PEAK OIL IS GONNA GETCHA!!
We in North America are in the process of exiting the most prosperous, luxurious, and self-indulgent period in history. We are the spoiled generation, living off the non-renewable stored wealth of oil and natural gas energy. We have spent our wealth foolishly, and continue to do so. Now this period is ending. The current price of oil at $117 is about 5X the price of 8 years ago. And nobody knows how much higher it might go, although there are some predictions of $300 in the next decade. And nobody is predicting a reduction. Hang onto your hats because everything, absolutely everything that you do is dependent on oil; oil at $30 a barrel!
So when you awaken in the morning and look over at the clock, the cost of the electricity it runs on is going up due to the cost of lubricating the generators at the hydro dam, plus all of the other equipment for maintenance of the dam and the thousands of miles of transmission lines that bring the power to your clock. And your house is crammed full of electrical appliances, as is your office/store/warehouse. Your breakfast, even without the power to run your fridge/stove/microwave/coffeemaker, is dependent on oil to make the fertilizer that grows the food and to power the trucks to transport it to your store. And then your car needs it to pick up the food. And you haven’t even left the house yet…
August 29th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
And so how are you taking action in your own life to live consciously and with a smaller footprint?
August 29th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Good Question.
For years now I have chosen to drive a small used(recycled) car. I turn the ignition off if idling more than three minutes or so. I attempt to combine tasks when shopping to avoid multiple trips in the car.
I should be using the bus or walking to shop but living in the suburbs makes that quite difficult. My plan is to move to the city soon which will cut my car trips substantially.
I try to buy local organic produce which means both less gasoline (oil)used to transport them and less oil for pesticides and natural gas for fertilizers.
I turn off appliances and lights when not necessary and keep the house thermostat low. I attempt to buy goods that are not packaged in plastic.
As much as possible I try to repair faulty equipment rather than discarding and buying new items. I try to buy items that are made of wood rather than plastic.
This is not a complete list by any means but should suggest a way of approaching the ‘footprint’ issue.
The process starts with thoughtfulness. We spoiled North Americans(and Europeans)are accustomed to shopping without thinking of the consequences of our purchases. We need to change that. We need to start seeing each and every purchase as an act with multiple consequences involving both the origin of the product and the use and eventual disposal of it.
January 31st, 2009 at 12:46 am
We need to remember that this planet is our common home, and all of us are the citizens of the Universe. Caring for our planet is the inseparable part of our own existence.