President Jimmy Carter Receives a Rucksack

“I’m excited to receive an Austrian Rucksack” said President Jimmy Carter as Counselor for Agriculture and the Environment at the Austrian Embassy, Hans Kordik, handed the typical Austrian backpack, filled with Austrian delicacies to the President in Plains, Georgia.

The two men met to discuss, among other things, their professional interests in renewable energies and the environment. President Carter was the first president to commit himself to the issue of renewable energy in the 1970s. It was under his administration that the Department of Energy was created. In addition, Jimmy Carter was the first President to install solar panels on theWhite House, which delivered enough energy to heat all the water in the famed building. President Carter and his wife visited Austria on two occasions, one official, and one private. In 1979, the President came to Vienna to sign the SALT II (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) treaty with Leonid Brezhnev on June 18,