It’s really hard on anyone who’s NOT rich in this country to watch the gas prices and the resulting rise in prices of EVERYTHING that’s related to our petroleum based economy. I hate to see these already rich pigs who are benefitting from their obscene profits make even more money, and not care about the personal effects on people. However, it’s also important to realize that while oil prices were low in the US, they have been high in other countries for YEARS! AND, now that the prices are so high, a new generation of inventors and creative people are doing research to find better, less polluting ways to fuel our energy needs.
Perhaps people will see a concomitant increase in their personal health when they start walking, biking, and cutting back on wasteful habits because they can’t afford them anymore. Just think about this: when I was a youngster, I took public transportation (I lived in Brooklyn, NY). So, I had to walk to the bus, and then to the subway, and then to where I was going. That took some muscle energy – not a lot, but more than when I had a car! Because, by the time I was an adult, things had changed so much that I not only had my own car, but, I used an electric garage door opened, clicked open the locks, used electric windows to lower the window, and drove right out from my house. My more fortunate friends worked in jobs where they had a parking spot assigned to them! No energy expended.
Think of kids today. Their parents are buying them motorized toys! They sit in front of TV sets watching other people live their lives, while the kids vegetate eating fast foods with trans fats and corn syrup sweeteners: getting fatter and less fit than ever before! AND their parents drive them to all their “activities”.
Maybe with the oil prices rising so high, the air may become cleaner because less people will be riding in cars…. less use of petroleum based fertilizers poisoning our food…? Who knows what positive effects will come out of these greedy actions on the part of the oil companies?
Most people don’t realize that those ubiquitous plastic bags that are all over the planet stuck in trees, storm drains and killing animals, are made from oil! It’s been said that making 14 plastic bags uses the same amount of oil as it takes to move an average car 1 mile. Now that gas is so expensive, I bet it’s down to 7 bags! And that’s another good thing: let’s find alternatives to plastic that we use for nearly everything in our lives!
I’m starting a project to take photos of everything that I’m touching during 1 day that’s made from plastic. Why? Because plastic NEVER biodegrades, and it’s time that we start realizing that all this “stuff” is going to be on this earth long after we’re gone and biodegraded! We must start looking for alternatives. So, join me by either sending pictures, or ideas of where plastic is present in your life! It should be very illuminating!