Written March 13, 2008
There’s an email circulating about how to get gas prices down. It says that we need to stop buying from one particular head-honcho gas company. Here’s the problem, gas companies buy gas from each other. So the idea about not buying form Exxon/Mobile won’t work, b/c if we don’t buy their gas at the price they ask, they will just sell it to Shell, Mac’s, Pilot, Delta, BP, etc.
THE ONE AND ONLY WAY to get gas prices down is to truly stop buying in the quantity that we do from ALL gas companies. This means buying the Escape, Acadia or CR-V that gets 25mpg, instead of the Hummer or Explorer that may get 15mpg. It means not just driving around for the hell of it. It means multitasking and consolidating your errands. It means buying gasoline during the coolest time of day - early morning or late evening is best, b/c the cooler the gas is the denser it is. (Keep in mind - gas pumps measure the weight of how much gas you buy, not actually how much gas goes into your car. If you buy it when it’s not as thick, you get more gas for the same price.) It even means (gasp!) carpooling or running errands with friends, so you only use the one car.
If half of the Americans who drive vehicles that get less than 20 mpg would trade in for a vehicle that gets more than 20mpg, oil companies would be forced to slash prices. The problem is that Americans place more importance on image and instant gratification than substance and long-term reward. Who cares if we’re broke and our children will have to live in a world with protective breathing equiptment and UV protectant clothes, just so long as we look good now and have built in DVD players of each person in the vehicle, right? Wrong! We need to get it together and get our priorities in order... which brings me to another subject. See separate blog, as it’s slightly unrelated.
THE ONE AND ONLY WAY to get gas prices down is to truly stop buying in the quantity that we do from ALL gas companies. This means buying the Escape, Acadia or CR-V that gets 25mpg, instead of the Hummer or Explorer that may get 15mpg. It means not just driving around for the hell of it. It means multitasking and consolidating your errands. It means buying gasoline during the coolest time of day - early morning or late evening is best, b/c the cooler the gas is the denser it is. (Keep in mind - gas pumps measure the weight of how much gas you buy, not actually how much gas goes into your car. If you buy it when it’s not as thick, you get more gas for the same price.) It even means (gasp!) carpooling or running errands with friends, so you only use the one car.
If half of the Americans who drive vehicles that get less than 20 mpg would trade in for a vehicle that gets more than 20mpg, oil companies would be forced to slash prices. The problem is that Americans place more importance on image and instant gratification than substance and long-term reward. Who cares if we’re broke and our children will have to live in a world with protective breathing equiptment and UV protectant clothes, just so long as we look good now and have built in DVD players of each person in the vehicle, right? Wrong! We need to get it together and get our priorities in order... which brings me to another subject. See separate blog, as it’s slightly unrelated.
No comments:
Post a Comment