Al Gore’s house at 10,000sf does not use a lot of energy considering the number of people and staff/security who are in residence. As a residence of a former vice-president and now Hollywood celebrity the house hosts many guests for dinners, meetings etc… His house is not just a residence but an office and conference center.
As someone who has cut his energy use by 40% I know that it’s not easy. I insulated my house, replaced all the appliances with energy efficient ones, and changed the light bulbs to compact fluorescent where possible. You can also replace the windows but if you live in a historic old house, it’s not possible to do that without damaging the aesthetics. As a case in point, the brand new Icon building Downtown SD preserved the Carnation building facade. So the lofts units keep the old inefficient windows.
Replacing appliances and switching over to compact fluorescent lights are the two best things you can do to save energy. However, compact fluorescents are not as aesthetically pleasing as halogen lights. To save energy I use compact fluorescents under lamp shades. I only use my halogen spots lights when I have guests. Now I know that if had guests nearly every day, I wouldn’t save any energy — I’d most likely use a lot more energy.
Aside from cutting energy use, you can install solar panels to generate your own electricity. But installing solar panels requires a lot of space. The example that ucodegen put forward shows the homeowners living on acres of land near Santa Cruz. The system has a 2800sf array located 600ft from the main house. As you can see the from picture, the house is surrounded by unused land.
The reality is that a single homeowner can do only very little to affect the environment. We need to collaboration of business and community interests to develop green energy sources that are readily available to all.
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I don’t believe you need to be deprive yourself of caviar to speak up against hunger, or live in the ghetto to speak for the poor. Actually I admire rich families such as the Kennedys who dedicate their time to the working class.
Likewise, it’s not hypocritical for America to encourage poor countries to conserve their natural resources, given that we provide them with the appropriate incentives. Just because we cut down our own trees to create farms the size of Rhodes Island doesn’t make our environmental message less relevant.
It’s also not hypocritical for America to encourage fair labor practices around the world. Our message of human rights is not any less relevant because we used slave labor and child labor to develop our own economy.
It’s also not hypocritical for my dad to advise my nieces never to smoke although he sometimes smokes himself. He grew up in different times and developed different habits. At least, he recognizes his own errors and cares for the well-being of his grand-children.
