In yesterday’s NY Times editorial section, Tom Friedman preaches about the current floods, droughts and tornadoes and says it’s all because were just not sustainable enough. We produce too much CO2, cut down too many trees, use too much natural resources, etc., etc. According to Friedman, we can only save ourselves if we give up the sins of materialism.
Praising Aussie environmentalist Paul Gilding, Friedman writes:
We will realize, he predicts, that the consumer-driven growth model is broken and we have to move to a more happiness-driven growth model, based on people working less and owning less. “How many people,” Gilding asks, “lie on their death bed and say, ‘I wish I had worked harder or built more shareholder value,’ and how many say, ‘I wish I had gone to more ballgames, read more books to my kids, taken more walks?’ To do that, you need a growth model based on giving people more time to enjoy life, but with less stuff.”
Did you catch that? We need to make do with less stuff. Oh, by the way, here’s a picture of Friedman’s house…
Tom Friedman's house
Neil Rosekrans is a founder and partner of StateBrief.com. He has been a guest political commentator for the Arizona Law Channel, NBC's Sunday Square Off and The Terry Gilberg Show on KFYI. Neil earned his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and earned his MBA and Masters in Public Policy, with an emphasis in International Relations, from Pepperdine University.
Neil and his wife, Beth, live in Scottsdale, Arizona. 
The article is about what all humans must do, not what Tom Friedman must do before anyone else takes action. Looks like Friedman can downscale, but are you suggesting he is alone? Maybe he could afford fourteen such mansions… like John McCain. Isn’t just one better than ten?
Not to get sidetracked by a debate on Friedman’s lifestyle… The article asks how we can continue to consumer 150% of the world’s resources while global climate change makes survival more difficult. The first point Gilding made: “The only answer can be denial.”
He should also have included, “You go first,” but I guess that’s a subset of denial.
Except John McCain is not telling you to live with less stuff.
Friedman’s credibility on the matter is about as valid as Weiner’s credibility on fidelity.