Going Green means going Overboard?

In Thomas Friedman's book, Hot, Flat, & Crowded, he discussed how the nation as a whole must be invigorated with the "Green" idea.

San Francisco resident, Dr. Elizabeth Kantor, and advocator of "Going-Green," had decided to plant the commonly used New Zealand Christmas tree in her front yard. Since, then, she has paid PG&E many fees for them to fix her sewage piping as well as having them cut this treetop, preventing the tree from damaging the power lines to her home.

600 dolars later and some hard work convincing the Department of Urban Forestry as well as San Francisco's Board of Appeals, she finally was able to remove the troublesome tree.

"There are nearly 5,000 Metrosideros excelsus trees still out there. The penalty for removing one without fighting the city for permission is $1,641. Merry Christmas, indeed." -Scott James, The New York Times

 Although we as a nation must support these Green ideals, instances such as these really question advocators the possible risks that might appear when we, as a nation, actually try to pursue these ideals and make them into reality.