We shall require a substantially new
manner of thinking if mankind
is to survive. ~ Albert Einstein
Egad! I pulled into our local cheap-o gas station today, and just about fainted. I paid $4.63 a gallon -- at the cheap station! It was $4.67 at a Mobil station I passed on the way home. I keep hearing predictions that we're going to reach a national average of $5.00 a gallon before the end of summer.
Folks, I think we'll hit that here in southern California by the end of this month.
It's really getting scary, isn't it? The price of fuel is driving up the price of everything these days: groceries, manufactured goods that have to be transported, air travel -- you name it. I'm truly not a doomsayer, but it does make me wonder when it's going to end?
One piece of good news that I ran into today: Albertsons, one of our local supermarket chains in here in the West, was giving away a free cloth grocery bag with every $50 spent. I got three free bags today (see previous note about the rising cost of food!) and I bought three more bags for a dollar each. I've been meaning to convert to cloth grocery bags for a while now, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who's been thinking along those lines. Kudos to Albertsons for pushing me to do something easy that's also good for the environment.
Now, if I can just remember to get them out of my trunk each time I shop!
I have never consider myself to be an environmentalist per se, but my eyes are sure being opened to what the rising cost of fuel is doing to the world. I'm horrified by the stories I read and hear on the news lately: people are going hungry because of the high price of food? Here we are, a nation of overweight people (myself included) who have an abundance of food, while people in Afghanistan and elsewhere can't afford to buy bread. What's wrong with this picture??
I don't think anyone can argue that things need to change. I can't make an impact on what OPEC charges for a barrel of oil. But I can use cloth grocery bags, and drive less often, and buy produce from my local farmers market. Every little bit helps.
How about you? I'm interested in hearing about the small (and large) things you do to help the environment. Maybe we can all learn from each other and together, make a bigger impact
Until next time...
10 comments:
Hi Pattie,
I hadn't heard of that cloth bag promotion at Albertson's. We filled up at Costco today and it was $4.36 per gallon. As far as conserving? We installed a drip system in our veggie beds to save water and I hang my clothes out to dry. We recycle, compost and buy really energy efficient appliances. Doesn't seem like much, but I suppose every little bit helps.
Have a great weekend.
hugs
I figured CA would lead the gas prices. It is $4.09 in my little town in IL and a little higher near major highway intersections.
My biggest problem is that I tote the bags inside my house, and then leave them there. Ack!
My main focus now is on finding re-uses for things, trying not to use things just once. Of course, I now have service for 50 in plastic eating utensils, but who knows--I could have a party or something. :)
I write on the top of my grocery list - DON'T FORGET BAGS, then put them in the passenger seat next to my purse. It took a few months (I started to use them in January) for me to remember them.
I gotta get me some of those bags. Hurray for Albertsons to do that. Wouldn't it be nice if Wal-Mart followed suit? I'd probably be like Cammy and forget to put them back in the car when I go shopping too.
I have cut way back on driving anywhere. When I have to go somewhere I try to make it with several places to hit and do it all in one trip. I try to get enough groceries to do me for 2 weeks.
I would recycle if we had a place here to do it, but we don't.
Yeah, petrol is up to well over $2.00 a Liter (NZ). Scary, especially because it shows no sign of stopping.
There is talk that plastic bags for shopping are going to be phased out completely and eventually illegal here. I'm all for it. I consistently forget my bags at home just because I haven't built the habit yet. It's definitely time to buckle down on that one.
I always forget my cloth bags! I'm going to make sure I remember them this time!
Ugh! I hate getting gas for my van... it's about $70 each time, and I just don't have that money sitting around! What I'm doing for the environment and conservation is drying my clothes on the line (in 90 degree heat it doesn't take long!), growing some of my own veggies this summer, we have a compost pile, I TRY to remember to use the cloth bags at the store, or no bag at all... I use cloth diapers (potty training right now, so that will be done with soon) and we don't buy water - we do use I'm trying, but I still have to drive my daughter to riding camp each day this week... and we don't have any public transportation in our town (yet).
I think you're right, little changes at home can make a difference world wide. Combining errands, less unnecessary travel, switching to cloth bags, recycling, buying less plastic all make a difference in the long run.
Hi! Thanks so much for the kind note you left me today! It gave me a huge grin. :o)
I can't even fathom paying $4.63 for gas. I *know* it's coming, but my brain can't process that.
I keep two bags in the front seat of my car to grab for quickie shops. For my weekly "big" shop, I use the ones I stash in my trunk. I forgot them once and ran out and grabbed them (leaving my cart there in the store).
I wrote a whole entry about Weight Loss and the Environment, if you're interested.
http://nicoleww.blogspot.com/2007/10/blog-action-day-weight-loss-and.html
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