From the article: Saving Energy: 12 Steps to Wean America Off Oil
Got a tip for weaning America off of oil? Share your insights with all of us. Share Your Insight
How We Save Oil
- My dad uses a fuel-efficient car to get to work. When I apply for work, I take a bicycle, which only needs a trace amount of oil for lubrication. Bicycling is my main method of transportation. We also cut vacations, so flying is unnecessary. As often as possible, we get many things done in one car trip.
- —Guest LanthanumK
Carpool
- Find a carpool website, and find a carpool partner. Huge financial, environmental, political, and social benefits. I keep my thermostat at 45 degrees in the winter except in the room that I'm in, which I warm with a space heater.
- —Guest Steve
down with oil
- And thats how the Beverly Hilbillies lived rich,thanks to uncle Jed. I think it went to alot of peoples heads.I will do what ever I can to avoid oil.I love solar products. It saves me money, its free energy, come on people.
- —Guest cindy
A non - american's view
- I m not American. I just returned from a 6 week visit to the US. The waste that American generates is humongous. Granted you think using a handkerchief is unhygienic but is it not possible to cut the use of paper towels in your kitchen ? Why don't eateries use paper plates instead of styrofoam for those not doing a take out ? Why is there no public transport in every town ? Why do you dictate terms to other nations on why we should change our ways and work towards protecting the environment ? Most of us have been brought up on the dictum " Use-Reuse-Reduce-Recycle".For a change, why don't you people learn to Reuse-Reduce-Recycle, at the individual level, in every home ? Is that asking for too much ? God bless us all ( not just America ) . Make an effort to see how the other half of the world lives. It's not all about you . Let 's all contribute toward a world where each one can live his/her life with dignity, and let it begin with me.
- —Guest anita braggs
Wait, what?
- 2. "Airplane travel is even more fuel-guzzling than driving an SUV", Not exactly http://awesome.good.is/transparency/web/trans0209gettingaround.html 5)Despite the fact that I hate the quality of light coming from FL its by far the most efficient and its true, the amount of mercury contained is less than the amount that would be released from the oil/coal power plant over its lifetime vs an Incandescent or LED. Which leads to the fact that the vast majority of LEDs on the market today (especially the ones marketed to consumers) are very inefficient. If you compare the number of lumens (amount of light you get) to the number of watts it consumes some LEDs rate as low as incandescents, which means you are using just as much power to create the same amount of light. (no energy savings) The newer stuff is really exciting as its approaching the levels you see with FL. Buying an LED is buying a piece of technology, not a piece of furniture, you need to look at its performance specs.
- —Guest Bo
Let's Wean America Off Oil
- All right, I am not from the U.S.A., but can America and other countries around the world get off oil and petrol energy and replace them with other energies? How much does the world suffer from these accidents related 2 petroleum energy and wars about oil? Let us make our world peaceful, quiet and clean.
- —ahmedhafiz
getting away from oil
- I would like to see the closed auto manufacturing plants retool and start mass producing residential wind turbines and solar panels. There are a lot of former employees of these plants that have a lot of mechanical skills that need to be put to use and by mass producing these products the prices might be reasonable enough for the average homeowner/renter to afford them. It would create jobs, getting people off of government support, they would be paying into the tax system again and reduce our dependence on oil.
- —Guest Joanne Allison
Going green
- 80 yr. old uncle+ East Coast living = mass transit & never owned a car in his life. Translation? I live in Ca. w/a 6 cylinder Jeep & we need mass transit, desperately. Suffice California would go green a thousand fold if we did.
- —Guest Deb
GET RICH Quick scam
- Great wealth is not in having geat possesions......but in having few wants.
- —Guest jodie
national security
- If we don't need oil, we don't have to close our eyes to all the injustice in the oil rich countries. Keep up programs that help people convert from oil to gas or elec. in their homes by rebates. Give HUGE bonuses to American car companies that really redesign the car to be oil free.
- —Guest Sallie
Cost effective green construction a myth
- The point you mention in number 7 is totally false. Businesses selling green technology are still charging premium prices for products. Having just completed a construction budget this week, it is currently economically unfeasible to build a structure to "ideal" energy efficient standards. Solar panels and batteries are a joke except for the people selling them. Ethanol from corn has only caused inflation of food prices and put money in a few people's pockets. These are not viable energy solutions just touchy feely trends that take advantage of people. Do the math. Don't just trust what you hear.
- —Guest bluesriff
Weaning off the oil
- They should try to lower the price to purchase a hybrid. I'm sure more people would purchase one if they were cheaper.
- —Guest dlepage
How I am reducing my use of oil
- 1.I wash out my refrigerator zip lock plastic bags and reuse them 2.I take clothe bags or paper bags to the store to not use the plastic bags the store offers. 3. I keep my venetian blinds closed during hot weather to reduce outdoor heat from entering home. 4. I keep thermostat at 76 degrees during the summer months and at 68 degrees in cold weather. 5.I use my bike to peddle to the supermarket. 6.I turn off my computers and printers when not in use and not them to be on when I am away from my desk 7.I have installed a drip system in my garden to reduce water usage, reducing pumping power to transmit water. 8.I have turned off garden lights and lights in rooms I am not in.
- —Guest Richard Signorelli
Less oil
- I will be recycling plastic. Still have to communte for now, but ride-sharing helps, combine car trips. Simply don't waste energy, and find out how you are doing that. We insulated our condo more, turned down thermostat this winter, put a blanket around the hot water heater. We buy used a lot more now and buy less. These things are not sacrifices at all, it is just eliminating wastefulness!
- —blue_dragon
