Oil Storm is the docu-drama from FOX about a series of “what-ifs” about the oil situation in the US starting Labor Day 2005.
Forget the bad acting, lame stories, lots of lameness, it is still a facinating premise.
There is already a pretty good discussion and summary. After watching the first episode of The Power of Nightmares on the plane yesterday, my mind is somewhat impressionable.
It seems to me that instead of just talking about solutions and continuing to live the selfish American lifestyle, that I should start taking some kind of action to improve the situation. What action can I take?
well… the stuff i do, while probably minimal in their effect, are done with just that in mind. what do i do? i buy Seventh Generation products, for one. what are they? http://www.seventhgeneration.com they make environmentally safe, non-toxic cleaning products that actually work. their containers are also always made from recycled paper and plastic, reducing the reliance on petroleum for virgin plastics. what else do i do? i use a push mower and electric trimmer instead of their gas powered cousins. gas-powered mowers put out 10x the emissions that a car engine would at that size. they do not have to pass emissions standards like cars do and they are RARELY tuned up. as soon as one conks out, people just buy a new one, contributing not only to landfill problems, but also continuing the cycle. i also grow my own vegetables using organic techniques. why not use miracle grow? they derive their nitrogen-based fertilizer salts from petroleum. they also cause an overabundance of fertilzer salts in the soil, which eventually kills the plant. compost does not do that. 🙂 i also buy as much organic food as i can. this cuts down on not only the use of petroleum, as the need for farm machinery is lessened by the use of other techniques to control pests and the use of chemical fertilizers is not used, but the lack of fertilizers used reduces the need for petroleum as most chemical fertilizers use petroleum. other actions you can take are simple stuff like buying fuel efficent cars, making sure your car is in good running condition (air filter, spark plugs, that your tire pressure is at the right level, etc…) you know more about cars than i do, so you can fill in the blanks there. 🙂 also, right your congressional reps. if you see something you think they should vote on (yes or no) write them and tell them. i get replies from levin and stabenow every time i write them. while they might not vote how i want them to on anything, i am making my voice heard. it’s my duty as a constituent. anyway, i think it’s time to go back to my “liberal” fantasy land where i make any amount of difference whatsoever.