Today, I was walking in the Arbor Lakes development, an upscale “lifestyle center” outdoor shopping mall in Maple Grove, Minnesota. The look is very Californian, with beige stucco and red tile roofs.

The sky was blue and the weather was hot, well over 90 degrees. As I strolled along the promenade past the storefronts, I couldn’t help but feel strangely comfortable. That’s because almost all of the stores had their doors wide open and were spewing massive amounts of cold air-conditioned air outside!

Such waste is nothing new, but in these days of heightened environmental awareness and increased energy prices, it seems especially flagrant.

(This post is the penultimate part of the 100/100/100 challenge)