Think it can’t happen to your town?

It ain’t easy bein’ green, especially in Marburg, Germany where a new building ordinance now requires any homeowner that does roof or heating system repairs to install solar panels.

From his deck, Mr. Schönherr can see the town’s famous hilltop Gothic castle as well as two of its three power-generating windmills. On his roof, a solar panel glints in the sunlight. He already uses the solar energy to heat his water, which has allowed him to turn off his boiler for roughly six months a year, a boon for his pocketbook but a decision he said he made for the sake of the environment.

And yet Mr. Schönherr opposes the new ordinance.

Mr. Schönherr had hoped to reinsulate his home, but to do so, and to satisfy the solar regulation, he would have to install a larger solar panel. It would cost him close to $8,000.

They’re calling the government the “green dictatorship”.

Think something like this couldn’t happen in the U.S.? I’m sure that’s what some people said about a government that would ban certain light bulbs, regulate cooking ingredients, or prohibit certain restaurants altogether.

I like to make my own decisions, thank you.