Can we stop talking about the money part of green living? Can we not be happy that these people are making positive impacts on their lives? What happens in CA will happen in the South and Midwest in time.......I find it hypocritically that we ridicule celebrity for not being happy with what they have when us tree huggers can't be happy for what we got ( A list stars on our side).

Actually, the intent of my post was not to point a negative finger at her, but to point out how positive it is that she is, actually, on our side and saying the right things "loud enough" for many to hear.

And I don't believe it says anything about her not being happy with what she has to spend $30M to redo her house. Rather, I'd suspect that she legitimately wanted to make it greener, a positive thing.

But it just seems to me that spending that kind of money on an extreme home makeover, if you will, sends a conflicted message to folks eyeing what she has to say while sitting on the fence themselves.

Plus, who among us can legitimately make the argument that there are not more environmentally-positive ways to spend $30M than to redo their house? With non-profits desperately needing funds, it occurs to me that there may be better ways to spend the cash and make a difference.

Granted, it's most certainly her prerogative to spend her cash as she sees fit (and she should), but I don't have to sit here and pretend I think it's the best use of $30M.

Particularly not when, as I've posted recently, there's a guy out there who sacrificed both his family and personal fortune creating a device to cut deforestation and carbon emissions while ameliorating the difficulties of the world's poor who simply can't get funding to put it into practice.

Here's a link to that post...

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/12/inventor_sacrifices_family_personal_fortune_cuts_carbon_emissions_global_warming.php

My Best Always,

-kenny

It's interesting to me that so many people that DO have children don't care about the environment. I think it has more to do with being a conscientous person than it does having children. I don't have any children and yet I care more about the world than many people with them.

Even if it does seem silly for a monster house like this one but just think how this large scale project one got the word to more people, and it really helps the producers of green products get some large sales on their books.

A+ Julia

As a mom, I found myself thinking "green" after I had a child. I know that his future actions will be a result of our togetherness in the small steps of today. Our impact should not be judged by dollar amounts.

30 plus million is a lot to spend to "green" a house, but I'm sure it's going to cost that much (I'm sure incl. parts and labor) to do since her house is so big. It's not cheap at all to "green" up a whole house let alone one of that size. I know I've found it hard to do on my family's income.

Just think of it this way! That's 30 million dollars going into the "green" businesses creating a SERIOUS supply and demand effect.

A legitimate point to this case is that if she is a spokesperson on making our world a better place then it should only be right that she lives in a home that is "green". It all starts at home. And who knows, I bet quite a few of those awesome companies help further the non-profits orgs out there. It's a wonderful cycle in the green community. That money is well spent.

Having kids makes you more mature i think. It makes you view the world with less selfish eyes, so it makes you want to make a difference in a positive way