Reply to do you know anyone in this affluent area that has altered their lifestyle to reduce CO2 emissions?

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Reply to "do you know anyone in this affluent area that has altered their lifestyle to reduce CO2 emissions?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]In North Arlington, my wife and I feel like we are completely alone in our efforts to reduce CO2 emissions. We have just one car that we use sparingly, and we use bicycles for our local errands. We keep our thermostat at 65F in the winter (and wear sweaters) and 79F in the summer, using ceiling fans to make the bedrooms more comfortable. We greatly limit our international and domestic travel. We eat mostly vegetarian meals, and we never eat beef.

All of our neighbors have multiple large SUVs, and many neighbors have knocked their 2000 square foot houses down and replaced them with 5000 square foot homes. Some neighbors with 5000 square foot homes have only 1 child, so they don't truly need a huge living space. Many neighbors drive to work in their SUV without any other passengers to accompany them. They go on multiple international vacations a year (lots of CO2 per flight). Huge amounts of garbage are generated each week and placed on the curb, presumably to make way for yet more stuff that they are buying for their homes -- stuff that will probably end up on the curbside, destined for the landfill, a year or two down the road.

I've posted my frustrations in the "car and transport" section of this forum, only to be told by other posters that I'm jealous of my neighbor's SUVs and large homes. Despite a high level of education among DCUM posters, most don't appear concerned about the consequences of their consumerism, and can't even conceive of a high-income family exercising some restraint.

We are, in fact, a high net worth family, but we are striving to reduce our carbon footprint. We feel completely alone, like strangers in a foreign country. I'm curious if anybody else here feels the same way.

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No none cares.  And with good reason -- your sacrifice -- while perhaps noble ---- matters not a bit.  And if everyone in Arlington did like you it would not matter -- and the same for the entire US.  The issues are largely China and India.  We contribute and if they cut back we could I suppose and maybe but not likely there would be some impact.  There will be solutions but they are not driving less or keeping the temp in your house uncomfortable.  There is really no reason right now to reduce your footprint.  That is not what will solve the issues we have.  It is a little like disinfecting your take out and groceries at the start of the pandemic.  It may make you feel better but did not matter (maybe hurt?).  Yet lots of people did it and some still do.  We solve this by continued investment in wind and solar, massive expansion of nuclear, and breakthroughs in battery technology that are probably 20 years away.  Not by being extra hot or cold or drive less.[/quote]

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