Electric Vehicle Green

While we fret about the oil spill and worry about the mess in the Gulf, let us not forget that our demand for more oil is exactly why offshore drilling existed in the first place.

According to the site Apples from Oranges,

The current BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, originally quoted at 5,000 barrels per day, but now estimated at 19,000 barrels per day is a fairly small when compared to the 21,000,000 barrels per day consumption of the US. It is equivalent to filling up one Olympic swimming pool within 0.83 days (about 20 hours) or 3.14 days (with flow rates of 5,000 barrels per day, or 19,000 barrels per day respectively).

We need to consider the carbon we already put into the air without any disaster but rather our ridiculously high consumption of oil products. The time is now to consider why we go to such lengths to procure the oil. Why do we need so much?

In the video below about alternative energy sources, Amory Lovins, of the Rocky Mountain Institute, plainly asserts,

"We claim to  have an advanced industrial economy, and yet, it is run on primeval swamp goo and dinosaur poop".

Have you considered a different sort of vehicle? I currently drive a hybrid, but it still requires gasoline, it just burns it at a slower rate. This short clip really drives home the idea of a new way to get from point A to point B. If we don't need oil, we never have to worry about the current Gulf disaster again.

Beginning today a few simple choices to make include combining errands, sharing rides, using public transportation, or walking or riding a bike when possible. If you don't know anyone to share a ride with, eRideShare is a great network for facilitation of ride shares, from daily commutes to cross country trips.

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