This entry comes by popular request. A lot of people have been asking what they can do to use less oil, and reduce demand for the sticky stuff ruining beaches everywhere. Here's my top ten, feel free to add to it in comments:1. Carpool, cycle or use public transport to go to work.
If this is not possible for your situation, then you can always leave home a little earlier and park further away from your job. If you work 30 miles, then drive 29 miles and park, and walk the last mile to work. (Or whatever would suit your situation, some could walk 5 miles, some maybe only a few blocks because of safety issues, but even a little bit adds up)
2. Choose, when possible, products packaged without plastic and recycle or re-use containers.
Always keep a reusable bag(s) handy for shopping or if you are only getting 1 or 2 items, just say no to a bag. If you find you bought more than your reusable bag can hold, than donate it to your local thrift store.
If it has holes in it, or you needed to cut the handle off because the bagger tied it in a knot (I hate when they do that), then you can cut the bag into a sheet and iron 3 together to make a plastic fabric. I made my daughters Halloween bag using this method decorated with the individual candy bags she got from the school Halloween party. Not beautiful, I know, but it was made an hour before trick or treat time. You could make your own REUSABLE plastic bags to take to the store with you, that is more durable than the one's they hand out. One could make shower curtain liners, or bathroom window curtains, coasters, there are some wonderful creative "re-use" ideas out on the net. Here's a link to get your creative juices started: Plastic bag crafts. Just keep those things out of the landfill, please.
3. Buy organic fruits and vegetables (fertilisers and pesticides are based on oil more often than not). And always look local first. Produce that is imported from across the country and other parts of the world require a far greater amount of oil than those products grown in your community. Better yet, start your own backyard or patio or even a windowsill garden.4. Buy beauty products (shampoo, soap, make-up) based on natural ingredients, not oil. Another tip from a reader on that blog recommends buying bar soaps instead of the plastic pump bottles. If you already have the plastic pump bottle, reuse it. Add soap ends and water to make your own, albeit, a bit chunky, liquid soap. There are a myriad of natural products that you can use to replace the chemical products on the market.5. Choose when possible locally produced products (less transport involved).
Also instead of driving to find what you are looking for, consider using the internet first, then the telephone second to see if you can find it before you leave the house.6. Buy clothes made out of organic cotton or hemp - not from oil derivatives.
Synthetic fibers are made from oil derivatives. That said, I buy most of our clothes from second hand stores and don't worry as much about the label, as the item already went through the market place, therefore you aren't creating a demand for the oil derivatives.7. Use non-disposable items in picnics and summer festivals.8. Quit bottled water. I know this is controversial, but you couldn't pay me to drink our local tap water. When I first moved here I was a tap drinker, even though it didn't taste very good. Within a month I started getting kidney cramps. I switched to bottled water and no more kidney pain. If you are like me and your local water is unbearable, then at least buy from the largest carton available and use your own individual, reusable container, instead of buying the 1 time only drink bottles. Some stores will allow you to refill containers which is another means of saving.
This can be said of anything you buy that comes in plastic. Buy the largest laundry detergent, dish soap, syrup, etc, etc. If you prefer to have your smaller bottle save it, and refill it from the larger bottles. Or look for glass containers to hold your supplies.
Tunist made a good point about using a water filter instead of buying bottled water. I suppose it's high time I check that out.9. Fly less. (Sorry blog author, but I could have come up with something better than that as a #9, as have many of those who've posted in the comments section...yes flying less is good, but many of us don't fly at all so....) I think I would add drive less. Make sure when you need to go out, take care of several tasks at once. Do your grocery shopping weekly instead of daily. See if you can find a friend or two to come along, too. This will save 1 or 2 cars less on the road for a shopping trip. Here are a few from the comment section:
From Bongodog: “Don't use styrofoam, bubblegum, or ballpoint pens!
Download MP3s instead of buying plastic-packed CDs
REFILL your plastic dispensers instead of replacing them.
Lose the hair gel.
Use KY Jelly instead of Vaseline!
From tangent: As regards plastic dispensers - it would be better to buy bars of organic soap instead that only use paper packaging and don't contain oil derived substances.”10. Demand that your government encourage renewable energy instead of subsidizing oil. No beating this idea. We must make ourselves heard that this is non negotiable .
US Energy Information Administration - Independent Statistics and Analysis
The United States is 3rd amongst the world producers of oil. And yet we import twice as much as is produced by the top oil producing country. No other country even makes a close second.
1. U.S. consumes 19.498K barrels of oil a day
2. China consumes 7,381K barrels of oil a day
3. Japan consumes 4,785K barrels of oil a day
1. U.S. imports 10,984K barrels a day.
2. Japan imports 4,652K barrels a day.
3. China imports 3,858K barrels a day.
Over 6,000 products are made with petroleum byproducts. Here's a list of just 144 of the kinds of things that use them.
Partial list of Petroleum based products
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