From this morning's
NY Times:
The latest effort to contain the oil spill that has poured millions of gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico encountered a setback 5,000 feet underwater, officials said Saturday, meaning oil will continue gushing into the ocean for at least several more days, and possibly months.
This will be the worst man-made environmental disaster of my lifetime. My prayer is that it is never exceeded in anyone's lifetime.
Poisoned water will spread into the Gulf Stream, up the Atlantic seaboard, across the ocean. We have mainlined an overdose.
This is so sad; when I think of marine life, of generations future, of the vanity, selfishness and greed of our human race ... my throat clamps up and my heart physically hurts.
The oil companies do not have bottom-line responsibility here; there would be no oil industry without our demand for petroleum products. Do not point at BP and Big Oil. Let's each of us, instead, look in the mirror and NOTICE OUR OWN ADDICTION ...
- every time we start up a fossil-fuel-fired engine.
- every time we place a small order on the internet and, like pathetically stupid royalty, have a truck burn fuel to deliver, for our convenience, a small box directly to our doorstep
- every time we order take-out food that arrives in plastic containers
- every time we purchase shampoo, hand cream, laundry soap, bottled water, children's toys, household items that are contained in plastic.
- every time we use a disposable plastic pen (or, worse, throw away a pen for which we could, instead, purchase a refill) or lighter.
- every time we purchase or don clothing made with polyester fiber
A quick web search for "petroleum-derived products" turns up this page from Ranken Energy Corporation, an oil exploration company. "A partial list of products made from Petroleum (144 of 6000 items)":
One 42-gallon barrel of oil creates 19.4 gallons of gasoline. The rest (over half) is used to make things like...
Solvents
|
Diesel fuel
|
Motor Oil
|
Bearing Grease
|
Ink
|
Floor Wax
|
Ballpoint Pens
|
Football Cleats
|
Upholstery
|
Sweaters
|
Boats
|
Insecticides
|
Bicycle Tires
|
Sports Car Bodies
|
Nail Polish
|
Fishing lures
|
Dresses
|
Tires
|
Golf Bags
|
Perfumes
|
Cassettes
|
Dishwasher parts
|
Tool Boxes
|
Shoe Polish
|
Motorcycle Helmet
|
Caulking
|
Petroleum Jelly
|
Transparent Tape
|
CD Player
|
Faucet Washers
|
Antiseptics
|
Clothesline
|
Curtains
|
Food Preservatives
|
Basketballs
|
Soap
|
Vitamin Capsules
|
Antihistamines
|
Purses
|
Shoes
|
Dashboards
|
Cortisone
|
Deodorant
|
Footballs
|
Putty
|
Dyes
|
Panty Hose
|
Refrigerant
|
Percolators
|
Life Jackets
|
Rubbing Alcohol
|
Linings
|
Skis
|
TV Cabinets
|
Shag Rugs
|
Electrician's Tape
|
Tool Racks
|
Car Battery Cases
|
Epoxy
|
Paint
|
Mops
|
Slacks
|
Insect Repellent
|
Oil Filters
|
Umbrellas
|
Yarn
|
Fertilizers
|
Hair Coloring
|
Roofing
|
Toilet Seats
|
Fishing Rods
|
Lipstick
|
Denture Adhesive
|
Linoleum
|
Ice Cube Trays
|
Synthetic Rubber
|
Speakers
|
Plastic Wood
|
Electric Blankets
|
Glycerin
|
Tennis Rackets
|
Rubber Cement
|
Fishing Boots
|
Dice
|
I suggest we shock ourselves about how Green we really are NOT compared to how Green we like to think we are, by studying this
entire list.
I suggest that any one of us who does nothing to protest ocean-floor drilling has a barrel of spilled oil on our conscience.
And I suggest we look in the mirror, and assess our own role in using, and disposing, thoughtlessly and often needlessly, the products derived from oil drilling. Every time we use something. Every time we toss something in the trash. Daily. Every minute. Every time.