Energy Crisis

Energy Crisis

When I filled up my little car this week it cost me over $40.

I long for the days that it took $10-15 to fill me up.

I also heard this week that in the next five years the price of gas may double. 

What will become of we in the U.S. as the price steadily increases? Will we continue to cringe and pretend it's going to be ok? I don't know about you, but my purse can't afford to keep smiling much longer. I already walk or ride my bike most of the week. Mostly I use my car for transport across town or to the grocery store. Myself and a few friends take turns driving the carpool here and there to social activities. I probably fill up twice a month. Gas was one of the main reasons I decided to move from home to my own place next to campus so I wouldn't have to fill up every week anymore. As anyone can see, I live a rather gas conservative lifestyle, or about as good as one gets in the U.S. So what are we to do?

Biofuel? Making gas from organic material like corn and soybeans? Is that the answer? I attended a seminar today on the very topic actually. The speaker said that he'd like to look into making biofuel from grass or some similar plant that is rather abundant. One thing is for sure-- we can't keep using possible food sources as fuels for our cars due to the world shortage on food that is also driving up food prices the world over.

So what other options do have in this energy crisis? Some other sort of fuel option besides the biofuel? Solar maybe? I don't know. Have any ideas?

The only other option I see is a huge overhaul of American culture. Getting one person to embrace the possibility that the culture they were brought up in might be hazardous to the world is next to impossible, but a whole society and the culture that proliferated from it across the globe? HAHAHAHAHA. Let me know how that goes. Look around your neighborhood and I'd be willing to guess there are streets, driveways, parking lots and garages, gas stations, mechanics, drive thru restaurants and maybe even a drive in movie theater. America is built around the automobile. The only sidewalks in my town are around the college campuses and down town. Riding a bike on a major road here is basically asking to be ran over. And this town isn't even that big!! I know it's not so much like that in the northern big cities, but riding a bike around Dallas or Atlanta, I'm sure I'd be ran over just for the sport of it. Americans are the most the most mobile population in the world too and I'll admit I'm probably one of the most mobile Americans out there. I love to travel so much that if I stay in the same place for longer than a month straight without going somewhere, I start to go a little crazy.

So, America, what are we going to do? I think I'll just sit here and blog about global problems from my cushy chair. Wait for the answer to magically appear. Sound good to you?