Looking at Al Gore’s Stance on Conservation of Energy
Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Former vice President and 2000 candidate for president Al Gore has been in the news a great deal lately. The reason for his sudden visibility has nothing to do with running for a political office, but for take a stand on the issue of energy conservation. In his book version of the movie An Inconvenient Truth, Gore apparently steps on a lot of toes when he makes some very common sense suggestions about ways that people of all economic classes can help to cut their energy use and become advocates for energy conservation.
An Inconvenient Truth
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The problem is that apparently a lot of people are more interested in what Gore is doing that in what Gore is saying. True, it is not unreasonable to expect a person advocating the concept of energy conservation to take some steps in that direction personally. However, it may be asking a bit much to expect the person to engage in the task in the same way that your would choose to cut your energy usage.
It is an unfortunate trait in society that people often prefer to find fault with the messenger if they don’t particularly like the message itself. In the case of Al Gore’s urging all Americans to find ways of decreasing their usage of energy, quite a few voices have chosen to point fingers back at Gore. His homes are too big. They use up anywhere from ten to twenty times the energy used by the average American home. He expends tons of energy with private planes, limousines, and other forms of travel. If he is such an advocate for conserving energy, where is the evidence that he is doing his part? Just whom does he think he is to tell the rest of us what to do when he does not seem to be doing much of anything himself, other than behaving like a true energy hog?
Perhaps the easiest way to put the entire process into focus would be to take a look at the measures that Mr. Gore recommended as ways to impact the use of energy in this country. First, he suggests that all of us would adjust our thermostats by a couple of degrees. The resulting energy savings over the course of a year would be astounding. Next, he urges the use of cold or lukewarm water in place of hot water whenever possible. The energy that would be saved by not heating water also would be significant. Installing solar panels would also stretch the source of electricity that runs through our national power grid, helping to decrease the chances for blackouts.
Activism is also urged. However, that activism takes the form of using our voting power to pass legislation that is ultimately friendly to the environment and will support further investigation into the matter of global warming. Gore is advocating activism as a means of education and involvement, not creating more protest.
His final suggestions come in the form of advocating what is known as working toward a “carbon neutral” lifestyle. That is, offsetting one’s use of energy by investing time and resources into projects that will ultimately create a more energy efficient environment.
It is ironic that many of the day-to-day suggestions that Gore is making have been used ever since the energy crisis of the 1970s. Who among citizens have not heard to adjust the thermostat and wash clothing in cold water rather than hot? solar panels are one form of energy alternative that has been advocated for decades. Many individuals already use their voting power to support green legislation, not to mention the fact that there are persons who have dedicated their lives and given their resources to finding alternative forms of energy that are more environmentally friendly. So why discredit Al Gore?
The answer is simple. Gore lives in large homes and uses a lot of energy to run them. On the surface, that looks like a direct contradiction of his message. Yet, has anyone noticed the solar panels on the properties he owns? How do you know that he has not adjusted his thermostat? Are his shirts washed in hot or cold water?
You simply don’t know.
You do know that the Gore family has used its resources to support green legislation and one would think they probably vote in support of any local or national bills that would help make a more energy efficient country. Certainly, the Gores have given of their personal resources to advocate the development of more energy efficient ways to run the country.
What the Gores have not done – and in fact have not urged any American do to – is to compromise their lifestyle to any great degree. Using cold water for the laundry and adjusting the thermostat does not cause any great discomfort. Neither does voting for what will ultimately benefit all. Instead of labeling Al Gore as a hypocrite who does not do what he preaches, perhaps your time would be better spent in finding out more about how he and his family implement the principles he outlined. There seems to be precious little of that going on. If you want to learn more about how you can help with global warming have a look at 200 Ways to Fight global warming, a ebook and audio program that will help you fight global warming today.
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