How much Green does it cost to be green, and how many times can you type the word, "green" in a blog post title?

It's somewhere between 92 and 140 degrees outside today, and that completely supports the global warming theory in my book. I am no longer worried about the polar bears, as the ice caps must have completely melted in the last 2 days. I have noticed the a/c in my cars and house starting to pant and asking for union mandated breaks every few hours. Should that worry me? In my ever increasing efforts to be green, I decided to run some figures. So for all you numbers junkies out there:

Geothermal heating/cooling system - use the Earth's ground temperature to heat and cool your home. Decrease your cooling/heating costs dramatically (as well as your carbon footprint).
Cost for system and installation (no this is not something you can do yourself) $30,000 to $40,000 (varies with system size, horizontal or vertical layout and whether it's a new build scenario or replacing your consumption minded gas/electric/oil/coal furnace).

Windmill - Popular in California's high desert, and with government grants out there could almost become affordable. Cost, they start at $40,000 and go up from there (literally, the taller they are, the more expensive they become).

Solar - Who doesn't want solar panels on their roof? It's attractive and functional. But being in the Ohio Valley region, I am not one to count on the sun for any type of tan, much less energy. At any rate, these roof panels, start at $45,000.

Energy star rated windows, Tvkek house wrap, 2x6 framing, whole house attic fan and higher rated insulation (all beneficial), and you are looking at $6,000 to $12,000 per home.

All in all, if I can just find that $135,000 (give or take) I buried in my back yard, I can do my part to save the planet.

By the way, all you celebrities and former vice Presidents, you just keep flying around in your private planes and lecturing us common folk on how to do our part. I'll be on the Southwest red-eye (it's the only flight under 1.3 million dollars) between the fat guy and the anti showering hippie. Good times.

How Green is Too Green, and Why Isn't it Easier?

I read (can you really believe everything you read?) that environmentalists are encouraging families to limit their number of offspring to 2 children because it is better for the environment. The logic is, the more children you have, the larger your carbon footprint. Would the same logic suggest that at some point we should kill ourselves to minimize our overall carbon footprint? I mean, if you are dead, you are not consuming fossil fuels, you are not encroaching on the habitats of endangered species and you are not contributing to global warming. In fact, as you decompose you should actually be giving back to mother Earth!!! Perhaps that is a bit too green for me. Does that make me an energy hog?

Sometimes I wonder if it is too much trouble to try being green. We have to pay to have our local trash company recycle our trash (you know, the little red recycle boxes you can put out with your trash?), any hybrid vehicle is grossly overpriced, as is anything organic. In general, it is more easier to be Ungreen. Why is it easier to be harmful to the environment? You would think that our world leaders (not just the United States, so listen up China, India and Europe), would want to encourage more environmental responsible behavior. Not to mention global warming (which is of course, a joke born from the mind of weed-smoking tree sitters in Oregon and California). It should be easier.

One more thought: As the national average has topped the $4 mark, has anyone actually been to visit ANWR?