Kicking the Oil Habit
June 2nd, 2006 | Posted in Energy
Robert Redford’s recent commentary, “Kicking the oil habit“, is more of a press release for a new campaign than an opinion piece on energy, but the message is still clear - we must change our ways. Redford states:
The recent surge in gas prices has touched a raw nerve for many around the country, reminding us of an economy that is increasingly uncertain for the middle-class, a growing addiction to oil that draws us ever closer to dictators and despots, and a fragile global position with a climate that is increasingly out of balance. I believe America is ready to kick the oil habit and launch a new movement for real solutions and a better future.
This new movement is the Campaign to Kick the Oil Habit.
I don’t agree with the fact that the campaign focuses heavily on E85 made from corn, but the website does acknowledge, “In the future, increasingly, a wider array of crops will produce ethanol”. I’ve stated in a previous post that corn-based ethanol is not the future . . . at least not until better ethanol production methods are developed for corn. It’s just too wasteful.
In his commentary, Redford also offers an inspiring list of efforts to curb or alter our energy use in some of America’s more progressive cities and states . He lists:
In California this November, voters will be offered an initiative that cuts the use of oil by 25 percent and creates new funding to support innovation and cutting edge technology.
Austin, Texas, is leading a growing number of cities in calling for car companies to produce plug-in hybrid vehicles that can go hundreds of miles on a gallon of gas.
New Mexico has joined the Chicago Climate Exchange, pledging to reduce its carbon emissions, and at the same time becoming a national leader in creating a state-of-the-art clean energy economy.
In Minnesota they have jump-started a new biofuels industry driven by farmer-owned co-ops that are putting more money back into rural communities and lifting up people’s lives.
Cities like Seattle are joining with others around the world and taking on goals for green development, while states like Colorado are passing bond initiatives for transit and new requirements for clean energy.
Man oh man do I wish Missouri wasn’t moving backwards! The Campaign to Kick the Oil Habit isn’t just some pet project of actor either, it’s “based at the Center for American Progress and works with partners from the Natural Resources Defense Council to Consumers Union, MoveOn.org to the Apollo Alliance”.
Amid all the organizations, articles and talk is this simple prediction:
Kick the Oil Habit will bring forth the dynamic narrative of American innovation and inspired thinking. It will give everyone who believes we can free ourselves of our dependence on oil, real solutions which embody real opportunity.
Let’s hope so!
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