How do you justify your desire for travel & leisure with going green?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because my overall footprint is still less than most. I drive an economical vehicle, and not even that much. Heat is set to 64 in winter, 77 in summer (little cooler at night). Small home, not a lot of land, do not have a consumerist mentality and don't buy junk stuff that isn't needed. Will keep the same phone for 5+ years.

Who constitutes “most”? Certainly it the worldwide most. Probably not the American most.

OP, here’s what I would basically say. We have a net worth of $4M in our early 40s. Most people of our means, in our area, live in 8k sf houses, but we squeeze into 4K sf. We only own two cars, neither is a Suburban, and one is a hybrid. Most of our vacations are driving destinations, and many of them are cruises, which we’re sharing with thousands of other passengers.

All of this is true. I, of course, would never bother to say any of it, because it’s a futile justification. You can not burn fossil fuels and explain it away by saying that someone else burns more. So I just shrug. If we need to decarbonize, we’ll do it with nuclear when people are ready for for that. Everything else is smoke and mirrors.

Wow, if you have to “squeeze” into a 4K sqft house you’re doing something wrong.

We have higher net worth and don’t have to squeeze into our 2500 sqft house even with 6ft+ teens.

Well our net worth is not only higher but TEN TIMES higher. And my teens are not tall, but they do weigh 300 to 400 lbs apiece. And we live in a GD 8’ x 10’ cardboard box on the overpass across from the Kennedy Center. No electricity at all. So maybe *you’re* doing something wrong you smug SOB.

A touchy one…

Eh. Not really. Your comment was just a chef’s kiss combination of smug and dumb.

Enjoy your shack.

You started the smug wars, and just keep proving my point.

[Anonymous]

You travel and enjoy. Going green as a lifestyle is dumb. Certain things can be done green. Others are 20 years away (cars).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t give a Skip to My Lou about faddish, en vogue theatre about the environment. So when I hoist my hefty frame onto a First Class flight to the Islands to eat steak and lobster on the beach, taking Chevy Suburbans for every road interval, I feel not the slightest pang of guilt or hypocrisy.

We all need a code. I live by mine.

This comment made me feel a bit sick to my stomach.

It's clearly satire.

Nope. Wasn’t satire at all. (I’m the PP who wrote it.)

You green types are all so tiresome. Nothing you do matters. Literally nothing. You can recycle till Kingdom come, put your little compost thing on the kitchen island, get dual EVs for the driveway, and seriously cut back on red meat. Get yourself a stainless steel water bottle and carry it everywhere. Leave your f$cking thermostat at 79 all summer. Then you can get every one of your friends and family to do the same, then every single American family. And it won’t move the needle the slightest little bit.

It’s all a show.

You are your cynicism are what's tiresome. I feel sorry for those in your life, you are a net negative, non-contributor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because my overall footprint is still less than most. I drive an economical vehicle, and not even that much. Heat is set to 64 in winter, 77 in summer (little cooler at night). Small home, not a lot of land, do not have a consumerist mentality and don't buy junk stuff that isn't needed. Will keep the same phone for 5+ years.

Who constitutes “most”? Certainly it the worldwide most. Probably not the American most.

OP, here’s what I would basically say. We have a net worth of $4M in our early 40s. Most people of our means, in our area, live in 8k sf houses, but we squeeze into 4K sf. We only own two cars, neither is a Suburban, and one is a hybrid. Most of our vacations are driving destinations, and many of them are cruises, which we’re sharing with thousands of other passengers.

All of this is true. I, of course, would never bother to say any of it, because it’s a futile justification. You can not burn fossil fuels and explain it away by saying that someone else burns more. So I just shrug. If we need to decarbonize, we’ll do it with nuclear when people are ready for for that. Everything else is smoke and mirrors.

Wow, if you have to “squeeze” into a 4K sqft house you’re doing something wrong.

We have higher net worth and don’t have to squeeze into our 2500 sqft house even with 6ft+ teens.

Well our net worth is not only higher but TEN TIMES higher. And my teens are not tall, but they do weigh 300 to 400 lbs apiece. And we live in a GD 8’ x 10’ cardboard box on the overpass across from the Kennedy Center. No electricity at all. So maybe *you’re* doing something wrong you smug SOB.

Haha, rage more loser, just don't get behind the wheel of your lifted douche mobile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You travel and enjoy. Going green as a lifestyle is dumb. Certain things can be done green. Others are 20 years away (cars).

Super persuasive!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You travel and enjoy. Going green as a lifestyle is dumb. Certain things can be done green. Others are 20 years away (cars).

Super persuasive!

Thanks -- it is the only real solution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t give a Skip to My Lou about faddish, en vogue theatre about the environment. So when I hoist my hefty frame onto a First Class flight to the Islands to eat steak and lobster on the beach, taking Chevy Suburbans for every road interval, I feel not the slightest pang of guilt or hypocrisy.

We all need a code. I live by mine.

I knew Hollywood types posted here on occasion, but I never thought I’d read one by Al Gore himself!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a great topic. I think air and ocean travel should be heavily taxed. UMC and rich people travel entirely too much. You don't need multiple vacations a year away from home. It is gross consumerism.

Yes, I do. I live in a one bedroom apartment and don't have children or a car. I get to travel guilt-free.

Why are you posting on a mom’s discussion board if you’ve never had kids? That’s weird AF.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I notice that the people pushing for us to "go green" are either jetting around the country in large aircraft, or being chauffeured around in large, gas-powered SUVs. They do not practice what they preach. I have no respect for hypocrites.

This. 100%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a great topic. I think air and ocean travel should be heavily taxed. UMC and rich people travel entirely too much. You don't need multiple vacations a year away from home. It is gross consumerism.

Agree.

Once heavily taxed, travel will be freed of the little people (middle and lower class people, who really need to just stay home). Only the rich should be allowed to travel.

Which is the entire goal of the green movement. To foster a world where only the elites travel.

What’s the point of being a celebrity or WEF Member if you might find yourself on a beach in the Maldives next to an electrician from Fort Worth?

[Anonymous]

I’m doing my part to offset things. I have small farm in Fort Valley, VA. I raise free range laying hens and sell eggs to a co-op during season. Also grow 3 cuttings of 100% organic alfalfa every year. And I collect old tires throughout the year, and make a big pile of them and set fire to it every April 20, just to put a thousand or so pounds of carbon back into the atmosphere for plants to feed on.

[Anonymous]

I don't drive that much, don't have a commute. I do travel once a year to see family. The planes are going to fly anyway. It's not like not flying means the planes fly any less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So going green is now en vogue. You aren't progressive, open minded, and concious unless you care about the planet. How then do you explain the massive demand then for travel and leisure? Taking a single flight burns nearly as much fossil fuel as you'd emit from an entire year's worth of driving. Then there is so much taxing consumption on the planet for water, land, pollution etc. all related to tourism and travel. The people who constantly talk the most about going green probably do things like buy expensive Teslas and solar panels, yet are the same types who cannot help to show off how much they travel on social media. How can one possibly be progressive on environmental issues and simultaneously travel the world or even far away in this country for the sole purpose of leisure? Makes no sense. Every trip you take burns massive amounts of fossil fuels and causes tons of waste.

We do a lot to reduce our footprints on a normal day-to-day level. I can't reconcile my travel and I don't plan to. I cannot change the fuel efficiency of jets, etc. I support any changes that can be made to improve those things but that's about all I can do. I try to stay away from certain things (e.g. cruises) as they are cesspools and a pox on the environment (imo and I'm not here to argue it). I respect the places I go to visit. I'm not sure what you are expecting people to do: Not travel?

I also do not feel that it is an "en vogue" thing to go green. Maybe for some but it's not for many.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So going green is now en vogue. You aren't progressive, open minded, and concious unless you care about the planet. How then do you explain the massive demand then for travel and leisure? Taking a single flight burns nearly as much fossil fuel as you'd emit from an entire year's worth of driving. Then there is so much taxing consumption on the planet for water, land, pollution etc. all related to tourism and travel. The people who constantly talk the most about going green probably do things like buy expensive Teslas and solar panels, yet are the same types who cannot help to show off how much they travel on social media. How can one possibly be progressive on environmental issues and simultaneously travel the world or even far away in this country for the sole purpose of leisure? Makes no sense. Every trip you take burns massive amounts of fossil fuels and causes tons of waste.

This is quite silly. We should not be focused on this at all. Not a major cause of issues. A lot would have to happen for this to matter. People need to travel more so that we have more understanding.

No, it's a perfectly valid question, actually, because it's not like anyone's going to travel LESS. The goal is to travel CLEANER. Please raise awareness of electric planes.

Actually, we are traveling significantly less than we used to, specifically because we can't justify the miles any more. We'll be delighted when electric air travel becomes a reality, but unfortunately that's probably at least 10-20 years away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I notice that the people pushing for us to "go green" are either jetting around the country in large aircraft, or being chauffeured around in large, gas-powered SUVs. They do not practice what they preach. I have no respect for hypocrites.

This. 100%.

And those of us who actually do practice what we (rarely) preach don't like the hypocrites, either. But their hypocrisy doesn't dissuade us from thinking we should still do what we can to preserve the planet for future generations.