This is a BP post, so keep moving if you don’t want to hear it.
So, long story short, a BP pipe has been gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico for almost forever and BP has been reaction with the speed of a turtle on pause. Everything they have tried has failed, so now they’re trying to keep all media out of the area, using the local sheriffs and coast Guard as their own personal force of bullies. The good news is, hey it’s create in job in the area still suffering from Katrina. The bad news is this might just destroy the world. (Okay, so I’m skeptical of that, but no one can say that this spill is a good thing.)
Obama let his balls drop a bit, sending BP a bill for $69 million in government clean up costs. As awesome as that is, most of us are sitting around, hundreds if not thousands of miles from the Gulf, wondering what the hell we can do.
So here’s some answers:
Donate. Here’s some places helping.
- The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana
- Defenders of Wildlife
- Emerald CoastKeeper
- Greenpeace International
- Louisiana Wildlife Rehabilitators Association
Boycott BP brands including Castrol, Arco, Aral, am/pm, Amoco, Wild Bean Cafe, Safeway gas.
Reevaluate how you use oil period. There are free things you can do, like turning off appliances and lights, lowering your car and heating uses. Also consider the “hidden” ways you use oil, through products like plastic (storage containers, plastic utensils, plastic wrap) or even home products like siding and roofing materials. NatureWorks is a company that manufactures plastics without using oil. Consider buying from them, or getting their products stocked at your store.
I’m not a fan of consuming more as a way to be green, but there are a lot of things you should think about when buying. I’ll never advocate buying a new appliance or vehicle just because it’s more energy efficient, but if you do need to replace something anyway, get the best you can. Water heaters, furnace, dryer, washers, whatever it is. If you use plastic storage bins (for food or what not, they certainly do have some benefits over other types of storage) use the hell out of them. We get plastic containers when we order chinese, and they go right into the dishes to be washed and reused later. We get the more permanent form of food storage containers, and even those kinds that are supposed to be disposable get used for as long as they function.
There are lots of better articles out there on conservation, and even some that don’t tell you to go out and buy electric cars and push lawnmowers. I advise you to really think about what you’re being told and your own personal life style. Taking actions, in the form of lifestyle changes is a process and it’s about evaluating your own actions and what’s available around you. It helps if you know what products you are using because of their availability or out of habit, your own buying and waste habits and the misinformation and poorly covered information out there.
The “green” movement very often focuses on buying something, usually something expensive (new cars, new appliances, even those canvas bags can be expensive!) because we are trained by society to consume. To make a lifestyle change to have to step back and ask “Do I need that? And do I want to buy that?” No one should feel guilty because they can’t afford a hybrid car, or because their lifestyle (hello kids!) demands plastic dinnerware instead of metal. Remember that if you have to replace broken dishes constantly that’s just as bad, from a consuming point of view, as having a set of plastic dishes that don’t break when a child drops them.
Also keep in mind that what you see isn’t always what you get. For example ebooks versus print books. Ebooks don’t use paper, but readers are made of plastics, many of these devices (like cell phones) are designed to be replaced/upgraded every few years, and who knows how environmentally friendly those batteries are. And yes, paper books are made of trees, but trees that grow for years, counteracting CO2 in the air. (Another bonus to having a home garden is that vegetable plants are plants, oxygen producing, healthy, GREEN plants.)
But there is a lot you can do that might not help with the oil spill directly, but will affect the oil consumption you might be taking for granted right now.
