Owning a lovely home on a private island is many people's ideal of pure luxury. 

However, one new mansion on Hope Island near Portland, Maine, is raising some eyebrows among nearby residents. 

In a Reddit post to r/Maine, someone posted a photo of the sprawling estate perched on top of the island and along the coast.

"Anyone know anything about the new mega-mansion on Hope Island in Casco Bay?" the OP asked. 

In the comments, Reddit users discussed the old mansion that once stood on Hope Island and how the new owner tore it down to build what stands today. A local news article confirmed that motivational speaker and entrepreneur Ed Mylett bought Hope Island for $7 million as his private retreat. 

In the comments, many Redditors were critical of the waste and excess associated with owning such a piece of property, even calling the use of resources for social status gains "profoundly unethical." 

Although there's nothing inherently wrong with owning a mansion, they do have a point. 

Mega-mansions like the one on Hope Island are often unnecessarily over-the-top and consume vast amounts of resources, straining the natural environment. They often have a disturbingly high ratio of square footage to the actual number of people living in them and are sometimes used only rarely for special occasions. 

You can find countless examples of multi-billion-dollar homes that highlight inequities in our society and the wasteful extravagance of the rich and famous. However, they also spark insightful discussions about sustainable development and how to live responsibly to conserve our planet's resources. 

Regardless of the size of the home you choose to live in, you can make eco-friendly upgrades to offset the pollution you generate in daily life. 

Should the government continue to give tax incentives for energy-efficient home upgrades? Absolutely 💯 No 🙅 Depends on the upgrade 🤔 I don't know 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

For example, installing solar panels to power your home on clean energy can reduce your pollution output and bring your electricity costs down to or near $0. 

When you're ready to make the switch to solar, EnergySage offers tools and resources for finding vetted local installers to help you save up to $10,000 on a new solar system. 

If you find yourself disgusted with news about billionaires' mega-mansions, you might also be inspired to embrace the tiny house movement. Tiny homes often incorporate solar panels, rainwater collection systems, upcycled materials, and other sustainable features while allowing you to live simply and happily. 

Social media users are notorious for having strong opinions about mega-mansions, and the comment section of the OP's Hope Island post was no exception. 

"Another glaring example of the flaws in our tax system," one Reddit user commented. 

"Like every other home like that, it will be lived in maybe two weeks out of the year and just sit there," another Redditor wrote. 

"A monstrosity," someone else added.

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