Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride

It's been a long time since Hunter Thompson ran for mayor of Aspen on the Freak Power ticket. Today, the ski town's freak factor is much subdued and the power comes mostly from renewables (70 percent, the city claims). Sadly, a great deal of that power is wasted on vacation-home indulgences: heated roofs and driveways, hot tubs, towel warmers, fans whirring away in wine cellars--you know, that sort of thing-- not to mention the sheer amount of square footage. According to this article in the Denver Post, Aspen now has 150 homes that are 10,000 square feet or larger. The zillion-dollar abodes are unoccupied 277 days per year on average, but still manage to pump out more than 60 percent of the city's total CO2 emissions. Decadent and depraved.