Human Oil Addiction causes oil spill in Gulf of Mexico

As many of you know from my last post, I am really concerned by this BP disaster in the Gulf Coast region. As I type, I am thinking about the jet fuel used to bring me to Boston to study environmental issues. This seems really counter-intuitive for me personally. I know that we do not have a model in which I could get to New England faster than a plane, so I must not focus too heavily on this discouraging fact.

I just wonder if Americans will even flinch at the 5,000 barrels of oil a day spewing into the ocean, deemed a potentially huge ecological disaster by experts. Will surpassing the Exxon Valdez spill make us think about our consumption? Or will we just ignore it? I don't think we have a choice this time; oil is already lapping onto our Gulf shores.

I have challenged myself to walk everywhere feasible, ride a bike or my moped for intermediate distance trips, and demand carpooling for longer trips. Most of my friends, who never talk about environmental issues, have taken to shifting their thinking in consumption.

I am amazed by how many people have responded positively in my quest to spread the "green" word. My fear of being ostracized for my opinions and values have vanished. If just talking about environmental concepts have already changed family and friends' behavior on even a small scale means that there is real hope for the planet and humans. Change is possible; Recently I gave a very short seminar at the college that employs me, and many of the facts that I rattled off to the crowd still surprise me. The United States makes up less than 5% of the world population, yet we consume around 27% of the world's resources. This means that WE have to be the leaders in reducing consumption. This also means that WE can incredibly reduce the impact humans have on our finite and amazing planet.

I charge everyone to not drive their personal automobile for ONE day. If you cannot do this for a whole day, at least lump all of your trips/errands into the least amount of driving as possible. I know that folks who work, have children, or is a nanny cannot simply go even half a day without driving, so any attempts to reduce use will help. There has to be a way to stick it to companies like BP, because charging them with cleanup costs isn't going to even dent their quarterly profits.

The domestic off-shore drilling program has been halted in light of this catastrophe. I am personally very happy; domestic drilling, whether in the Gulf Coast or in Alaska, will not solve much. What can be produced is almost laughable compared to imported oil, not to mention the fuel won't even hit the market for a while. Does giving a drug addict product made in the U.S.A. rather than product made outside the States make them any less addicted to drugs? Not at all. So why haven't we taken the same approach to transportation and fuel sources? Because we are addicted to a drug called convenience. I am one of those hooked, and even when I want to stop, it calls me back again...

I refuse to believe the oil pipe leak was just an accident; the Earth is trying to tell us something with every hurricane, earthquake, forest fire, and yes, even oil spill that occurs.