Eco-terrorism group suspected of blowing up homes

Eco-terrorism is a far cry from ecotourism - almost the polar opposite. And while Greenpeace isn't exactly known for their tree-hugging, granola-crunching power of persuasion, today's fires in Washington give new meaning to whacked-out environmental terrorists.

ELF, which stands for Earth Liberation Front, is known for violent acts in the name of green goodness (well, Street of Dreams Firestheir version of it anyway). They haven't officially claimed responsibility for the pre-dawn explosions in the multi-million-dollar housing development known as the Street of Dreams, but they did leave a calling card pointing their way.

A spray-painted sheet with the initials ELF in red letters. "Built Green? Nope black!" the sign said.

Thankfully none of the homes had been sold yet and there were no injuries.

In 2001, the FBI classified ELF as the top domestic terror threat in the United States. Blowing up and burning down houses qualifies as terrorism in our books.

So, what got the group all riled up in Washington? According to CNN, the new housing development - Street of Dreams.

Street of Dreams is an annual show of homes built in a new subdivision in a variety of cities around the US. The top 5 homes for 2007 were environmentally friendly, with builders cutting size by as much as 10,000 ft and pursuing certification through Built Green, a green building program managed by the Master Builders Association of Kin and Snohomish Counties.

The homes in Washington were built near the headwaters of Bear Creek, which shelters endangered Chinook salmon. Opponents of the development questioned the research on the environmental impact of the homes, whether they'd pollute the creek and kill the salmon.

GG Staff understands ELF's disappointment when it comes to big corporations that continue to have an irresponsible approach to Mother Earth. But we're not so sure we get the logic on blowing up multi-million-dollar homes to make a point. Consider the cost of today's pyrotechnics.

All the carbon released into the environment because of the fires - global warming anyone?

All the wasted materials gone up in smoke - global warming anyone?

All the chemicals released into the environment from the fire and putting of the fires - global warming anyone?

Correct us if we're wrong, but didn't ELF just exponentially increase the pollution in Washington today?

We love everything green here at GG. We do our best to lighten our environmental footprint every day, whether we're traveling to the grocery store or to Peru.

But this kind of environmentalism makes us wonder if some people aren't just plain nuts.

What do you think of the explosions and fires in Washington today?

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