In the mountain resort of Aspen, where mansions each pump out more than 600 pounds of carbon dioxide annually, and jets delivering the rich and famous to their second homes add another 300,000 tons, the mayor is trying to eliminate a natural-gas fueled flame in an open municipal hearth in downtown that is intended to provide ambience.

"This isn't Arlington National Cemetery. It's not the eternal flame," Mayor Mick Ireland told the Denver Post. "It's a symbol like if the mayor were to run around in a Range Rover."

The flame was installed about 18 months ago amid the hoopla of increasing the city's "vibrancy" and "to encourage pedestrians to linger in Aspen's downtown center."

But it emits an estimated nine pounds or so of carbon dioxide every year, so even at its launching, the city acknowledged, "it is important to note that the city recognizes and acknowledges the energy use and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions from this project. However, the balance between creating vibrancy and managing our energy consumption is an ongoing and conscious effort we take very seriously. So, as part of our effort to reduce our overall greenhouse gas emissions as outlined in the Canary Initiative, the city will be offsetting the emissions from the Community Fire Hearth by purchasing renewable energy credits equal to the electricity and natural gas emissions from the hearth."

Aspen promotes in global warming battles with its Canary Initiative

But Ireland told the newspaper it's insensitive to burn natural gas, and made the extinguishment of the flame part of his recent campaign. A week ago he called for a vote to kill the light, but it failed, 3-2, meaning city workers will return to their brainstorming to find some way to make the hearth "environmentally acceptable."

The Aspen campaign against global warming is turned on high despite a recent report from the U.S. Senate that documents hundreds of prominent scientists – experts in dozens of fields of study worldwide – who say global warming and cooling is a cycle of nature and cannot legitimately be connected to man's activities.

Ireland said the natural gas used by the attraction sends the wrong message in a town trying to cut its carbon emissions, through a city effort called the Canary Initiative. The goal is to cut city carbon emissions more than 80 percent over the next 43 years.

The city already has held a contest to generate ideas for alternative sources of energy for the feature. It offered $500 cash and a $500 gift certificate for home energy efficiency appliances, but there were no winners.

The newspaper said the city concluded biofuels would use too much energy in development and delivery, cooking grease wasn't practical, burning wood releases too many particulates and an electric flame was too fake.

"And copying the city of San Francisco's efforts to make power from dog poo had too high a yuck factor," the newspaper said.

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The "green" city already features free mass transit, solar parking meters, a carbon tax and a bike-riding mayor. Even Christmas lights are LEDs. The city also monitors water quality from runoff, features low-flow toilets, recycles electronics and urges consumers to patronize organic food suppliers.

Council member Jack Johnson told the paper the hearth should be an educational display, with a sign explanation how it is wasting fuel and why.

As the flame burns, Escalades and Hummers drive by, paparazzi trip over hearth chairs seeking photographs of supermodel Heidi Klum and sales associate Kate Kelly, in a nearby retailer, told the newspaper, "Al Gore wouldn't be too happy about this."

But participants in a newspaper forum ridiculed the situation.

"Maybe just put the fire out and hang a picture of a fire instead. You put up a kiosk with informational booklets (printed on recycled paper) that explain the Global Warming Crisis, why the fire had to be put out, and ask for donations to purchase Carbon Credits. Ask the rich to stop coming to Aspen, because it's actually bad for the environment, to have all those jets flying around. Shut down the ski area. Because, really; can we afford to waste time skiing, when the oceans are about to rise 20 ft.? I think not." wrote Rulo Melko. "Well, maybe not. We'll let the rich still fly their jets in and ski, and spend money. As long as they're the Hollywood rich who "get it". Who "understand".

"This article," Bart Gripenstraw told the newspaper, "gave me a good chuckle this morning. It almost made me want to drive up to Aspen in my gas guzzling SUV, premium unleaded gas of course, with my wife in her full length fur coat so we could enjoy this beautiful fire pit. I am sure Al Gore would jump on his private lear jet, (sic) leaving behind his tastefully done 30,000 sq. foot home in Tennessee, to join me in a toast to the sillyness (sic) he has helped create."

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