Re: E-85

Blackbeard, Lambertiana and others,

Perhaps we're thinking at a macro level when we should be concentrating on the micro level of personal impact. I don't care what kind of condition I may be in, my daily commute is 120 miles round trip. Even when I was racing bicycles back in the early 80's that would have been excessive daily mileage (and I'd have had little or no energy to get any work done either!).

I get looked at funny because I'll walk the mile from the office to the post office to send mail or purchase stamps (as I did today) - yet some of those same folks who look askance at me brag about spending time walking on a treadmill. Personally I'd rather sweat outside! But it's little changes like that which can really add up.

Switch to more eco-friendly lightbulbs, turning off appliances, computers, TV's and the like that aren't being used, walking on short errands, take your bicycle on those within riding distance, combine trips if you must take your car out - if the majority of people would start to do those rather simple things, our energy consumption rates would drop.

I know people who keep their homes at 74 in the winter and 68 in the summer - what's the purpose in that? Then there are the drivers where every red light is a drag race in waiting -

We can reduce our national energy consumption just by doing some simple, easy and minimal impact things - and - as a nation - get in better shape while we're at it.

As for vehicles - funny as gas prices continue to rise vehicles get bigger and more powerful every year - who'd have imagined in 1974 when gas had done what, skyrockted from 30 to 50 cents a gallon, that at 3.00 a gallon we'd have muscle cars and big trucks as our most popular vehicles? It's insanity. Reduce the size and weight of a vehicle and it requires less energy to move (basic, simple physics) - and when compared to a heavier vehicle in a collision the lighter one will do less damage (as it will impart less energy, being lighter) - so by going smaller on the highway we could eventually go safer as well.

How about a graded drivers license system like they have in some European countries? Your initial license let's you drive up to a 1300CC engined vehicle - to get a bigger engine you need to go through additional training and licensing - which is expensive - plus that more powerful vehicle is taxed at a different rate - making the smaller, less powerful vehicle that much more attractive to a consumer - but our domestic auto industry, hopelessly stuck in the late 1950's "bigger is better" school of thought will buck that like a bull in a rodeo.

There's a lot that can be done.

Recycled plastic - interesting fact - China is the largest consumer of our domestic recycled plastic bottles. Think about that one - there is a shortage of recycled plastic soda and water bottles, yet many municipalities don't have a recycling program (we don't have one where I live - however - there is a mission that does recycling - they use it as a training ground for some men who've gotten into various problems with substance abuse - so every weekend I take our household recycling over there - most recently in an old cannondale trailer behind my bicycle!).

Take it in baby steps and it's not bad -

Steve