Greening the White House: A Comprehensive Energy and Environmental Retrofit

The Greening the White House Project, initiated by the Clinton Administration in 1993, aims to transform the White House complex into a model of efficiency and environmental responsibility. The project employs a six-component approach: audits, a feasibility study, early actions, demonstration spaces, long-term initiatives, and technology transfer. Key efforts include upgrading the building envelope, improving lighting and HVAC systems, and implementing sustainable procurement. The project emphasizes an integrated design process to reduce resource consumption by potentially 50% or more while respecting the historic and security requirements of the site.

• The project is structured around six core components: an audit, a Feasibility Study, early actions, demonstration spaces, long-term initiatives, and technology transfer/outreach.
• Energy and environmental audits conducted in 1993 identified opportunities for efficiency and noted that the Old Executive Office Building (OEOB) had an original passive cooling system that had been largely disabled, leading to a current reliance on 782 window air conditioners, 100 package units, and 3 chillers.
• A feasibility study sponsored by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) recommended improvements in the building envelope's thermal performance, lighting design, plug loads, and space heating and cooling systems to increase human comfort and reduce energy use.
• Early actions implemented to improve performance include replacing single-paned glazings with double glazings in 1,700 OEOB windows and installing a 'Golden Carrot' refrigerator in the Executive Residence, which uses 25-50% of the energy of existing models and contains no CFCs.
• The project aims to use demonstration spaces, such as the first-floor state bathrooms of the executive residence and OEOB office suites, to test and evaluate retrofits before full-scale implementation.
• Long-term goals focus on institutionalizing sustainability through the education of staff, the use of low or no-volatile organic compound (VOC) paints, and the development of a comprehensive management plan by the National Park Service.
• The project intends to serve as a model for other entities through technology transfer, including the creation of a 'Workshop in a Box' design tool and an interactive CD ROM for the public.
• The comprehensive Greening the White House project has the potential to reduce the resource consumption of the complex by 50% or more.

APA

Browning, W. D., Barnett, D. L., Ginsberg, M., & Sprunt-Crawley, A. (n.d.). Greening the White House: A Comprehensive Energy and Environmental Retrofit. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_D94-09_GrnWhiteHouse.pdf

Chicago

Browning, William D., Dianna Lopez Barnett, Mark Ginsberg, and Anne Sprunt-Crawley. Greening the White House: A Comprehensive Energy and Environmental Retrofit. RMI, n.d. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_D94-09_GrnWhiteHouse.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Browning |first1=William D. |last2=Barnett |first2=Dianna Lopez |last3=Ginsberg |first3=Mark |last4=Sprunt-Crawley |first4=Anne |title=Greening the White House: A Comprehensive Energy and Environmental Retrofit |publisher=RMI |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_D94-09_GrnWhiteHouse.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{browningndgreening, author = {Browning, William D. and Barnett, Dianna Lopez and Ginsberg, Mark and Sprunt-Crawley, Anne}, title = {{Greening the White House: A Comprehensive Energy and Environmental Retrofit}}, institution = {RMI}, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_D94-09_GrnWhiteHouse.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }