[mookiemookie]

I think a lot of the resentment towards Al Gore is that he's asking you to make a change and live your life in a more sustainable way, but it's percieved that he's not willing to practice what he preaches.

Does that make the message of "change your life and live in a more sustainable way" any less valid? Of course not. The benefits of reducing waste, lowering energy consumption and finding alternative energy sources are not in doubt. I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone willing to argue against the fact that these are good things.

So I think it really comes down to nobody having the fortitude to actually give a damn and do something and make a change. Do you really need Al Gore to do it first? If he did, would you care? Is that the only thing stopping you from carpooling, buying sustainably farmed food and recycling your trash? I highly doubt it. This just becomes another sideshow that people bicker about because it takes the onus off of them to do something they'd find uncomfortable. If they argue about Al Gore's electric bills, then they draw the attention away from themselves and don't have to defend the fact that they haven't really done squat in their own life to make a difference.