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Al Gore Responds To Earth Hour Accusations

By Kleinheider Posted on March 30, 2009 at 8:54 am

Kalee Kreider, a spokeswoman for Al Gore, issued this statement in response to accusations that the Gore’s did not observe Earth Hour:

The Gores honored Earth Hour by shutting off the lights at their residence. The heating and air conditioning were turned off as well. But more importantly, the Gores live in a Gold LEED certified home, powered by geothermal power. They have undergone renovations to put solar panels on the roof and participate in all of the renewable power programs offered by their local utility. They aren’t perfect, no family is, but they do their best, year-round to try to make a difference at home and across the country to make a difference on the climate crisis.

Asked if this meant that the Gore’s were asserting that Drew Johnson was mistaken about seeing lights on at the residence, Kreider responded, “Correct.”

UPDATE: Drew Johnson stands by his story.

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53 Responses to “Al Gore Responds To Earth Hour Accusations”

  1. Mister Snitch writes
    March 30th, 2009 9:53 am

    Nowhere in the statement does it say, plainly, that the lights were out. All it says is how the Gores get (some? all?) their power.

  2. Phil writes
    March 30th, 2009 10:10 am

    Gore’s spokeperson’s claim that the Gore’s house is geothermal powered is wrong.

    I have geothermal as a heating system in my house. I know how it works. It is a more efficient way to heat a home than burning fossil fuels for heat, but it not a source of power. (Note, the term geothermal is used in two different ways – in one case, tapping heat high enough to generate steam can actually be used to provide power, as with geothermal applications in Iceland and some other places, but Gore’s installation is similar to mine – taking advantage of the roughly 50 degree earth a few hundred feet down, coupled with a heat pump.)

    Adding a geothermal system is roughly like spraying silicone on a rusty bicycle chain – both actions reduce the amount of energy needed to achieve your task, but it would be as wrong to call the bicycle “silicone powered” as it is to say his house is ”geothermal powered.”

    We can separately debate the value of “earth Hour” but Gore was not a participant, if the writer did see spotlights glowing.

  3. MattinVA writes
    March 30th, 2009 10:12 am

    I thought the point of the event was to show support for energy-saving efforts, and thus “save the planet” efforts, by not using power for that hour?

    If that WAS the point, then Mr. Gore missed it.

  4. Diggs writes
    March 30th, 2009 10:24 am

    You’re wasting your breath trying to convince envirotards that Gore can’t power his lights via “geothermal power”. If the gorebots knew anything about the production of electricity, they wouldn’t have anything to do with Gore.
    If, as his spokesperson say, Gore had turned off his heating and air-conditioning, the geothermal part of the equation is zero. Unless there is some sort of geothermal electrical generation plant on the Gore mansion grounds (there isn’t), then Gore powered his lights during that hour the way he and most of us power our lights, with power off the grid.

  5. GQ Drew Stands By His Story That Gore’s House Was Lit During Earth Hour : Post Politics: Political News and Views in Tennessee writes
    March 30th, 2009 10:45 am

    [...] You’re wasting your breath trying to convince envirotards… [...]

  6. Jon writes
    March 30th, 2009 10:46 am

    “Nowhere in the statement does it say, plainly, that the lights were out.”

    uh…

    “The Gores honored Earth Hour by shutting off the lights at their residence.”

  7. KellyJ writes
    March 30th, 2009 10:50 am

    Maybe the Goreacle observed Earth Hour at 8:30 Hawaii time, after he went to bed.

  8. Porter Gullen writes
    March 30th, 2009 11:07 am

    I participated in Earth Hour about as much as Algore did…I burned that pesky, big pile of old car tires in my back yard in celebration.

  9. Sarge writes
    March 30th, 2009 11:22 am

    “Shutting off the lights at their RESIDENCE” doesn’t equate to shutting off their landscaping lighting, does it?

    Nor does it deny the continued use of (notoriously power-hungry) flatscreen TVs, or computers, which was what was reported as having been seen inside.

    A non-denial denial.

    And he still flies in private jets.

  10. EcO writes
    March 30th, 2009 11:22 am

    The heating and cooling may be done employing the use of geothermal exchanges, the equipment used to employ that process would need electicity and a source for it. Enough photovoltaic solar panels could provide the power required to run some lights, possibly even some flood lights around trees that were on motion detectors (to save energy) that might go on when a reporter gets in their car (using energy) to drive to Al Gore’s house and maybe tries to get close enough to the house to determine where the “glow” inside is coming from so they can write an article to discredit Al Gore and get some nice checks from those who would like to stop Al Gore and others from digging into their profits by finding other means of powering up their homes and vehicles and stopping the dumping of toxic garbage into the air in the same way people want to stop their neighbors from opening a toxic waste dump next door to them for obvious reasons. Someone can put something poison on the ground and it will stay in one place and may only poison a small area around it. Add rain and the poisons could be transferred via the various ways water flow to or away from things, from one property to the next, underground or above ground or into other bodies of water. Little in that is placed into the air (atmosphere) stays where it was put, thus posions pumped into the air rarely stay on the property they are pumped from and just because they are no visible or have no discernable taste does not mean they are not toxic either in small or great numbers. Those that have been dumping into the air don’t want to spend the money that will be required to render that which they pump into the air harmless before doing so. Why do so many people grasp water pollution (especially their drinking water) so well, yet seem to find it so difficult to grasp the effects of what is pumped into their breathing air and that which affects climate?

  11. Andy writes
    March 30th, 2009 11:49 am

    …..and EcO shows up to prove Diggs’ point. Well done!

  12. Dusty writes
    March 30th, 2009 12:00 pm

    Glenn Reynolds had a question, “But is Al’s house really ‘powered by geothermal power?’” and I was wondering: In your neck of the woods, does constructing a geothermal system for a residence require a city application for development and/or construction permit?

  13. Mark the Zealot writes
    March 30th, 2009 12:43 pm

    Of course the Gores use geothermal! They are directly tapped into the Nashville gyser system, Old Faithless.

  14. ichannel writes
    March 30th, 2009 12:58 pm

    Ed Anger says: ‘Al Gore is an Earth Hour hypocrite!’…

    …

  15. David writes
    March 30th, 2009 1:15 pm

    Geothermal power my ass. They have a damn heat pump, a commonplace and not highly efficient thing in climates like Tennessee’s. More pompous grandiosity from Al Gore.

  16. Toes192 writes
    March 30th, 2009 1:32 pm

    We opened our windows today to ventilate the house after sealing it to prevent volcanic ash from entering… A little geo-thermal activity going on at Redoubt you know…

  17. Eddie writes
    March 30th, 2009 1:37 pm

    Al Gore is a hypocrite and always has been. Global warming is nothing more then a way for him to profit of of other peoples fears.

  18. El Rey writes
    March 30th, 2009 1:51 pm

    According to a simple search of the USGBC registry of LEED certified buildings, Gore’s house is not LEED Gold certified. Another Gore Lie…

  19. Rev. Dr. E. Buzz Miller writes
    March 30th, 2009 1:54 pm

    I thought Al was Mr. Tech, Mr. HiTech Internet Entrepreneur???

    If he is, why in the world did he release his scary good movie on DVD?

    Aren’t those made out of plastic? Plastic which is made from oil?

    Why didn’t Mr. Technology Guru give it away for free on the internet?

    And what about the internet and computing? Why is it Mr. Laptop Tech is such a tech guy when those things are ALWAYS on, servers and routers, and are simply WASTING billions of tons of Mother Earth?

    He is a complete and utter fraud, as is the little club he created for small minded follower-types.

  20. Roman writes
    March 30th, 2009 1:57 pm

    Its interesting to see this in the larger picture that is. Why do politicos only do these things after they are out of office?
    Does anyone really see a green future for the us?
    I think that this is just for show.

  21. Rev. Dr. E. Buzz Miller writes
    March 30th, 2009 2:09 pm

    “I think that this is just for show.”

    And cash, and tax dodges.

    I wonder how much Al pays in federal taxes.

  22. bartleby writes
    March 30th, 2009 2:12 pm

    Why do so many people grasp water pollution (especially their drinking water) so well, yet seem to find it so difficult to grasp the effects of what is pumped into their breathing air and that which affects climate? -EcO

    If you subscribe to the notion that CO2 can change the climate, then you would be correct. However, it never fails to amuse me that eco-nuts like the Goracle believe that one measely trace gas (Co2) is the going to drive the climate to catostrophic levels.

  23. Bloodthirsty Liberal » The Night the Lights Didn’t Go Out [UPDATED] [AGAIN] writes
    March 30th, 2009 2:15 pm

    [...] UPDATE Gore says bogus. [...]

  24. Ster writes
    March 30th, 2009 2:18 pm

    Funny… Al Gore uses many times more energy than even George Bush. Bush’s former house had geothermal power, solar, etc… and used less than the average american’s use of ‘on the grid’ electric, gas, etc.

    I bet you NEVER read that in the media!!!

    Al’s uses 10-20 more.

    Go figure.

    Al = Hypocrite

  25. Ster writes
    March 30th, 2009 2:24 pm

    Still waiting for Gore to answer why CO2 levels FOLLOW temperature increases/decreases. That is, CO2 levels rise AFTER the Earth has warmed, not before.

    The last time I heard that asked to him, he did not answer and said he didn’t have time to debate any issues “at this time”. Convenient.

    Still waiting… tick tick tick…

  26. Rev. Dr. E. Buzz Miller writes
    March 30th, 2009 2:31 pm

    Al lives in a gigantic mansion, flies around in private jets, lives high on the hog.

    And we’re supposed to then believe in his trope about how the Earth is set to die a miserable death, in a few years mind you, if we don’t stop building gigantic mansions, flying around in private jets, eating otns and tons of expensive meals…

    I have a question, was the earth ever too hot for human life?

    If so, what caused the high temperature?

  27. Korla Pundit writes
    March 30th, 2009 2:33 pm

    Gore powers his house by burning thousand dollar bills, which are trucked in from his various planet-saving schemes, all of which is to make money for him and his phony “consensus” of “scientists.”

    When will this scam finally have a stake driven through its heart? What’s taking so long? It’s so blatantly false. People are just so aggravatingly stupid to continue giving this crap any credence whatsoever.

  28. Balloon Juice » Blog Archive » Earth Hour or Whatever It Was writes
    March 30th, 2009 4:52 pm

    [...] I have spent the last few days having my email bombarded by A.C. Kleinheider about whether or not Al Gore left his lights on or not, but what I really don’t understand is why they think this is an effective way to raise [...]

  29. Stephen writes
    March 30th, 2009 5:30 pm

    Enough photovoltaic solar panels could provide the power required to run some lights, possibly even some flood lights around trees that were on motion detectors (to save energy) that might go on when a reporter gets in their car (using energy) to drive to Al Gore’s house and maybe tries to get close enough to the house to determine where the “glow” inside is coming from so they can write an article to discredit Al Gore and get some nice checks from those who would like to stop Al Gore and others from digging into their profits by finding other means of powering up their homes and vehicles and stopping the dumping of toxic garbage into the air in the same way people want to stop their neighbors from opening a toxic waste dump next door to them for obvious reasons.

    Ok, kids, today’s English Grammar final exam consists of one question: diagram the above sentence.

  30. Kurt writes
    March 30th, 2009 5:56 pm

    EcO writes: “Enough photovoltaic solar panels could provide the power required to run some lights, possibly even some flood lights around trees that were on motion detectors (to save energy) that might go on…”

    Problem is, photovoltaic solar panels don’t work at night. They require something known as “sunlight”. No wonder you believe in Al Gore.

  31. Greg writes
    March 30th, 2009 6:25 pm

    *dumping of toxic garbage into the air*

    Wow that does sound scary. Just how toxic is CO2 again? I hope I don’t accidently breathe in any.

  32. Kristy writes
    March 30th, 2009 6:30 pm

    I have a novel idea. How about everyone makes sure that they are doing what they should for the environment instead of complaining about what others are rumored not to be doing?

    As for all those citing pseudo-science please take a college level science class, preferable one beginning in the 300’s. It’s painfully obvious that an alarming number of Americans get their “facts” from the biased emails. It’s tragic.

  33. Jeff writes
    March 30th, 2009 7:05 pm

    This is to:
    El Rey writes
    March 30th, 2009 1:51 pm

    According to a simple search of the USGBC registry of LEED certified buildings, Gore’s house is not LEED Gold certified. Another Gore Lie..

    El Rey…you are either an idiot or not trying at all.
    http://www.usgbc.org/News/PressReleaseDetails.aspx?ID=3904

  34. betterred writes
    March 30th, 2009 10:11 pm

    The Goracle has to speak to the commoners through a spokeswomen?
    All you commoners don’t understand that the Goracle was up all night trying to figure out how to save the planet(again). Did I mention he won a nobel peace prize? /sarc

  35. Uncensored Magazine | Did Al Gore Leave Lights on For Earth Hour? writes
    March 31st, 2009 12:52 am

    [...] Gore responds to [...]

  36. Bright & Early: Happy Birthday, Al Gore Edition | Nashvillest writes
    March 31st, 2009 9:39 am

    [...] do and snapped some photos, which he then published on Facebook with a long note. Word got around, Al’s spokeswoman said that Drew was lying, somehow this all ended up on national news, and now Drew is challenging the former Vice President [...]

  37. Scrumptious writes
    March 31st, 2009 3:40 pm

    Kurt writes:

    Problem is, photovoltaic solar panels don’t work at night. They require something known as “sunlight”. No wonder you believe in Al Gore.

    ————————————————–

    Try taking a stroll down the aisle at Home Depot.

    http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?keyword=solar%2Blights&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

    Or from the comfort of your mom’s basement, hit the Google button before embarrassing yourself.

  38. OhioFlint writes
    March 31st, 2009 4:08 pm

    Nice job Scrumptious !!
    Al seems like a decent guy to me . I’m sure he could lay low and enjoy his retirement , but instead he puts his opinions out there , and backs them up with science and statistics that seem to me , to back him up .
    For those of you who are more than sceptical , try to find the show from HDNET on Australia .
    They are in a 5 year drought , and the whole continent is turning to desert . They seem to believe .

  39. Korla Pundit writes
    March 31st, 2009 9:15 pm

    The plural of anecdote is not data.

  40. Al Gore’s very non “carbon neutral” Earth Hour « A War of Illusions writes
    April 1st, 2009 12:04 pm

    [...] Gore Update: Apparently Mr. Johnson’s assessment of Gore’s Earth Hour activities upset the former Vice President, and his spokeswoman issued a statement. They aren’t perfect, no family is, but they do their [...]

  41. Al Gore Didn’t Bother to Turn Off His Mansion’s Lights for Earth Hour | The Blog of Record writes
    April 1st, 2009 8:20 pm

    [...] Gore responds to [...]

  42. Drew On Al Gore’s House - The Whole Story « The Mike Slater Show writes
    April 2nd, 2009 9:27 am

    [...] Al Gore responds: The Gores honored Earth Hour by shutting off the lights at their residence. The heating and air conditioning were turned off as well. But more importantly, the Gores live in a Gold LEED certified home, powered by geothermal power. They have undergone renovations to put solar panels on the roof and participate in all of the renewable power programs offered by their local utility. They aren’t perfect, no family is, but they do their best, year-round to try to make a difference at home and across the country to make a difference on the climate crisis. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Ayn Rand On College ProfessorsDavid Boaz, Executive Vice President of the Cato Institute, is coming to Mi…Evidence based medicine critisim: Eating Soup with a Fork [...]

  43. Global Warming Hoax Weekly Round-Up, April 3rd 2009 | GORE LIED writes
    April 3rd, 2009 12:42 am

    [...] Goreacle failed to observe Earth Hour. He denies the accusations.  He’s still busted.  The best part about this - Al Gore takes a turn as a denier.  Heh. [...]

  44. matt writes
    April 3rd, 2009 6:24 am

    Climate change is real….its ALWAYS real. lol The climate is always changing. The climate is NEVER stable. We’re actually at in solar dead period at the moment and gee look at that the heating is not trending upwards anymore.

    Pollution is a real issue, and people who just want to profit off it like Al Gore do it more harm in helping stop it with their lies and scare tactics.

  45. matt writes
    April 3rd, 2009 6:26 am

    “Problem is, photovoltaic solar panels don’t work at night. They require something known as “sunlight”. No wonder you believe in Al Gore.”

    yeah but they charge in the day and go on at night…lol stop being stupid you are making the goretards look smart and thats not easy to do.

  46. ootpoot writes
    April 4th, 2009 4:16 pm

    There is still a possibility that when the rightwingnut photographer decided to waste fuel & energy to drive his gas guzzler to Al Gore’s house and then sneak up to take his time-altered photo, he tripped the solar-charged rechargeable-battery-powered motion-detector-switched security lights on the Gore property.

    Naturally, Gore should be criticised for not having high-powered assault weapons ready to blast the intruding photographer illegally trespassing on his property.

  47. sunshine484848 writes
    April 5th, 2009 5:23 pm

    Al Gore: “Do as I SAY, not as I DO!”

  48. ootpoot writes
    April 6th, 2009 9:02 pm

    Al Gore says: “Do as I also do. Isn’t that what Jesus would do?”

  49. Hendrik writes
    July 8th, 2009 10:45 am

    Al Gore is a hypocrite, parading around the earth in his own private jet. He should learn to practice what he preaches.

  50. Blue writes
    July 9th, 2009 6:55 pm

    Brain-dead Tennesseans would believe anything out of Drew’s mouth. The truth is not even wanted.

  51. turu the terrible writes
    September 14th, 2009 11:11 am

    The EARTH HOUR is just another rediculous idea from a bunch of pathetic idiots showing how stupid they are

  52. TNVolunteer73 writes
    September 14th, 2009 11:43 am

    Yep. it is a bunch of Sheep following their Judas Goat Albert Arnold Gore Jr.

  53. Jeremy writes
    November 18th, 2009 7:25 pm

    So… I would be curious to see the peer reviewed research that disproves the warming trends and carbon dioxide link that is at the crux of the global warming controversy. To be fair, it is only a controversy to the willfully ignorant who would rather get their science from the likes of Hannity, O’Reilly, Beck and other brilliant talks how host/scientists.

    Where did those guys study science, by the way? Have any of you spent any time with actual research data? Have any of you looked at temperature and climate records to see whether the crap you spout is legitimate or not? Or do you prefer to take, 2nd, 3rd, maybe 4th level hearsay spouted out by some other willfully ignorant self-proclaimed expert who hasn’t bothered to look at any climate data either?

    Get with the game, guys. You should have some experience with science before you spend a lot of time commenting on it.

    Do some actual research, and FORM YOUR OWN OPINION BASED ON FACTS.

    Sheep.

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