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The truth hurts they say and I bet this would hurt some but this is the article Tirock posted elsewhere by the Canadian Journalist.... some could be heeded and think of the reduction...
By LORRIE GOLDSTEIN, Toronto Sun, February 22, 2007
I applaud the many rock stars and other celebrities who are helping former U.S. vice-president Al Gore stage seven "Live Earth" concerts around the world on July 7, to alert us to the dangers of global warming.
As long as every one of these Captain Kyotos signs the following pledge:
"I (insert name here) accept that as a multi-millionaire who has profited enormously from our consumer-driven culture, I have become a poster (insert gender here) boy/girl for excessive and conspicuous consumption, and that I am therefore disproportionately responsible for man-made global warming.
"I promise to take the following steps immediately, both to set an example to others and to reduce my carbon imprint on the Earth.
(1) Since cars are a major contributor to global warming, I will sell all the vehicles I own, donating the proceeds to a worthy environmental charity and replace them with one car -- a small hybrid with no air conditioning. Of course I will take public transit whenever possible.
(2) Since houses are major emitters of greenhouse gases, I will sell all the mansions and other residences I own around the world and donate the proceeds to environmental causes. For my personal use, I will purchase one home in the country of which I am a citizen of no more than 2,000 square feet, still giving me a level of privacy and luxury unknown to the people of the Third World, who have suffered enormously due to my excessive, personal contribution to man-made global warming throughout my career.
(3) Since flying is devastating to the climate because it injects greenhouse gases directly into the atmosphere at high altitudes, I will never again fly for pleasure anywhere in the world, including in my own jet or in one chartered for me. If I must fly for my work, I will restrict myself to regularly-scheduled commercial flights, substituting more environmentally-friendly train or bus travel whenever possible.
(4) I will never again claim to be "carbon neutral" merely because I made a donation to some group that plants trees, since such programs are increasingly suspect in terms of their effectiveness and because this would be a continuation of my refusal to accept personal responsibility for the disproportionate environmental damage my extravagant lifestyle has caused.
(5) I will never again go on a shopping spree in New York, L.A., London, Paris, Rome, Hong Kong or anywhere else, thus freeing myself from unnecessary possessions that require the burning of enormous amounts of fossil fuels both to create and to transport around the globe.
(6) Since locally-produced food and drink generate fewer greenhouse gases than those imported from abroad, I will consume only domestically-produced food, water and alcohol, including champagne.
(7) When taking vacations, I will confine myself to locales that are within driving distance of my home. Never again will I fly to any exotic, five-star resort, whose very existence is a grotesque monument to conspicuous consumption, one which could not have been built without the excessive burning of fossil fuels.
8. Finally, I will never again permit my music or image to be used to sell any commercial product, to show that we must all simplify our lives in order to reduce our carbon footprint and save the Earth."
I can't wait to see who signs up. Can you?
end of snip.
alex
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