The Eco-Hypocrisy of Another Green Advocate; This Time Rolling Stone Owner

As NewsBusters noted, in June Rolling Stone published a “green” issue that still didn't please the enviro-left. Well, now Radar Online exposed the magazine's founder and publisher Jann Wenner's not-so-green lifestyle which contrast with his ecological stunts and stances.

 Radar's July 3 article and July 6 update about Wenner's high-living, carbon-spewing lifestyle which is filled with globe-spanning Gulfstreams, big SUVs, lending his evil Global Warming Inducing Death Plane to high-profile friends (like John Kerry) and staffers ferrying lunches back and forth should really tick the green crowd off. Oh, and he doesn't even recycle. Bad environmentalist, bad!

Wenner is reportedly planning to spend his summer jetting between Europe and his vacation home in the Rocky Mountains. How much carbon dioxide would this add up to for, say, just one get-away trip? Let's count. Wenner flies to his son's wedding in Greece and back to New York, then speeds off to Sun Valley, Idaho with his family. Counting just one round trip in each direction, the miles total to about 14,000.

Now for the fun eco-math (emphasis mine):

Wenner's Gulfstream jet has an optimal cruising speed of around 493 nautical miles per hour. (That figure, and the ones that follow, are based on calculations for a Gulfstream IIB, Wenner's longtime ride. In fact, according to sources, these days he may fly the slightly larger Gulfstream IV; a Wenner spokesman did not reply to calls for comment.) At that speed, the plane would produce around 80 tons of carbon dioxide during the 20-hour round-trip voyage between New York and Athens, and another 33.6 tons flying between New York and Sun Valley. Fun fact: According to the Environmental Protection Agency's emissions calculator, you'd have to drive a Hummer H3 200,000 miles to generate the same amount of carbon.

But it got worse. The update exposed more comical hypocrisy:

Moreover, according to another Wenner source, the Gulfstream isn't his only emissions-intensive vehicle. He also recently purchased a GMC Yukon Denali—an SUV whose fuel efficiency is on par with that of the Hummer—and also keeps a pair of snowmobiles at his place in Sun Valley, Idaho. Snowmobile engines are notoriously dirty, producing as much pollution in a day of use as a typical car does in 100,000 miles.

And Wenner isn't much better when he's in town, where he has a chauffeured Mercedes to shuttle him the 15 blocks or so between his apartment and his office. Even more wasteful is his lunch routine: a private chef prepares his meal at home, then staffers drive it down to the office, don black-and-white uniforms, and serve it to him on his personal china. "It's like a scene from Gosford Park," says the source. "He's the original limousine liberal." Employees also blame the scarcity of recycling bins in the office on Wenner's anti-clutter fatwas.

Yep. This is who I'm going to listen to when told that I should get rid of my dishwasher and ride the bus?

Yet another example of someone pushing the global-warming and environmentalist agenda who doesn't actually follow the "advice" given to others. This is the guy whose magazine linked 9/11 to Bush's environmental policies in the big 40th Anniversary issue and who put out the book, "Rolling Stone Environmental Reader."

Like Al Gore, Wenner wants you and I to change lifestyles, but he doesn't want to stop flitting about in private jets and killing Gaia one fun-filled vacation at a time. I guess a cross-country trip in a Prius is too bourgeoisie for him.

*Rolling Stone "green" issue photo with Sting via GreenOptions.com

Contact Lynn at: tvisgoodforyou2 AT yahoo DOT com