Did this person grow up in the 60's or 70's? Seems like back then, from what I've seen on t.v and heard about, tree huggers did just that. They were hippies.
Modern day tree huggers are different. We've modernized and most people have grown out of hippie status. Gone are the days of flower power and just sitting around wasting your day smoking pot. Tell your "intelligent" classmate to grow up!!
