Feature story - November 20, 2002
Oil spills are not rare or isolated incidents; there have been 39 large tanker spills since 1960. The large spills make the headlines, but there was on average more than one oil tanker spill every two weeks throughout the 1990s. The only sure and lasting solution to disasters like the Prestige is a shift from oil to clean, renewable energies.
Bird affected by the crude oil spilled from the striken 'Prestige' oil tanker on the beach at Valcovo, Galacia, Spain.
Want to give hands on help?
December 5: Our office in Spain has been overwhelmed with offers
of help in the cleanup effort. Thank you everyone who has assisted
in beach cleanups and monitoring for slicks so far.
Take action online.
We may be largely helpless to do much about the spilled oil, but
we can push
national governments and the International Maritime Organisation to
prevent these unsafe tankers from sailing under flags of
convenience.
Help kick the oil addiction by
conserving energy.
- Buy energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs.
- Ride your bike more, take public transportation and use your
car less.
- If you do drive, inflate car tires properly, use recommended
motor oil and keep car well tuned.
- Set a timer for your computer's sleep mode at home and office
and be sure to turn off computer at night.
- Insulate your hot water heater and pipes and use alternatives
to air conditioning or use it sparingly.
- Ask yourself these questions before you buy something: Do I
really need this? Will this product last? Do I know how this item
was made and how it will be disposed?
- Buy local produce or grow some of your own food. It saves
money, allows you to use environmentally friendly techniques, helps
you avoid toxic pesticides and saves energy at the same time.
- Recycle everything you can. Talk to your local authorities
about where to recycle all your waste. Whenever possible, buy used
or recycled goods. Take your own bags saves energy at the same
time.to shops and avoid excessive packaging.
Visit greenribbonpledge.org
for more tips on saving energy at home and at work. Also, take the
Pledge to see how your energy-saving tasks add up.
While the shock at the horrible ecological catastrophe off Spain
is fresh in our minds, we should focus on solutions to address this
problem.
Find out more about
moving towards a clean energy future.
Join our campaign.
In our push for a clean alternatives to oil we are targeting
Esso, also known as ExxonMobil. That's because in a sense,
ExxonMobil is oil. It's the world's largest private oil company,
and despite $12 billion in profits in 2000, ExxonMobil has no
programs to invest in renewable energy. For years, ExxonMobil has
been waging a campaign to sabotage action on climate change.
Write
ExxonMobil's board of directors and tell them to invest in
renewable energy and stop sabotaging action on climate change.