In addition to winning the Nobel Peace Prize, Obama has been busy making the United States government more environmentally and socially responsible.
His new Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy will work to coordinate action on climate change. Obama also recently signed an Executive Order to promote ‘Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance’.
On the social side of sustainability, Obama created the White House’s new Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation. This new office will identify the most effective non-profit programs that are transforming their surrounding communities, especially in the priority policy areas of education, health care and economic development.
The President will ask Congress to give $50 million of his 2010 budget to the Social Innovation Fund, which was authorized by the recent Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. The Social Innovation Fund will be used as growth capital to help expand those innovative programs and to improve data collection and evaluation for programs the government funds. The Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation will partner with foundations, philanthropists and corporations to provide additional resources, funding and technical assistance to these programs that are creating positive social change in the US.
It remains to be seen as to how all of Obama’s policies will contribute the national economy, but taking responsibility and being accountable for national environmental and social issues is no small undertaking.
brownflynn.wordpress.com 