Roger Federer has been asked by a climate activist to redesign his homes to make them more environmentally friendly. This comes in the wake of Federer being heavily criticized by activists last week for his role as Ambassador of Credit Suisse.
“You never fail to impress me. As a tennis player, sure, but above all as a human being, because to have so much money, fame and also power and not abusing both, while seeming not to be changed by it. That deserves my respect.
In the end, however, I would really be blown away if you were to accept your own responsibility as an individual in the area of sustainability”. Raphael, the environmental activist, wrote in his open letter to Federer.
“You have to fly around professionally, that’s, of course, having a huge environmental impact, but you have to do it, I understand.
Also, you are not supposed to change the world for us, we all have to do what’s within our power. But what about your own houses and other means of transportation? Are you using your power wisely?” continued Raphael.
“It would be easy with your budget and today’s technical possibilities to rebuild and build all your accommodations so that they produce more energy than they consume and you would even save money in the long run.
I have realized such a project for myself and I earn less than the average Swiss. I think you are not using your money wisely if you do not build or rebuild your houses this way. The times where houses are allowed having an impact on climate are long over.
Technology has advanced, we just have to use it. By the way, your new, old Mercedes Caravan could also be converted to electric, just like any other car, it is really not very justifiable for you to drive it with fossil fuels”.
The letter was written after Federer said that he is “grateful to young climate activists for pushing us all to examine our behaviors and act on innovative solutions”.
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