Live Earth

by Steve on July 7, 2007

The world-wide concert event brought to you by our very own Al Gore. Color me skeptical but a “green spokesman” whose own energy consumption far exceeds the national average is less than motivational. I keep hearing “Do as I say, not as I do” repeating in the background. With media sound bites and buzz phrases like “Save Our Selves (SOS)” and “A Campaign for a Climate in Crisis,” the cause is all the rage.

It opened in Sydney, Australia with Al Gore appearing on the BIG screen. Among his remarks he recited the Live Earth Pledge which includes the following:

To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO2 pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become “carbon neutral;”

To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation;

Imagine witnessing those words coming from a hollow-gram hologram of Al Gore mere weeks after learning that the self appointed Green Leader and inventor of the Internet was exposed as one of the worst energy gluttons ever. You may remember seeing an email that circulated a few months back comparing the Gore mansion’s energy consumption against the truly “green” Texas White House (Snopes confirms).

The average household in America consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, according to the Department of Energy. In 2006, Gore devoured nearly 221,000 kWh—more than 20 times the national average.

Released by the Tennessee Center for Policy Research:

Last August alone, Gore burned through 22,619 kWh—guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year. As a result of his energy consumption, Gore’s average monthly electric bill topped $1,359.

In total, Gore paid nearly $30,000 in combined electricity and natural gas bills for his Nashville estate in 2006.

Remember that pledge?

To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation;

“Hollow-gram” seems to fit doesn’t it? I find it extremely difficult to take Al Gore seriously but then again, that really hasn’t changed in over twelve years.

{ 1 comment }

Deborah Aylward July 7, 2007 at 14:11

Amen to that, sir. As a friend remarked this morning, “…just think of all the lights, musical equipment, gasoline to get to the venues, and CO2 emitted by the tens of thousands of concert-goers, artists/assistants/hangers-on and this concert is “green” alright…the money in the organizers’ hands…”. I agree.

Veritas et Fidelis Semper

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