Oil Equation (re: oil spill)
Why does oil have to put such a cramp in lifestyle? Back in November, I sold off the car (not anti-car, just pro-bike) and it was the best 3,000 lbs I ever lost. Lifestyle has been at an all-time high on the wheels of steel – even when it shamefully appears I’m the only one on the road that isn’t blowing smoke i.e. driving a vehicle (in reality, I’m not alone, there are an increasing number of cyclists).
But to care? It ain’t my money. What better time to bring up the topic when there is a massive herpes sore of a disaster in the Gulf? How trendy and convenient to point the finger, pass the buck, accuse the President, blame the government, penalize the country, criminate the oil company, and sacrifice the eleven platform workers that exploded with the rig. Rather, try this…
Who has five fingers per hand? You. Point to yourself; start in your own driveway and home garage. If it weren’t for our cumulative habitual need to drive less than a mile to the grocery store, across the street to pick up four tall coffee’s, or two miles to work, we wouldn’t massively rally to seek and destroy for oil (Gulf War I Bush, Gulf War II W Bush, anyone?).
Oil is not bad or a problem in itself. Before our lifetime, we used whales for oil. Dependency on crude oil as a limited fossil fuel to support our way of life is a problem. “Be realistic!”, you cry in defense. Look, we will be dependent on oil until the wheels fall off and the wells dry up, whichever happens first. Ever hear of an airport, a race track, or a delivery truck? Infrastructure systems of countries economies dependent on oil. But the race to the bottom doesn’t have to be so painful or lacking of imagination and creativity.
To wit, I am a California, Bay Area, native and a UC Santa Cruz graduate, so the tree hugger mentality is innate and environmental awareness is second nature. Credit the optimism and appreciation that some prefer to inhale crisp air and see the contrasting whites of clouds in blue skies. We get that here in Cali, it takes a bit of whistleblowing, activism and practice. Case in point:
Remember the 2007 oil leak in San Francisco Bay? I do, and I was bummed because lifestyle was cramped upon. My dog, Stella, and I were unable to exercise and enjoy Isabel Point in Richmond or Ocean Beach in SF; a boat had tore off a piece of the Bay Bridge, a major fuel oil spill followed and thus beaches, their access and their dog runs were closed.
The SF oil spill leak was originally reported as “140 gallons”. Later, it was determined to be an actual 58,000 gallons. Here are pictorial results:
Alcatraz Island, the nation’s #1 tourist attraction
Fort Baker, SF, during the oil spill of winter 2007
San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, major oil spill of 2007 effects
The SF oil spill of 58,000 gallons was a nuisance, like a pimple at the tip of the nose compared to full blown facial gonorrhea, exceeded by 11,000,000 gallons produced from the Exxon Valdez oil spill of Prince William Sound, Alaska. To put it mildly, what was once a poster perfect example of “pristine” was forced into an “adversely affected devastation” on every level from livelihood, tourism, economy and existence. The major committed suicide. Life goes on…
Exxon Valdez, Alaska Oil Spill cleanup circa spring 1989
’89 was a year to remember because the Loma Prieta earthquake shook the Bay Area during the San Francisco Giants vs Oakland Athletics World Series game. The battle of two forces is a recurring theme as we get back on topic…
Twenty years later, it’s 2010, British Petroleum (BP) and Exxon head the battle of oil destroying the Earth. Deemed the “Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill”, BP’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem is coerced into sucking up over a million gallons of oil – every day. 1,000,000 gallons, every day, exclamation. We are experiencing an Exxon Valdez on repeat, not once, but once every day. This is not a pimple, or facial gonorrhea – imagine getting out of bed and your dick or tit falling off.
“Thick Oil Blackens Shore” reads the headline
But it’s important not to label each oil spill as “BP” or “Exxon” or “your favorite gas station” – that’s not the big picture. Over a month into the Gulf Oil Spill when it first started with the rig explosion, April 20th (the date is symbolic), with no end or solution in sight, behold history in the making: the largest offshore drilling oil spill of all time. Regrettably, this is not a milestone record that you want hanging on the plaque wall or in the trophy case to inspire future generations with.
Point being, can you see the cycle? Every time I pumped gas into the car, I was pumping money into the tank, poof up in smoke. One realizes after the x-hundredth visit to the gas station that such a naive dependency is not sustainable. The drug addiction analogy has become real – weekly fluctuations in gas prices amounting to pennies causing mood swings or elation? Gas prices changing behavior? The fuel gauge and trip mileage were nagging like a mother to a teen. To horror, the comical became real – an existence by society that generally supported and encouraged the following:
Caused by gluttony and as foul as the above picture suggests, oil spills are caused by humans for humans and can likewise be solved in the same manner. Talking doesn’t help, practice does. Please do not confuse yourself by asking what pill you can pop, where you can donate money to, or what you can buy?
Conveniently, today’s culture welcomes green-centric behavior. Everyone and their mom likes to be popular and it’s trendy to wax poetic about “going green” or “being green”. Please do not compromise yourself by falling victim to marketing (talk) over practice (action).
Andy Singer – Magic of Marketing
Prius car drivers with their noses in the air, complaining about their inability to exploit free bridge toll loopholes, are an example of false marketing. What is false and what is real? Ah, the mysteries of life, but it’s not complicated like you wish it was – you fail to play dumb and get off easy. What can you do to help? With a little imagination and creativity, it costs you nothing:
- walk
- run
- skate
- bike
- mass transit
- rideshare
Historically speaking, if we use our tax dollars to build a parking lot or add freeway lanes, people will use and fill them. Ever hunt for a spot in a parking lot? Ever been late sitting on a ten lane super freeway stopped bumper-to-bumper in a hellish traffic jam? It’s a depressing experience. Road rage is ugly.
A welcome comfort: Mark a bike lane or incorporate bike lockers at transit centers / villages so people will use them. Such a lifestyle is pennies on the dollar, it’s sustainable and it’s quite easier than we market it out to be. The foundation is already there. Key cities like San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Boston, are jumping on the bandwagon. Support the infrastructure and practice the future you want. Face to the wind, know what I mean?
Ergo, gotta ask the question when reaching for the keys, “is this trip really necessary?”
eBoy