Al Gore defiantly shakes fist at global warming

How green is Al Gore's $9 million Montecito oceanfront villa?
Original Post: USA Today

How inconvenient is this news? Former vice president Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, bought a gated $8,875,000 ocean-view villa in Montecito, Calif., where Oprah Winfrey also owns a mansion, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Gore, author of the best seller An Inconvenient Truth about the dangers of global warming, received much criticism for the high electric use of his 10,000-square-foot historic home in Nashville. He says he's added 33 rooftop solar panels and seven geothermal wells and buys only renewable energy.

Does he plan to green the California villa, which reportedly has more than 6,500 square feet of living space, a swimming pool, spa and fountains?

Gore didn't respond to the Times' requests for comment, so its story is based on "real estate sources" familiar with the deal. The Times first reported the purchase last month, citing the Montecito Journal, but without further confirmation, Green House mentioned it only briefly.

The Huffington Post carries photos of the villa on 1.5 acres with wine cellar, terraces, six fireplaces, five bedrooms and nine bathrooms. It picked them up from the Real Estalker website, which says the Gores actually bought the property last year through their Tennessee-based trust and did not use their own names.

Montecito, located in Santa Barbara County about 100 miles north of Los Angeles, offers stunning hilltop views of the Pacific Ocean. It's one of the wealthiest communities in the United States, and many celebrities have homes there, including actors Michael Douglas and Chritopher Lloyd.

Can Gore make his Italian-style villa there energy efficient enough to stave off criticism? Has he hurt his own cause?

Gore, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for his work on global warming, Monday told students at Cal State Monterey Bay to "learn about" the issue, reports the Santa Cruz Sentinel. The story adds:

Gore urged the young people, who greeted him with enthusiasm and attentiveness, to be "true to their values" as he spoke about his nearly decade-long commitment to fight and educate the public about climate change...

Gore was asked whether because of his work on climate change he's become a vegetarian. No, said Gore, but he has cut back on red meat.

My comments: I don't give a rip how "green" his house is. Even though his last mansion's swimming pool used more electricity than 100 average American families in a year *cough cough* I think it's interesting that he choose to get a house on Ocean front property. Aren't the skys going to burn. Isn't the sea going to rise? If the sea is going to rise then why in the world would you get OCEAN FRONT PROPERTY? He's just tempting fate at this point isn't he? Or does he know something that he doesn't profess....