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$124 / barrel, apparently headed to 200
A select few in this country are starting to wake up.
As oil passes $124 / barrel (and heads towards $200/barrel), there are murmurs in Congress about the need to shore up the nation's passenger rail system. Additionally, I am seeing more scooters, motorbikes, bicycles, hybrid cars, and a some more bus riders. I think that people are starting to adapt, but the majority of their adaptations are limited by the options they have available to them. With transportation there is some degree of flexibility. I mean, they can buy a new car or change their driving habits somewhat with the infrastructure that we have.
However, food prices are also being significantly affected. Food inflation this year is poised to hit an annual rate of 7%
To cope with this, I've started some plants from seed at home and I'm gardening at my Mom's house and I'm going to start tending a couple of plots in a local community garden at South 10th and M Streets. The starts will be transplanted to the community garden in a couple of weeks when they're ready.
I'm getting to the point of not being able to change my lifestyle anymore. Over time I have all what I can with denser housing, low carbon transportation, better household energy efficiency, I purchase green power, and now I'm starting to grow my own food.
I guess I could go full on vegetarian and stop buying consumer electronics. HAH! I don't know if I can do that just yet. But eventually, I forsee that I will. As long as tasty substitutes for meat become widely available and... companies stop making cool new toys to play with, I'll be able to do that.
As oil passes $124 / barrel (and heads towards $200/barrel), there are murmurs in Congress about the need to shore up the nation's passenger rail system. Additionally, I am seeing more scooters, motorbikes, bicycles, hybrid cars, and a some more bus riders. I think that people are starting to adapt, but the majority of their adaptations are limited by the options they have available to them. With transportation there is some degree of flexibility. I mean, they can buy a new car or change their driving habits somewhat with the infrastructure that we have.
However, food prices are also being significantly affected. Food inflation this year is poised to hit an annual rate of 7%
To cope with this, I've started some plants from seed at home and I'm gardening at my Mom's house and I'm going to start tending a couple of plots in a local community garden at South 10th and M Streets. The starts will be transplanted to the community garden in a couple of weeks when they're ready.
I'm getting to the point of not being able to change my lifestyle anymore. Over time I have all what I can with denser housing, low carbon transportation, better household energy efficiency, I purchase green power, and now I'm starting to grow my own food.
I guess I could go full on vegetarian and stop buying consumer electronics. HAH! I don't know if I can do that just yet. But eventually, I forsee that I will. As long as tasty substitutes for meat become widely available and... companies stop making cool new toys to play with, I'll be able to do that.
So far, the reasons I've gathered for it are A: Gas crisis, makes it harder to transport. B: Ethanol, "Oh, we can use FOOD to make GAS, DUR." and C: Global warming stuff.
That about right?
I'm thinking more and more, people will start moving to more localized systems. Less suburbs, less walmarts, more condos and apartments, more small businesses growing their own food.
Chris, if you start tending a community garden, I'll start microbrewing. Maybe we can help eachother out with various stuff too- if you need rides to the garden and help you pick plants or whatnot/if I need chemistry help so my microbrew vat doesn't detonate.
(Anonymous)
Also: have you had food at Quickie Too? It's the vegan cafe at, I think, 14th and MLK (maybe 12th, I always forget). They make the most incredible meat substitutes (they do things with tofu that I never thought possible). It's incredibly filling, too. I'm sure everything is amazing, but the Crazy Jamaican Burger springs to mind as exceptionally delicious.