in connection with congressional recognition of the King holiday as "a national day of community service."

- Tuesday, Jan. 20: Traditional inaugural ceremonies, including the swearing-in on the West Front of the Capitol, a lunch in the Capitol's Statuary Hall, the 56th Inaugural Parade and official inaugural balls in the evening.

- Wednesday, Jan. 21: Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden will participate in a prayer service.

[Melodymama]

What is with the black or green ties? The dress code should be that everything should be reused, previously owned, made from sustainable fibers, possibly brown paper bags made into a lovely gown, or fresh leaves and flowers woven into a skirt. These people need to get inovative and make a dramatic statement. When I think of all the money spent on just the shoes alone for these events, I get ill.

[Hot Compost]

A press release issued Wednesday notes the catering will be "100 percent organic" and that the bars will feature both local and organic beverages. The food waste and floral arrangements will be composted and the lighting scheme will be energy efficient. The group will also pay for wind power offsets and carbon credits to make the event carbon neutral.

a typical example of carbon offsets was mentioned during a broadcast of a pro surfing event this year. to offset all the CO2 created by the event (carbon source), they paid somebody to plant trees in Central America(carbon sink).

when our society gets serious about global warming, we will go ahead and create the carbon sinks, and we will dis-engage from the activities that constitute a carbon source. That way you actually remove CO2 from the atmosphere, which is the kind of thing you have to do to have any hope of reversing the enormous processes that are currently in motion, of which this Common Dreams article is one more example

https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2008/12/13-1

"'Things are happening much faster in the Arctic. I think it will be summer ice-free by 2015,' said David Barber, an Arctic climatologist at the University of Manitoba."

In the other examples mentioned, that means having local inaugural balls - and forgetting about flying or driving, you walk to a neighbor's house.

It also means cancelling the surf events in Tahiti & Fiji, and, for example, having local contests where Australians compete against Australians in Australia.

I think a lot of these "green" events are more about making people feel good than about effectively dealing with the situation of global warming. It would be a step forward if they would cancel carbon source events, pay for the carbon offset activities, resulting in a net carbon sink (removal of CO2 from the atmosphere) - and feel good about that.