Use less gas everyone. Seriously
Cindy over at Domestic Fuel lets rip a little bit of a rant, and it’s good that she
did. Her anger or frustration at the “all hat no cattle” public personas of our supposed leaders on
sustainability issues is warranted and timely, what with Hastert’s
recent fake photo op (is that redundant?). I agree that one of the keys to solving this mess we’re in (and yes,
we’re in a mess) is to simply use less and enjoy more. I saw a sign – perhaps by some group like the Ad
Council – that suggested people replace the Sunday drive with the Sunday walk. That’s the kind of common
sense advice that can really make a difference. If you want to read more details of how Washington DC is full of phonies, here’s the news. [Source: Seattle Times, via Domestic Fuel]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Razib Ahmed 9:50AM (4/30/2006)
I went through the report and I think there be a concerted effort everywehre to consume less oil and gas. Now, Indian economy is struggling to keep pace with the rising oil price in the international market. 3 weeks ago, ADB predicted that Indian economy will grow at 7.6% this year and now ADB is saying that if the price of oil in the international market continues to remain high (http://www.southasiabiz.com/2006/04/adb_international_oil_price_ma.html) than it will change its forecast about the Indian economy.
The only way out seems to be to use less oil and gas.
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Juan Valdez 3:19PM (4/30/2006)
This is a fairly obvious facet of the problem; if the demand went down, so would the price. If americans traded all the large SUVs and trucks for sedans the daily demand for gasoline would be less and prices would be lower... who knows how much lower. somebody do the math.
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Some university of chicago student 3:04AM (5/01/2006)
The Price Elasticity of demand for Gasoline, in the short-run, is 0.2, meaning that a 1% increase in gas prices leads to a .2% drop in quantity demanded. So don't expect to see any immediate 'trade-in-your-SUV' results..
In the long run (over the years), gasoline has a price elasticity of demand of 0.7. That's 3.5 times the decrease in consumption than the short-run estimate. Expect results in a few years people.
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Tracy Foster 10:56AM (5/01/2006)
I must laugh at Bush's half-hearted attempts to promote hybrid vehicles. For example, even if the U.S. auto manufacturers could supply each of us with an electric car, we would still need "energy" to recharge the vehicle each evening. Our electric bills would skyrocket and we don't have an adequate infrastructure to support such a plan. Just last week we had rolling black-outs in April!
I live in Texas and we probably pay more for electricity than any other state, especially during the months of July, August, and September. Bush and Chenney are laughing all the way to the bank. Wonder what stocks they hold where the company is exploring "alternative energy?"
For now, I'm stuck with my very fuel-efficient 12-year-old Honda Accord.
BTW ... aren't we the least bit curious what was said during those secret energy meetings early in the first term?
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Juan Valdez 1:11PM (5/01/2006)
so does that mean a 0.2% drop in demand would turn into a 1% drop in prices? very interesting....
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MikeW 3:28PM (5/01/2006)
Waste less. The torque converter should be locked up nearly all the time, except for stop-and-stop traffic.
The mercedes benz 7g-tronic does that, and many 6 speed automatic too.
Small engine + big transmission.
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philmcneal 7:28PM (5/01/2006)
you can start using less gas at www.cleanmpg.com
beating 100% of the epa estimates and counting.
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Wat R Burnes 8:15AM (5/04/2006)
Until we can buy 100 mpg hybrids there are many things we can do to make the bet of what we have. Last years Tour De Sol saw 99+ mpg out of a moderatly modified Saturn. We're now building a more extreme version for even better mileage and improved performance. Details are at http://fueleconomytips.com and discussions/forum at mpgresearch.com
All informatino no this and our other projects is open source....given freely and completely to any and all.
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Richard Bertrand Jr. 11:16PM (5/21/2006)
Some dear lady wrote into the newspaper,crying that The Prez "W" was not about to lower the national speed limit. Hey, COME ON! I think it's called "you are the one stepping on the gas pedal!" Get up 20 minutes earlier, drive 10 miles per hour slower! Get the same paycheck. National gas demand will DROP. The filthy rich can find the turn signal and change lanes to blow right around you in their Escalades!!!
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