I have heard of "Cradle to Cradle", because some of our classes use it as a text, but I haven't read it and I haven't heard much talk about it elsewhere. So I don't know whether it's caught on in US design circles.

Not only does the VP not have much power, Gore was dealing with a hostile Republican Congress most of the time he was in office. So that probably has as much to do with it as anything. But yes, yay free press. :)