The Tennessee Center for Policy Research, an independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization, issued a press release late Monday:
Last night, Al Gore’s global-warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, collected an Oscar for best documentary feature, but the Tennessee Center for Policy Research has found that Gore deserves a gold statue for hypocrisy.
Gore’s mansion, [20-room, eight-bathroom] located in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville, consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service (NES).
In his documentary, the former Vice President calls on Americans to conserve energy by reducing electricity consumption at home.
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.
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.
Since the release of An Inconvenient Truth, Gore’s energy consumption has increased from an average of 16,200 kWh per month in 2005, to 18,400 kWh per month in 2006.
Gore’s extravagant energy use does not stop at his electric bill. Natural gas bills for Gore’s mansion and guest house averaged $1,080 per month last year.
“As the spokesman of choice for the global warming movement, Al Gore has to be willing to walk to walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to home energy use,” said Tennessee Center for Policy Research President Drew Johnson.
In total, Gore paid nearly $30,000 in combined electricity and natural gas bills for his Nashville estate in 2006.
I’m not saying what he is standing for is wrong…conserving natural energies/electricity is a great thing. I am from Northern California after all…I have some environmentalist in me. I just think he seriously needs to step back from the podium of bashing everyone about their usage and make a difference on his own merit. BTW, have you ever seen his Suburban cavalcade? Not very green, IMO…
What you are saying is that this spin agency, probably employed by big oil, has found a way to besmirch Gore’s name, hoping to subsume his message with negative personal propoganda. Did you see the film “Thank You For Smoking”? Something along those lines.
I was never impressed with Gore personally, and I don’t expect him to be some sort of saviour. You are aiding these slimers in their mission to subvert and redirect the public’s attention away from climate change by repeating their crap here.
Ok… You’re right…I just thought I should share this with some people.
Nothing makes my blood boil more than the oil companies coming out with their “newest” quarter profit that blows their last record breaker out of the water. It makes me sick.
I am not trying to be part of the smear campaign, I just thought that those numbers were astronomical! And, I wanted to link that carbon footprint website. They have some really great information.
To heck with Al Gore’s live-in staff, bodyguards, and all that. If Al is going to be a spokesman on global warming issues. I think he should live as simply as environmentalist Ted Kaczynski did.
Sure, Ted used the U.S. Postal Service - which uses trucks - and depending on one’s POV, that might have upped his carbon footprint a tad…but look at all the good he did compared to Al Gore. (Yeah, right.)
Al Gore could certainly do a lot more. Leading by example is usually much more powerful than preaching. The modest steps Gore has taken, such as buying a hybrid car, buying all green energy, would be budget busters for many average folks. In any case, even if all the wealthy did that, it would have close to zero impact on the problem.
Living in a smaller residence, is probably the #1 thing most folks can do. Refusing to make that kind of sacrifice is indicative of taking feel good easy steps, especially easy, when one is super rich like the Gore family. Making real sacrifices would be a much more powerful message.
I think the subject title is appropiate, that Gore is talking the talk and has taken some relatively easy steps, but made very little real sacrifice. If the situation is so dire, sacrifices will be necessary, and much better to do it, before asking others to do it.
I don’t know if you guys down south have to put up with him, but up here our version of Goracle is Dr. David Suzuki for the holier-than-thou climate change stuff. He is currently on a cross-country tour. Knowing that his big touring bus and road show consume and burn great wads and lumps of nasty stuff, his foundation went out and bought a whole bunch of energy credits to offset this.
I’m not sure if the US has caught on to energy credits yet, seeing as how you didn’t sign on to the Kyoto Accord. To me they are one of the most crooked shams created by the climate change fiasco.
No way, dude. I never used the rubber room, and have no intentions of starting. Too brainy for me. I’d much rather make trouble here in the fluffy lounge.
Actually, sending the message that fighting global warming involves big “sacrifices” like downsizing your house is not going to sell in America, and Gore knows that.
Energy efficiency means doing the same work with less energy. My Energy Star fridge cools food just as well as my old one did, for much less energy (it has already paid for itself in energy savings). Same with my Energy Star clothes washer. Most of us don’t actually have to make significant sacrifices or live in little cabins in order to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. All we have to do is start replacing, as we can afford it, our energy-guzzling appliances and other equipment with more efficient models.
Here, in order from highest to lowest, are the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States:
Electricity generation
Transportation
Industry
Agriculture
Commercial sector
Residential sector
Improving the efficiency of your appliances and lighting will help reduce electricity demand. Buying “green power” through your local utility (check out http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/locator/index.htm) will help add more renewable energy to the mix. Next time you have to buy a car, buying a fuel-efficient model (not necessarily a hybrid) will help reduce your transportation emissions.
If everyone does just a little bit it can have a big effect. But “everyone” isn’t just individuals, it’s also the electric utilities, car manufacturers, industry, etc., and they’ve got deeper pockets than we do.
Whether or not Al Gore is a hypocrite is a question some might want to investigate. The agenda of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research is quite clear, however, and I cannot accept citations of their “educational” materials in support of any argument concerning his actions.
I suspect that there are those folks who, no matter what he does, will dismiss Gore and all that he says… he’s rich, he’s articulate (but not socially adept - not ‘cool’), he’s a politician, he’s not willing to be quiet (anymore), and he’s asking folks to look at something ‘inconvenient’ and controversial… the odds are stacked against him. Unfortunately, given that what he’s talking about is quite serious, is scientifically acknowledged to be correct and acute, the odds are also stacked against ‘us’. Go figure.
Quite right, Annie. Its a waste of time worrying about the merits of Gore. Let’s not lose focus on the message by worrying about the colour of the messenger’s knickers.
I vehemently disagree. If Gore wants to make a difference, it is part of his mission to sell tough choices, not feel good rich folk stuff like he is doing. In my opinion, that kind of stuff won’t make a wit’s worth of difference given the size of the problem [as described by the alarmists]. It sure makes it easier on Gore’s mostly wealthy supporters to keep their palaces, when he is willing to keep his. If he traded down a lot of folks would think about it. A bigger home has so many costs, both in terms of materials used to build it, energy needed to heat and cool it, and biggest of all population density (longer commutes for errands and work).
My take is that all them rich folks want the working classes to sacrifice while they continue to live high on the hog. If car companies and electric utilities are asked to make expensive changes, those costs are mostly paid for by the consumer. Gore is point man in the cause, and in my mind, is showing an unwillingness to walk the walk. If the problem is the most serious one we face (Gore’s words), then do something, and not just talk about it.
. I’m slapping myself.