Al Gore draws flack for his 100ft houseboat
How green is green enough? When it comes to Al Gore, some say he's done his part to fight the good fight against global warming, evidenced by winning a Nobel Peace Prize and an Academy Award -- so we should just leave him alone. Others wonder just exactly how he can reconcile his lavish lifestyle with his message of impending climate doom. First, it was his energy-hogging mansion, then the controversy over his jet setting, now it's his 100ft "green" houseboat. Is Al Gore yet another TV evangelist, living a contradictory double life? To be fair, he did name his 100' house boat on Center Hill Lake in Tennessee the "Bio Solar One" -- which I take to mean that it's mostly powered by biodiesel and solar energy -- a good start. It's apparently been called the "Toyota Prius of boats" by it's manufacturer. I myself would call it the "Hybrid Chevy Tahoe of titanic luxury houseboats." But hey, do we really want to split hairs here?
It's much more interesting to ponder exactly how accountable a supposedly green celebrity needs to be in order to keep their credibility in tact. Do they get a pass when they're guilty of greenwashing?













Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-15-2008 @ 11:40PM
Chris V said...
What, is Gore supposed to live in a one-bedroom apartment? Is he supposed to dismiss his Secret Service detail and shut down his wife's businesses so they can move into a studio apartment?
Yes, Al Gore lives in a big house. So what? He is a former Senator and former Vice President of the United States. He is a Nobel Prize Winner and movie star.
Further, in all his work, did he ever say people should move out of their big houses? No. His message was that we should reduce our carbon emissions.
Gore has bought energy efficient appliances. Gore has bought solar panels. Gore purchases green electricity. Gore HAS reduced his carbon footprint.
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9-16-2008 @ 11:13AM
Baron said...
If you are going to talk the talk, you need to walk the walk too. That is all well and good that he uses energy efficient things, even if he is running his boat on solar power and bio diesel and even if he went and planted 500 trees after building the boat, it is still a 100 foot boat that could have not been built. It still took up resources (renewable or not as a renewable resource might be something that takes 20 or more years to renew). I don't have a problem with how he lives or what he does, I just have a problem with him saying one thing and doing another. I think all the money he spent creating the movie, promoting himself, running for office, etc. could have been better spent and more effectively used else where...
Also, this is yet another interesting show of money from someone that is very close to socialism. There are hundreds of thousands (millions?) of people in the US that need help. He should, if he believes what he says, be giving his money to those people. In 2003, the average per capita income was 37,500 dollars, but I know a lot of people (heck, it is right at 30k where I live) that make much less than that. His policies would have you believe that his wealth should be distributed to make sure that everyone is making the same so that we can all be the same and on equal footing. I somehow don't see him doing that. I apologize for diverging from the original topic!
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9-16-2008 @ 3:30PM
John said...
I don't have a problem with Al Gore's over consumption. Gore can waste all the energy he wants and he will. He's consistently shown that he doesn't care about the environment but cares deeply about his public image. A man who starts a company that sells carbon credits and then makes a movie advertising the idea isn't an environmentalist, he's a businessman and a salesman.
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9-17-2008 @ 9:27PM
Roger said...
The official name is “Bio-Solar One,”. Yes, he named his boat "BS-1"
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9-17-2008 @ 11:45PM
Roger said...
The official name is “Bio-Solar One,”. Yes, he named his boat "BS-1"
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9-18-2008 @ 11:35AM
Karsten said...
Darn, big mistake...
It should say:
"VERY FEW" PEOPLE CURRENTLY IN POWER AND WITH INFLUENCE TO CHANGE THINGS WOULD HAVE EVEN STARTED THINKING ABOUT CHANGE had it not been for Al Gore and other rich, influential people who care and think ahead.
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9-18-2008 @ 11:40AM
Karsten said...
I completely agree with the first commenter. And I would even go further and say that MOST PEOPLE CURRENTLY IN POWER AND WITH INFLUENCE TO CHANGE THINGS WOULD HAVE EVEN STARTED THINKING ABOUT CHANGE had it not been for Al Gore and other rich, influential people who care and think ahead. None of these people would have listened to him if he would not be "playing" on the same field and at the same level. Al Gore never discovered anything really new. It was just news to those in power and it came from someone with equal power and influence. And it has moved into popular culture from there.
No you don't have to walk the walk to deliver the right message or convey scientific knowledge. This attitude is rather immature and is limited to looking at the messenger rather than the message. This is not about personalities - this is about scientific facts. Of course it is great if someone also lives according to the message they are trying to convey. Or if someone lives with low impact but has no message to deliver. But as I said, very few listened to those who live with little impact for decades now.
Hello! - listen to the message and try to grasp "content" rather than looking superficially at who is delivering the message and how they live. Smoking is bad for your health, no matter who tells you. Same with greenhouse gases/pollution/overpopulation, etc.
Karsten
http://www.polluteless.com
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9-18-2008 @ 3:08PM
Karsten said...
Darn, big mistake in my comment.
It should say:
"Very few" PEOPLE CURRENTLY IN POWER AND WITH INFLUENCE TO CHANGE THINGS WOULD HAVE EVEN STARTED THINKING ABOUT CHANGE had it not been for Al Gore and other rich, influential people who care and think ahead.
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