@Swimpy,
Swimpy wrote:
Obviously, I didn't move at $4, so that's not the number. And again, I'm not talking about just one conservation option. Could you think of one thing you could do to conserve fuel? Of course, we all can do something. I bought a more fuel efficient car. The higher the price the more incentive there is to conserve.
I proposed more telecommuting. With todays technology, there are so many people who could spend a day or more at home, being just as efficient there.
Or, they can switch to 4 day work weeks, saving 20% of their work commutation costs.
I already drive as fuel efficiently as possible, within the parameters of what I Must drive. I don't think I could squeeze anymore out of a gallon of gas.
There is not one person out there who doesn't know how they can save gas. We've all been beat over the head with it enough.
Inflate your tires, drive slower, coast, avoid stopping completely if that is safe, take that extra junk out of your trunk, combine your trips, etc. etc. etc.
You'd have to have been living in a cave for the last 30 or 40 years not to have heard all this a thousand times.
But, just like people who keep getting pregnant because they were too lazy to take a bc pill, or wear a condom, they'll cry that they "weren't educated"
Here's the short version...
You ****, you get knocked up.
You drive stupidly, you're part of the problem.
If everyone used birth control responsibly, the number of unwanted pregnancies would go way down.
If everyone drove like intelligent people, the amount of pollution would go down significantly.
If you already life in a city were there is good public transportation, and things are within 10 minutes walk, you're already doing it, and don't own a car.
If you live in most other places, you need a vehicle.
The solution is not sitting on a bus for 1.5 hours as opposed to driving 15 minutes.
The solution is not moving to somewhere you don't want to live, just to be closer to work.
The solution is being efficient with what you already have in your hands.
Last year, when everyone was spazing over gas prices, this John Q. Citizen was interviewed on NPR.
He was whining how much he was spending on gas for his Suburban, which got 15 mph city, 20 mpg highway.
He was moaning how he bought the thing for $40K, and if he were to sell it now, he would only get $18 or 20K
He "need" a suburban, because between him and his wife, both 2nd marriages, they had 5 or 6 kids, ages 16 and under.
I wanted to puke when he said "We have to have a vehicle that big to get to the supermarket."
Excuse me, where is it written all 7 or 8 family members must go to the store, or most places, all together?
What happened to the oldest kid takes care of some of the youngers, while one parent takes a couple of kids to the store?
What happened to one parent staying home with all or most of them, while the other one goes?
Of course, there's the insurmountable problem of soccer practice....it's always soccer practice, isn't it?
I talk to the radio often when the people on it are being stupid, and this is what I said that day...
"sell the ******* suburban, take the $18 or $20K and buy 2 used Corrolas, that get 35mpg each. Under the extreme conditions that all of you have to all go somewhere, all of you can fit in the 2 cars, and you'll still get the same or better gas mileage than your 1 behemoth. God forbid you don't have the leg space of a football field, and have to sit closer to other family members."
Solutions?
Besides telecommuting?
I also said I grow garden plants rather than a lawn.
Another solution?
To people in general, stop being so proud. Get a small car and call it good.
But don't go too small.
The stupidest cars driving around my neighborhood lately? The Smart Car.
Holds 2 people, gets 33mpg city, 40 hwy, comparable to my 35mpg all the time corrola, which hold 4 and had room for ****.
How stupid is that?
You had to go out and spend you money on something that overall gives you less.
People are just ******* stupid, and we will continue to dirty our homes, rather than just be moderate in our behavior.
