CNBC Highlights Conspicuous Green Consumption

Some wag dubbed the Prius the "Pious," for the smug self-righteousness of its greener-than-thou owners.  CNBC ran a segment this morning highlighting an even pricier form of conspicuous green consumption: the installation of geothermal wells in Manhattan as an alternative form of HVAC.

Narrating a segment that would have had Veblen nodding in approval, CNBC's Bertha Coombs observed "for many, it represents bragging rights in the pursuit of green luxury."  That segued to a clip of New York magazine's Jesse Oxfeld explicitly making the conspicuous consumption point.

View video here.

JESSE OXFELD: It's really making a statement of "it's important to me to be green, and look how much money I can afford to spend to show off how green I am."

Manhattan apparently has more than three-dozen geo-thermal wells, at such locations as the trendy Diane von Furstenberg studios.  Coombs reported that one such installation cost $150,000 more than a conventional HVAC system.  But hey, well worth it to flaunt one's commitment to save the earth.  Maybe Al Gore will drop by to . . . chill out.