by Crystal Sarakas
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the resulting environmental devastation has caused many people to take a look at their own oil consumption. While few people can just give up their cars entirely, there are things you can do to help reduce your reliance on oil and petroleum-based items.
Part of the problem is that few people realize just how reliant we are on oil, not just for our daily commute, but for nearly everything we use on a day-to-day basis. From the clothing we wear to the food we eat to the homes we live in, our lives are dependent on oil.
When faced with these facts, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and to think that there's nothing we can do that will make a difference. But there are a number of relatively small lifestyle changes that can help reduce our oil and petroleum consumption. Here are the top five changes you can make today to help reduce oil consumption:
Stop buying bottled water. According to the Business Shrink, Americans went through 31.2 billion liters of water in 2006. In order to manufacture these bottles, over 900,000 tons of plastic is needed. The mainstream manufacturing process that produces PET (polyethylene terephthalate) requires a combination of natural gas and petrolem. The production of this 31.2 billion liters of bottled water took roughly 17.6 million barrels of oil. That's enough oil to run 1.5 million cars on U.S. roadways for an entire year. Worldwide, we consumed 154.3 billion liters of bottled water in 2004, which took roughly 87.4 million barrels of oil, or enough to run 7.5 million cars for an entire year.
Stop using plastic bags. Currently, the U.S. consumes 100 billion plastic shopping bags each year, and worldwide consumption is estimated to be from 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags. And just like plastic water bottles, oil is used in the manufacture of plastic bags. 100 billion bags takes 12 million barrels of oil a year. For worldwide consumption, the figure is around 60 million to 120 million barrels of oil each year just to produce plastic bags.
Buy local foods. Steven Hopp writes: "Each food item in a typical U.S. meal has traveled an average of 1500 miles. If every U.S. citizen ate just one meal a week (any meal) composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce, we would reduce oil consumption in the U.S. by over 1.1. million barrels of oil each week." For ideas on how to find local food, check with your local cooperative extension for a list of CSA's and farmer's markets. Even better, grow your own food. You can reduce the size of your lawn (thereby using less gas to power your lawn mower), have a 0-mile transportation cost for your meals, and you get exercise as you work the garden.
Eat less meat. According to the New York Times, "if Americans were to reduce meat consumption by just 20%, it would be as if we all switched from a standard sedan to an ultra-efficient Prius."
Drive less. There are a number of ways to achieve this goal. Take public transportation. Set up a carpool with your co-workers. Group your errands for maximum efficiency in driving. Walk and bike more. Choose to live closer to work. Aside from reducing your overall gas and oil consumption, you'll save money and/or get more exercise.
