coordinatesales
03-29-2007, 10:38 AM
So... who's really more green? Al Gore, the current darling of the media and Hollywood, who Sunday night received a hearty ovation as he presented an award, and who was featured in "An Inconvenient Truth," the Oscar-winning documentary in which Gore pleads with Americans to save energy by reducing the amount of electricity they use at home?
Or... George Bush?
Seems a silly comparison at first, but maybe not. The Tennessee (http://www.associatedcontent.com/theme/675/tennessee.html) Center for Policy Research has found that what Gore deserves more than a gold statuette is a lesson from the current President of the United States.
Located in the Belle Meade neighborhood of Nashville, Gore's mansion turns out to be a real drain on the area's power grid. It seems that Al Gore consumes more electricity in one month than the average American family does in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service.
According to the Department of Energy, the average American household consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year. By comparison, Gore used more than 20 times that - a whopping 220,000 kWh - in 2006.
Even more amazing, last August Gore consumed 22,619 kWh, an astonishing two times as much - in one month - than that same average American family uses in a year. As a result of that consumption, Gore footed an average monthly electric bill of $1,359.
During the time since "An Inconvenient Truth" was released, of course, Al Gore must have lowered his energy consumption. Right? It's what he's telling all of us to do. Well... maybe not. From 2005 to 2006, Gore's average energy consumption jumped from 16,200 kWh per month to 18.400 kWh.
Not a lot of cutting back, Al. Definitely not a good example for those of us trying to take our cues from you.
On the other hand, we have George Bush. Surely the man constantly accused of being in bed with the anti-environmentalist, pro-oil lobbyists would have a house made to use up even more resources than Gore, correct?
Again... maybe not.
In an article first published in the Chicago (http://www.associatedcontent.com/theme/244/chicago.html) Tribune in 2001, Rob Sullivan describes Bush's 4,000-square-foot home near Crawford, Texas (http://www.associatedcontent.com/theme/836/texas.html) thusly:
Geothermal heat pumps located in a central closet circulate water through pipes buried 300 feet deep in the ground where the temperature is a constant 67 degrees; the water heats the house in the winter and cools it in the summer. Systems such as the one in this "eco-friendly" dwelling use about 25% of the electricity that traditional heating and cooling systems utilize.
A 25,000-gallon underground cistern collects rainwater gathered from roof runs; wastewater from sinks, toilets and showers goes into underground purifying tanks and is also funneled into the cistern. The water from the cistern is used to irrigate the landscaping surrounding the four-bedroom home. Plants and flowers (http://www.associatedcontent.com/theme/785/flowers.html) native to the high prairie area blend the structure into the surrounding ecosystem.
http://i-r-squared.blogspot.com/2007/02/more-on-al-gore-story.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/162671/the_inconvenient_truth_about_al_gores.html?page=2
This is great stuff! Funny how you don't hear about this stuff in the mainstream media. Oh yeah, this is positive news about Bush, the media doesn't dare report that. Bush is remarkably green and doesn't feel the need to brag about it. He just does it.
Or... George Bush?
Seems a silly comparison at first, but maybe not. The Tennessee (http://www.associatedcontent.com/theme/675/tennessee.html) Center for Policy Research has found that what Gore deserves more than a gold statuette is a lesson from the current President of the United States.
Located in the Belle Meade neighborhood of Nashville, Gore's mansion turns out to be a real drain on the area's power grid. It seems that Al Gore consumes more electricity in one month than the average American family does in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service.
According to the Department of Energy, the average American household consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year. By comparison, Gore used more than 20 times that - a whopping 220,000 kWh - in 2006.
Even more amazing, last August Gore consumed 22,619 kWh, an astonishing two times as much - in one month - than that same average American family uses in a year. As a result of that consumption, Gore footed an average monthly electric bill of $1,359.
During the time since "An Inconvenient Truth" was released, of course, Al Gore must have lowered his energy consumption. Right? It's what he's telling all of us to do. Well... maybe not. From 2005 to 2006, Gore's average energy consumption jumped from 16,200 kWh per month to 18.400 kWh.
Not a lot of cutting back, Al. Definitely not a good example for those of us trying to take our cues from you.
On the other hand, we have George Bush. Surely the man constantly accused of being in bed with the anti-environmentalist, pro-oil lobbyists would have a house made to use up even more resources than Gore, correct?
Again... maybe not.
In an article first published in the Chicago (http://www.associatedcontent.com/theme/244/chicago.html) Tribune in 2001, Rob Sullivan describes Bush's 4,000-square-foot home near Crawford, Texas (http://www.associatedcontent.com/theme/836/texas.html) thusly:
Geothermal heat pumps located in a central closet circulate water through pipes buried 300 feet deep in the ground where the temperature is a constant 67 degrees; the water heats the house in the winter and cools it in the summer. Systems such as the one in this "eco-friendly" dwelling use about 25% of the electricity that traditional heating and cooling systems utilize.
A 25,000-gallon underground cistern collects rainwater gathered from roof runs; wastewater from sinks, toilets and showers goes into underground purifying tanks and is also funneled into the cistern. The water from the cistern is used to irrigate the landscaping surrounding the four-bedroom home. Plants and flowers (http://www.associatedcontent.com/theme/785/flowers.html) native to the high prairie area blend the structure into the surrounding ecosystem.
http://i-r-squared.blogspot.com/2007/02/more-on-al-gore-story.html
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/162671/the_inconvenient_truth_about_al_gores.html?page=2
This is great stuff! Funny how you don't hear about this stuff in the mainstream media. Oh yeah, this is positive news about Bush, the media doesn't dare report that. Bush is remarkably green and doesn't feel the need to brag about it. He just does it.