What are you doing to reduce oil dependence and how can our country move away from it?

[twa]

I planned my work and home to eliminate commute(2 blocks),shop local

have fairly high mpg vehicles,which I only put about 5k a yr on and keep for at least a decade or two

I recycle and shop at thrift shops

I landscaped to avoid watering and to enhance cooling and eliminate fertilizing,as well as utilizing rain water and gray water...as well as grow veggies and fruit

Home is heavily insulated with high efficiency appliances and contract for wind generated electricity

I'm fairly Green despite my dislike for most of them

[DCSaints_fan]

I don't own a car and bike to work. I use Zipcar for the rare times when I need a car.

[IHOPSkins]

I agree with pretty much everything in your post.......

Thank You

There are places that Rain Water could be saved/stored.....This would help lessen the burden on infrastructure (Think Palm Springs)

"From your Roof to your Toilet...for a Better World"

---------- Post added April-14th-2011 at 10:26 AM ----------

......shop local......

related to this

More Bike Paths....of course you will then eat more, so it might be Resource Neutral

[Enter Apotheosis]

I've started a tire fire in my backyard in protest of our oil dependence.

[Koolblue13]

I landscaped to avoid watering and to enhance cooling and eliminate fertilizing,as well as utilizing rain water and gray water...as well as grow veggies and fruit

I think these are some very important points to touch on. We import so much food and over pesticide everything, it will eventually make our water undrinkable, leading to more shipping waste. Collecting rain water is another huge thing most of us could do as well as landscaping our lawns away from grass, that is harmful.

I'm fairly Green despite my dislike for most of them

When I started this thread, I had you in mind as I worded it. Although we tend to agree on the "keep your government off my lawn" line of thinking, there are steps that they should be making and fairly drastically. However, if everybody was acting in a responsible way, it wouldn't be as needed. Conservatives first rule, should be to not waste.

[Stew]

Does anyone think this will catch on or be made available to the public once a technique is perfected to utilize it? Or do yo uthink the Electric Companies will shy away from paying to develope it as a viable alternative solar power?

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/227224-Solar-power-without-solar-cells-A-hidden-magnetic-effect-of-light-could-make-it-possible

[grhqofb5]

I have begun using primarily wood for my outdoor bbqing needs. I figure if i don't use charcoal, there will be more coal for others, thereby driving down the price of coal. And if there is cheaper coal, people will be less likely to purchase gasoline, or directly purchase oil.

[mcsluggo]

is there any coal in charcoal?

[grhqofb5]

is there any coal in charcoal?

Yes, I certainly hope so. Otherwise I've been using horse**** for the last 15 years to cook my hamburgers and hotdogs.

[Koolblue13]

Does anyone think this will catch on or be made available to the public once a technique is perfected to utilize it? Or do yo uthink the Electric Companies will shy away from paying to develope it as a viable alternative solar power?

http://www.sott.net/articles/show/227224-Solar-power-without-solar-cells-A-hidden-magnetic-effect-of-light-could-make-it-possible

Wow. That is pretty amazing stuff.

[mcsluggo]

Yes, I certainly hope so. Otherwise I've been using horse**** for the last 15 years to cook my hamburgers and hotdogs.

i thought charcoal was partially burned wood ?

but.. I honestly have no real idea... and the little briquettes DO look a lot like the formed coal dust bricks that poor people in beijing used when i was there... ?

[pointyfootball]

I've got some ideas the state governments could enact to reduce our foreign oil consumption, although I don't see it happening as tax revenue would go way down.

1) Enact speed limits again (55mph)

2) Aggressively work to time traffic light on busy roads that would "reward" speed-limit drivers, thereby reducing stop-n-go driving.

3) Remove toll boths (BAY BRIDGE). How many gallons of gas get burned every Friday & Sunday afternoon sitting in line at the Bay Bridge?

4) Ban fast food drive-thru's.

5) Make cities a more attractive place to live to suburbanites.

[Koolblue13]

I'm convinced that they have the traffic lights perfectly timed to make it stop and go.

Making cities more attractive is starting to happen and it's great. I think the suburbs were a great idea to begin with, but most are doing it very irresponsibly.

[TheGoodBits]

My car gets better mpg at 80 than it does at 55. I think a lot of vehicles are like that now.

[grhqofb5]

i thought charcoal was partially burned wood ?

but.. I honestly have no real idea... and the little briquettes DO look a lot like the formed coal dust bricks that poor people in beijing used when i was there... ?

I think that traditional charcoal is actually wood based. But the briquettes are actually made of coal and some other stuff. Different substances, and what we buy are normally the briquettes

[mjah]

God I can't wait until the electric car myth falls apart.

"Horseless carriages? I'd like to see one a' them new oil-burnin' contraptions make Dillard's Pass in a hard rain! Har-har!"

Some things never change.

Already, despite its various flaws, hybrid ownership makes sense for a lot of people.

:secret: And battery technology isn't going to get worse, nor more costly up front. But I wonder where oil prices are going to go? Down? Hmmm...

[pointyfootball]

My car gets better mpg at 80 than it does at 55. I think a lot of vehicles are like that now.

Not sure what you drive, but:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/tires-auto-parts/car-maintenance/fuel-economy-save-money-on-gas/overview/index.htm

[TheGoodBits]

"Horseless carriages? I'd like to see one a' them new oil-burnin' contraptions make Dillard's Pass in a hard rain! Har-har!"

Some things never change.

Already, despite its various flaws, hybrid ownership makes sense for a lot of people.

:secret: And battery technology isn't going to get worse, nor more costly up front.

I was thinking along the same line. New technologies are rarely perfect, but over time they can be perfected. I don't see any way electric vehicles don't take off unless another alt energy technology takes over.

---------- Post added April-14th-2011 at 02:39 PM ----------

Not sure what you drive, but:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/tires-auto-parts/car-maintenance/fuel-economy-save-money-on-gas/overview/index.htm

Interesting... I usually average around 37-38 in regular highway situations doing 55-60 mph. 97 Civic HX manual btw. One longer interstate trips I'll get up to 75-80 and cruise in 5th gear the whole time and average 42-43 mpg.

[mardi gras skin]

I planned my work and home to eliminate commute(2 blocks),shop local

have fairly high mpg vehicles,which I only put about 5k a yr on and keep for at least a decade or two

I recycle and shop at thrift shops

I landscaped to avoid watering and to enhance cooling and eliminate fertilizing,as well as utilizing rain water and gray water...as well as grow veggies and fruit

Home is heavily insulated with high efficiency appliances and contract for wind generated electricity

I'm fairly Green despite my dislike for most of them

I prefer to think of myself as "cheap" rather than "green".

Not much to reduce oil dependance other than no/very little commuting for work. We also figured out that we can hitch a ride with friends who have family in the same general area for the holidays. They have a large enough vehicle that, if we pack well, we can all drive down together and split the cost. Again, this has more to do with being cheap than green, but it does save gasoline/car wear and tear. We also buy from consignment shops, craigslist, re-stores (habitat for humanity)...anywhere we can find second hand stuff. There is so much great stuff going to waste that can be reused or repurposed or reupholstered.

One thing we decided to do years ago when we started our church was to rent space from a movie theater on Sunday mornings before they open. The theater is heated and cooled at that time anyway so our church don't have any building or energy footprint for our gatherings. We pay rent but, environmentally, there's no footprint.

[DCsportsfan53]

"Horseless carriages? I'd like to see one a' them new oil-burnin' contraptions make Dillard's Pass in a hard rain! Har-har!"

Some things never change.

Already, despite its various flaws, hybrid ownership makes sense for a lot of people.

:secret: And battery technology isn't going to get worse, nor more costly up front. But I wonder where oil prices are going to go? Down? Hmmm...

I'm not saying we don't need to work towards replacements for crude by any stretch but battery technology is not even close right now and the enviornmental damage done producing those batteries is astounding. Bottom line is nobody can refute that right now electric cars are far costlier for far less performance than oil burners.

And even besides all that, our national power grid is already extremely taxed and can't even handle everyone turning on their ACs at home in the summer without brownouts. Now we want to plug in a few million cars every night, too? Good luck getting the good ol boys in congress to put the future first and invest the many, many billions in infastructure improvements to the national power grid to make that happen. They can't be bothered with that, they have taxes to cut.

[pjfootballer]

I live less than 3 miles from work. Don't ask me to bike, I sweat WAY too much. I have a 2007 Colorado (4 Cyl) and I've only put 24K on it in 4 years. We recycle all plasics, glass, cardboard etc. We get veggies from the local farmers market.

I agree with pretty much everything in your post. I don't understand why the regulations on new home and building codes can't be radically changed.

Cost. I imagine it takes more money to put these things in. Instead of paying $200K for a home, you'd pay $250K. I'm sure the builder would love to put it in, as long as the buyer eats the cost.

[Stew]

All the Volt and Leaf people crack me up. If you want to overpay for a vehicle with serious comprises and technology that's not ready for primetime be my guest. God I can't wait until the electric car myth falls apart.

Its here bro, no myth.

Actually, Im looking into ways that I can finance this car http://www.teslamotors.com/models

0 tailpipe emissions, 300 miles to the charge.

I drive 140 miles a day, I need one of these bad. I currently drive a honda accord, but I also have a gas guzzling beast that I am going to sell to help bring me closer to having one of these bad boys.

I have a 2002 Nissan Xterra, stick shift, with a Supercharger on it, stock. This thing drinks gas. I hate it now. I don'tdrive it to work, and I barely ever drive it at all. It sits in the garage. Dont get me wrong, its fun to play with, but yeah... expensive as it takes high octane. I purchased it in my twenties and have had a lot of fun with it, but its time for it to go. It has about 70K miles on it, and Ive been told Ill get about 8K for it. That takes care of the down payment for the Model S. I just need to work out financing it, and grow a set large enough to convince me to undertake a monthly bill like this. Its been great not having a car payment, but i guess 130 a week in gas with my old arse accord is kinda like a car payment huh?

After I get this car, my plan is to sell my accord and my Hyundai and get a turbo deisel that I can convert into a grease car (bio-fuel). This would be a great hobby/project, and once I do it, I can let my wife drive the Tesla, and preserve it as much as possible.

[Stadium-Armory]

Filled up our Chevy Suburban today at the local costco here in Superior, CO. $3.46 a gallon for 85 = $94.21.

[twa]

Its here bro, no myth.

Actually, Im looking into ways that I can finance this car http://www.teslamotors.com/models

0 tailpipe emissions, 300 miles to the charge.

.

ya might find this interesting

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/3817-maintenance-costs-each-year

The 12k battery replacement plan makes me cringe personally

What I really don't understand is the short rear tire life....is it that heavy?

I'd go with a turbo diesel myself,but I'm a cheapskate

[Stew]

ya might find this interesting

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/3817-maintenance-costs-each-year

The 12k battery replacement plan makes me cringe personally

What I really don't understand is the short rear tire life....is it that heavy?

I'd go with a turbo diesel myself,but I'm a cheapskate

Thanks for that link and the info!

im def going to do the bio-fuel conversion on a turbo deisel. There are a couple of VW turbo deisel Jettas that I have been looking at.

I still wouldn't mind the tesla though, especially for how long and often im on the road. However its little things like what you've pointed out, and the sticker price, that give me pause. I still may do it though. It would be a reliable, energy efficient, elegant and beautiful piece of machinery that I wouldnt have to depend on because of my other vehicle. I could drive it sparingly while its under warranty, and let my wife drive it when she wants to. (she gets a company car from her work and doesn't pay for gas, so she wouldn't be punishing it either.) I think minimal wear and tare would help compensate for the short tire life. Are you talking about the weight of the electric motor in regards to the rear tire life? Im assuming its because of the placement of the motor, and the weight of it that puts a strain on the rear tire. The car is a hulking 4900 lbs though,(with the 800 cell battery) so im sure that does play a big part of it. the battery pack im looking at is the 800 cell pack, that weighs almost 1000lbs itself. I also don't like the liquid temperature control around electronics... liquid and electronics don't usually go well together, and while i know they do it for computers as well, if something were to go wrong, with liquid and electronics it goes very wrong. These are the little things holding me back, but ill easily admit that Im infatuated with it right now.

Also, all three pages of that message board are talking aboutthe roadster, not the model S, however I believe the conversation would be similer about the Model S.