Saving Planet Earth, reducing carbon footprint, and values: Bourgeoisie in New York vs. bourgeoisie in South Florida.

If one is from the bourgeoisie class but also happens to be environmentally-conscious then the true value in property is to be found in South Florida. Why? It all comes down to how willing one is to reduce their carbon footprint. Sure, caring about the environment in itself doesn’t add value to property but you’ll never run out of things to talk about at parties.

Learn more below about the huge economic benefit of air conditioning homes in South Florida vs. the much higher cost (including destruction of the environment) of heating a home in the northeast.

And also below learn about the bastions of bourgeoisie in northeastern American cities who,

“[P]ut a moral value on the thermostat that doesn’t correspond to common sense.”

From an environmental perspective when a tourist visits South Florida to escape the freezing cold Winter what happens when their vacation is over? They return back to their home up north burning up more fossil fuels than had they just stayed here in Florida. You see — just by living in South Florida and doing nothing more to save the planet — one already has a smaller carbon footprint than those living in the northeast. 

Following is one of the most popular posts ever on this blog since the very first one back in May 2006. Why? Maybe it tapped into a slice of the Big Apple readership!

“Anti-AC sentiment persists in spite of basic facts, and without convincing evidence. It relies instead
on naked ideology and posture. To rail against the
air conditioner is a way for cosmopolitans to
claim their bona fides. . .”
—Quote from an article by Daniel Engber at Slate.

Engber takes on The New York Times for an essay they published titled, “Why is America so over air-conditioned?”

Seems some special enclaves in that city have their own “brrr-geoisie” and “thermal bigots” who think they have special status because they don’t use air conditioning — they rather use an array of fans throughout the house because they think they’re staving off the “engine of apocalypse” — Mr. Engber smacks them down convincingly. 

The little City of Lake Worth, and I bet every town and city in Florida, each have their own cabals of the bourgeoisie and ‘thermal bigots’ who have achieved special status for not having AC. Seems a very low bar for worship or adulation but that’s just me.

Air conditioning is no more a “gross indulgence” than taking a shower more than twice a week or using a modern toilet, but some ‘radical’ Millennials in this City would try to have you believe otherwise. 

So without further ado, a special treat from Daniel Engber, an article titled “Hot and Bothered: Air conditioning isn’t bad for you or even (relatively) for the planet”, and why Northerners should move to Florida:


     Summer cooling is no more damaging to the climate than the heating that we do in winter. In fact, it’s substantially less so, since the United States burns more fuel on radiators than it does on air conditioners. According to the most recent stats available from the federal government (which cover 2010), the average American household puts 40.4 million British thermal units into home heating, and just 9.3 million BTUs into home cooling. As I’ve pointed out before, this explains why the long-term shift in population from our coldest, Northern states into the hot and humid South has in sum reduced the amount of fossil fuel we burn to keep our houses at a comfortable temperature. [emphasis added] Simply put: It’s more efficient to air-condition homes in Florida than it is to warm the ones in Minnesota.
     Anti-AC sentiment persists in spite of basic facts, and without convincing evidence. It relies instead on naked ideology and posture. To rail against the air conditioner is a way for cosmopolitans to claim their bona fides, and to place themselves in opposition to irresponsible, American excess. When they proudly say they’d rather use electric fans, they show their neighbors that they’re tasteful intellectuals—right-minded and upstanding. That is to say, they’re members of the brrr-geoisie.
     They’re also victims of a blinding bias. The brrr-geoisie are thermal bigots: They put a moral value on the thermostat that doesn’t correspond to common sense. Heating, good; cooling, bad—that’s their moral calculus. Why discriminate among degrees? They have no cogent answer. It may be true that America is overcooled, but then again it’s also overheated. No one writes op-eds to make the latter point.

Now, for all you reading this who live up north, use this link to plan a trip to the City of Lake Worth.

Why don’t you come down and visit some time? You might like it here and decide to move here and do your part to cut down on fossil fuels and help to save Planet Earth. Please note this sage advice by one of our very own iconic City residents:

“Why would anyone want to
live in places where you have
to wear socks?”

Check this out everyone. . .

No socks!

Want to learn more about the City of Lake Worth? Click on this link for the City’s official website.