A 2012 survey of environmental heavyweights (including organizations such as World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace, Sierra Club and the Union of Concerned Scientists) led to a list of the greenest presidents our country has seen so far. You can read my post at Earth911 about 4 eco lessons we can learn from them.
Here are the top 5 with a few reasons why they earned the nod. (It’s interesting to note that two were Republican!)
Photo: Liz Lawley/Flickr
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Theodore Roosevelt (R)
Famous for his conservation efforts, Teddy—our 26th president—persistently lobbied Congress for wilderness protection and revolutionized the U.S. Forest Service. Under his authority, five national parks were created as well as 51 wildlife refuges, 18 national monuments, and 150 new national forests (protecting 172 million acres of land).
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Richard Nixon (R)
Love him or hate him, you have to give Nixon credit for supporting landmark environmental legislation. Nixon helped establish the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and his term saw the passage of the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts; the Coastal Zone Management Act; the Ocean Dumping Act; the Marine Mammal Protection Act; the Endangered Species Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act.
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Jimmy Carter (D)
This energy-saving president installed solar panels on the White House roof and was known to set the mansion’s thermostats at 68 degrees. His proposed national energy policy promoted clean, alternative fuels (solar and wind) to reduce our dependence on gas and oil. Carter also oversaw passage of the Alaskan National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which conserved more than 100 million acres and 26 rivers.
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Barack Obama (D)
Our current president is making his mark by raising auto fuel efficiency standards that could double the average mpg by 2025 and reduce our oil consumption by 2 million barrels per day. His stimulus package included an unprecedented $80 billion for clean, green energy. Obama also approved the nation’s first offshore wind farm and finalized the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards to reduce toxic emissions from power plants.
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Thomas Jefferson (D-R)
Aside from his Declaration of Independence fame, Jefferson was an avid botanist who envisioned an agrarian society living in harmony with nature. He commissioned the Lewis and Clark expedition, which became the first to study and document many of America’s indigenous species and peoples. Side note: Jefferson also used many local materials in building Monticello. (The bricks and nails were made on-site, and the stone and timber came from his own land.)
Click here to read the full report from Corporate Knights.
This post is featured on Small Footprint Friday, Thank Goodness It’s Monday and Natural Living Monday.
That’s interesting. I would not have guessed Nixon or Jefferson. I thought that perhaps Clinton would be on the list and, from what I’ve read, perhaps even George Bush (the younger). Thanks for sharing this!
Interesting read…thanks for sharing!