A Weekend Without Oil
Several groups, including Fast Company magazine and Climate Counts, have come together to promote “a weekend without oil.” This event, which calls on individuals to take eleven actions to eliminate (or at least reduce) their oil consumption on August 21st and 22nd, is an effort to raise awareness of the oil we consume in everyday activities – not just driving. Oil, or petroleum, is the base for many products – from make-up to DVDs. As I explained in my blog post, “How I Caused the BP Oil Spill,” many of us consume more oil than we realize and, therefore, are responsible for the conditions and mindset that led to the BP oil spill.
I’ve taken the pledge and hope you will too. I’ve included the list of eleven actions below, along with some My Energy-oriented tips to help you stick to the pledge. Remember, the pledge is just for the weekend, but it might be the start of some new habits you can maintain over time.
- Walk or ride your bike. Avoid using cars and if you must, always try to carpool. Walking or riding a bike burns calories and reduces pollution – in addition to saving you money on gas.
- Enjoy the outdoors, but avoid buying new sporting equipment since oil makes up nearly 25% of rubber. Getting outdoors is a great My Energy form of entertainment!
- Use reusable bags. If you’re taking care of errands on foot or bike, a sturdy backpack is your best friend! Slide in groceries or library books, zip it up and go.
- Be conscious about what you eat. Eating less meat and more local foods that require less transportation will reduce oil demand. Walking to the farmers’ market and preparing healthy food from scratch, rather than buying packaged, processed foods helps your triple bottom line – health, wealth and environment.
- Don’t buy new make-up since the majority of cosmetics are petroleum-based.
- Drink tap water. Beverages in plastic bottles make up nearly 1.5 million tons of plastic waste per year.
- Avoid buying new electronics – which take a lot of oil to produce. So maybe you can’t live without the latest version of the smartphone, but how about cutting back on kitchen gadgets or a Roomba in favor of hand-powered tools or a broom?
- Go to the movies or stream them on Hulu. Avoid buying new DVDs/Blu-Rays, as oil is a key ingredient in their production, packaging and shipping. Or better yet, find an active form of entertainment for the weekend.
- Skip buying new clothes. Do a swap with friends or check out the local vintage store instead.
- Head to your local library or read online. Also avoid using a printer as the ink is petroleum-based. Strap on the backpack and walk to the library for a great afternoon of enlightenment and enjoyment.
- Spread the word! Get others to sign the pledge and help raise awareness.
