Catherine Zeta-Jones on the defensive as details emerge about her 4 sprawling homes: ‘It’s not excessive’

Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones recently gave an interview defending her ownership of four mansions scattered around the globe, according to The Mercury News.

She and husband Michael Douglas own a 200-acre property on Mallorca, a $21.5 million apartment in New York City, a $10 million home in upstate New York, and a secluded retreat in Québec. One estimate suggests they have $60 million worth of real estate.

“I know it sounds very jet-set, and I love to surround myself with beauty, but it’s not excessive, it’s very comfortable,” Zeta-Jones said, per The Times.

While it surely is comfortable, it’s hard to argue this kind of luxury lifestyle isn’t excessive. In addition to the gaudiness of such displays of wealth, Zeta-Jones’ lifestyle imposes hefty environmental costs.

Multiple large homes equal disproportionate energy needs, especially when it comes to heating and cooling. Home energy use is a major contributor to the production of planet-heating gases, which exacerbates destructive weather patterns such as floods and droughts. These trends have significant costs to agriculture and housing for the rest of us.

Normal homeowners can do their part to bring down home energy pollution and monthly costs with simple upgrades. Heat pumps can handle both heating and cooling more efficiently than other systems, for example. Solar panels can help generate zero-emission energy to meet most electrical demands.

If you’d like to bring your utility bills down, EnergySage can connect you to a vetted local solar panel installer. It can tap into rebates and credits that can knock off up to $10,000 on the cost of a system.

Housing isn’t the only thing Zeta-Jones spends a little too much money on.

“I go to all the vintage stores in Paris. I buy things that you are probably never going to wear, like a gorgeous cape, just great pieces. … I love the theatre of fashion,” she said, per The Times.

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