LOOK OVER THE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE FOLLOWING TWO HOUSES AND SEE IF YOU CAN TELL WHICH BELONGS TO AN ENVIRONMENTALIST.

HOUSE # 1:

A 20-room mansion (not including 8 bathrooms) heated by natural gas. Add on a pool (and a pool house) and a separate guest house all heated by gas. In ONE MONTH ALONE this mansion consumes more energy than the average American household in an ENTIRE YEAR. The average bill for electricity and natural gas runs over $2,400.00 per month. In natural gas alone (which last time we checked was a fossil fuel), this property consumes more than 20 times the national average for an American home. This house is not in a northern or Midwestern "snow belt," either. It's in the South.

HOUSE # 2:

Designed by an architecture professor at a leading national university, this house incorporates every "green" feature current home construction can provide. The house contains only 4,000 square feet (4 bedrooms) and is nestled on arid high prairie in the American southwest. A central closet in the house holds geothermal heat pumps drawing ground Water through pipes sunk 300 feet into the ground. The water (usually 67 degrees F.) heats the house in winter and cools it in summer. The system uses no fossil fuels such as oil or natural gas, and it consumes 25% of the electricity required for a conventional heating/cooling system. Rainwater from the roof is collected and funneled into a 25,000 gallon underground cistern. Wastewater from showers, sinks and toilets goes into underground purifying tanks and then into the cistern. The collected water then irrigates the land surrounding the house. Flowers and shrubs native to the area blend the property into the surrounding rural landscape.

ANSWERS:

HOUSE # 1 (20 room energy guzzling mansion) is outside of Nashville,Tennessee. It is the abode of that renowned environmentalist (and filmmaker) Al Gore.

HOUSE # 2 (model eco-friendly house) is on a ranch near Crawford, Texas. Also known as "the Texas White House," it is the private residence of the President of the United States, George W Bush.

So whose house is gentler on the environment? Yet another story you WON'T hear on CNN, CBS,ABC, NBC, MSNBC or read in the New York Times or the Washington Post. Indeed for Mr. Gore is "an inconvenient truth".

I once had a friend who was very proud of her untanned skin. She always slathered on suntan lotion whenever going outside and was one of the whitest people I've ever known. She was certain that she would never get skin cancer. Then a report came out that there was something in suntan lotion that was shown to cause cancer.

I have a favorite saying: life causes cancer.

I have a favorite saying: life causes cancer.

Well, I won't argue with you there. I have just been diagnosed with throat cancer. Your favourite saying will now probably become my favourite saying.

Not to hijack this thread but Green I am so sorry to hear about your diagnosis. You are in my prayers.

green, I am so sorry to hear this news. What is your prognosis? Treatment? (you obviously don't have to answer if you don't want to). I know you're an athiest, but I want you to know I'm praying for you.

Edited March 24, 200818 yr by gadgetlady

I am so very sorry to hear this news, Green....I am praying for you also. Please know that so many of us care about you and will be hoping for a positive outcome. As a cancer survivor myself (18 years), I know that there is much that can be done and that miracles happen every day. Be good to yourself and please, if you feel like it, keep us posted!

Well, I won't argue with you there. I have just been diagnosed with throat cancer. Your favourite saying will now probably become my favourite saying.

Green, I'm so sorry about the diagnosis, please know that my thoughts are with you, my best wishes that you will go through this strong and that you will be just fine Green, I'm praying too , (((((((((((((((())))))))))))))))))

Elena

Here is my story. I started suffering from a sore throat last May or June. At first I thought I was coming down with a cold, I am very prone to catching colds, then I thought that I had acid reflux. I had my band loosened and went on reflux meds. This didn't work so I had a complete defill in August. Then I caught one of my epic colds and when I finally recovered my voice did not. Then I got another cold! My voice got worse and my band surgeon thought that I might have a slip. Nope, that was not the problem.

Finally I saw an Ear, Nose and Throat guy. By this time my voice was shot and I was having difficulties breathing. He said I had a growth and booked an appointment with the chief surgeon at an excellent hospital who took one look at me, had me booked into the hospital as a patient and did a tracheostomy.

I was there for a week. While I was there they did a lot of tests and they taught me how to look after myself and my trach. I am at home now and tomorrow I will be seeing the oncologist at the hospital which only treats cancer patients. I will be finding out how they are going to treat my tumor and whether I will be stuck with this trach forever.

Fortunately the tumor, though large, is all in one place. This means that I probably will live, eh. The trach is a drag; it hurts and is messy and I cannot talk. And the treatment - whatever it is - is gonna hurt and be messy, too.

My mate has been great and I think he really enjoys Silent Green. lol

As for being green, being ill is not environmentally friendly! All my supplies come individually wrapped and the amount of garbage I am generating has trippled!

I gotta say that I am happy that I live in the land of universal health care. I haven't paid a cent for my care, not at the hospital, nor here at home. The home visits from the nurses, the medical equipment, and the medical supplies, right down to the hydrogen peroxide, are all free to me. Mind you, the thread count on those hospital sheets wasn't all that high, eh. I was starting to develop sores.... But the support staff were great and I did have a private room. And morphine on tap. teehee

P.S. Thanks everyone for your concern.

It sounds like you are getting great care, green. I am so glad about that, and also that you are getting good support from home. None of this sounds pleasant, but you have a great attitude and I admire you so much. Please keep us informed and remember that we are praying and pulling for you!

...My mate has been great and I think he really enjoys Silent Green. lol...

I know I'm terrible. But when you said you couldn't talk I wasn't able to stop from grinning at the thought of a Silent Green. But I wouldn't be surprised if some of the looks you exchange are louder than any words.

Please keep us posted.

Green--I just come home and read this news....please know my thoughts are with you. Speaking as another survivor-----keep your thoughts strong, and know we are all pulling, and praying for you.

I also agree with TheGhost---and if the looks don't cut it-take him down with your keyboard (no, no, no---not up side the head!) I have seen you in action....Although a silent green would definitely be a sad day....

I will do my best to cut my garbage put out, to make up for your increase----and I too am glad that $$$$ is not affecting the quality of your care, too often it does here.

Take care of yourself, and if ever you want to unload----type away....you know how the PM feature works I figure!!!

Time for you to be the Lean, Mean, Green......get an attitude with the cancer----you CAN beat it!

Kat

Hey, Green! So sorry to hear about all this going down. I sent you an email. (Or at least, I think I sent you an email. I got the address from an email that Wasa forwarded me. Who knows, there might be some weirdo up in Canada reading it right now. ) Just let me know what I can do.

I also agree with TheGhost---and if the looks don't cut it-take him down with your keyboard (no, no, no---not up side the head!) I have seen you in action....Although a silent green would definitely be a sad day....

Hah! I just got a picture in my mind of Green whacking some stupid person on the noggin with her keyboard!

....I will do my best to cut my garbage put out, to make up for your increase----and I too am glad that $$$$ is not affecting the quality of your care, too often it does here....

Time for you to be the Lean, Mean, Green......get an attitude with the cancer----you CAN beat it!

Kat

I may be a crazy right wing "liberal" conservative, but I love that idea. I'll jump on board as well and work to cut my garbage output at home and here at work.

Some of us may disagree on the various degrees of cause/effect we are having on the environment but I think we can all agree to support Green in this small way.

I may be a crazy right wing "liberal" conservative, but I love that idea. I'll jump on board as well and work to cut my garbage output at home and here at work.

Some of us may disagree on the various degrees of cause/effect we are having on the environment but I think we can all agree to support Green in this small way.

You know, you are so right! I'm not big on the green enviroment, but I'm BIG on our GREEN! and I can definitely support her on this one! and on anything else I can!

Elena:thumbup: