The American journalist has no qualms about living in his 11,400 sq ft home, which, he says, is carbon neutral.
Criticism is par for the course for American columnist Thomas Friedman, known for his bold and, at times, controversial views on subjects ranging from war, foreign policy and globalisation. But on occasion, it has hit a little close to home, literally.
Friedman, who has been vocal about climate change and its devastating effects, often has critics pointing fingers at his rather lavish quarters: a palatial 11,400-square-foot house in Bethesda, Maryland.
So, how does he respond to questions about living in a house at least five times the size of an average American household?
“There are two answers to that — I’d rather be a hypocrite than a denier,” he told ETPanache. “We are all works in progress. I don’t think you should judge anyone just on the basis of their house or what they do. I have multiple identities in terms of what I do in the world.”
From left: N R Narayan Murthy with Thomas L Friedman and Nandan Nilekani at an event.
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According to him, his critics often overlook the efforts his wife Ann and he have made to reduce their carbon footprint. “What all these people ignore is that our house is completely carbon neutral. It’s partially solar powered. We offset all the carbon. We planted 200 trees and saved 7.5 acres from being developed. You’ll never see that in the stories. They don’t want to know [the details]. They’ll just take a picture of your house and go, ‘Look at that big house’,” he said.
Of course, he prefaced his response with a lighthearted, “You have to talk to my wife. It’s really her…”
Friedman’s wife Ann is the daughter of Matthew Bucksbaum, the billionaire co-founder of a family shopping mall empire and a fixture on the US rich list.
