This entry comes by popular request. A lot of people have been asking what they can do to use less oil, and reduce demand for the sticky stuff ruining beaches everywhere. Here's my top ten, feel free to add to it in comments:
1. Carpool, cycle or use public transport to go to work.
2. Choose, when possible, products packaged without plastic and recycle or re-use containers.
3. Buy organic fruits and vegetables (fertilisers and pesticides are based on oil more often than not).
4. Buy beauty products (shampoo, soap, make-up) based on natural ingredients, not oil.
5. Choose when possible locally produced, seasonal products (less transport involved).
6. Buy clothes made out of organic cotton or hemp - not from oil derivatives.
7. Use non-disposable items in picnics and summer festivals.
8. Quit bottled water.
9. Fly less.
10. Demand that your government encourage renewable energy instead of subsidizing oil.
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Find 10 more tips inspired by all the comments here.
Juliette is a Digital Mobilisation Specialist at Greenpeace International. She likes chocolate, narwhals, and is slightly obsessed with the Arctic.
Naturesweetie says:
Oh I wanted to add that for beauty products, I use olive oil solid bars of soap for everything...I got tired of plastic bottles and plastic wrapped so...
Oh I wanted to add that for beauty products, I use olive oil solid bars of soap for everything...I got tired of plastic bottles and plastic wrapped soaps etc. Now I just buy one bar and it lasts for months. No makeup, no shaving, no nothing other than essential oils. (organic/Canadian made)
Posted 6 July, 2010 at 21:25 Flag abuse Reply
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Angelika says:
We used to heat our house 100% with oil. Then we -isolated the whole house to prevent waste of energy. We changed all the doors and windo...
We used to heat our house 100% with oil. Then we -isolated the whole house to prevent waste of energy. We changed all the doors and windows, we coated the complete outside walls, the ceiling of the cellar and the floor of the attic with appropriate insulation materials. -added solar energy for heat and to have warm water, -added water carrying fireplaces to be able to use re-growing sources of energy (wood) in the whole house. -replaced the old oil burner with a new, more efficient one, -combined the three sources of energy with the help of modern technology. Priority: 1st - solar, 2nd - wood, 3rd - oil. Financed thru a government funded loan, the savings on our oil bill cover the expences almost completly over the next 10 years, ...after that we make profit (based on recent oil prices) Since we still have lots of room on the sunny side of our roof, we are considering now to add more solar modules to produce energy and sell it to the local electricity company. That way we can also reduce our electric bills... ;-)
Posted 6 July, 2010 at 23:30 Flag abuse Reply
Rubter says:
Everyone of us can make a difference by thinking about what we are purchasing and it's effects. I also think we have to think much bigger and here are...
Everyone of us can make a difference by thinking about what we are purchasing and it's effects. I also think we have to think much bigger and here are some suggestions which I think would have a huge impact and cause a minimal amount of pain in relation to the pain we are going feel if we do nothing. Some suggestions: 1:Shut down the movie and television industry until they figure out a way to do what they do with ZERO enviromental harmful effects. We could still have radio and computers for entertainment and information. 2: Take all the $'s used to build and maintain roads and subsidize energy polluters and use that money to build and maintain rail lines for trains that run on enviromentally friendly energy sources. Imagine if we had never built roads for cars and instead had installed and maintained rail lines. 4:Shut down ALL indoor rinks and swimming pools. If the ice isn't freezing naturally, then we can't skate and if the water is too cold or too dirty to swim in, then we can't swim. 5: Get rid of climate controlled buildings. Install natural modes of ventilation, heating and cooling that are more efficient. 6: Get rid of all those high ceilings in buildings where heating and cooling are being wasted on non-used space. I don't know anyone over 8 feet tall, so why do we need 10 foot or more high ceilings? There's probably lots more we could do. We just need the will to make them happen.
Posted 7 July, 2010 at 4:27 Flag abuse Reply
fmj says:
I'll do it myselfe but L live in acountry depend on oil in everything.. it's need a new Policy these steps are easy for person who interest in cle...
I'll do it myselfe but L live in acountry depend on oil in everything.. it's need a new Policy these steps are easy for person who interest in clean enviroment they are few but we 'll do our best to Persuade them ..the person must start from himselfe then contenu with others ....good luck for all
Posted 7 July, 2010 at 9:54 Flag abuse Reply
we can do it personely.. person who believe in clean enviroment these steps are easy for him.. I'll start myselfe doing them then I 'll persuade othe...
we can do it personely.. person who believe in clean enviroment these steps are easy for him.. I'll start myselfe doing them then I 'll persuade others.. if we puplish these steps we'll succeed good luck for all....but in my country they depend on oil in every thing...they have to creat a new polecy...we'll do our best and God will help...
Posted 7 July, 2010 at 10:05 Flag abuse Reply
Harves says:
All good ideas...some perhaps a little ambiguous, but good none-the-less. Whose recommendations are they based on?
Posted 7 July, 2010 at 19:19 Flag abuse Reply
amyduro says:
My electricity provider allows me to choose renewable energy instead of coal, gas, or oil. Between that, not using a car, eating local/organic, and us...
My electricity provider allows me to choose renewable energy instead of coal, gas, or oil. Between that, not using a car, eating local/organic, and using a steel water bottle, I'm able to really reduce my consumption of oil and other fossil fuels. (They're ALL bad!) It's hard to eliminate it, though. If you really need to drive sometimes, try a car sharing program like Zipcar. They have cars I could never afford on my own, like Mini Coopers, and I use them two or three times a year.
Posted 7 July, 2010 at 20:01 Flag abuse Reply
Juliette says:
Harves: They're just my recommendations, based on what products I know oil is hiding in.
Posted 8 July, 2010 at 11:46 Flag abuse Reply
HelpSaveOurMotherEarth says:
“***If you must use a car "ditch that Gas Guzzler, Drive SMART" http://blogs.myspace.com/helpsave0urmotherearth”
Posted 8 July, 2010 at 17:14 Flag abuse Reply
spearman says:
How nice it is that loving one's own country may also mean being environment-friendly.
Posted 8 July, 2010 at 19:42 Flag abuse Reply
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