Limited Resources, Less Time

Not new, but maybe not that well-known:
Oil in Nigeria (Shell, in this case)
Photo essay of oil in Nigeria

Of course currently in the Gulf of Mexico, there is the main plume that is being partially siphoned off by BP, and then there are the two plumes of mixed oil, water, and toxic chemicals that BP is still denying -- you know, the chemicals that were supposed to break up and disperse the oil, that are both less effective than others on the market, and more toxic than those more effective ones.... but the companies were best buds, so hey. That's been corrected at least...

Talking with my MIL yesterday about all this, she knows what apparently the news media don't seem to know, that the oil and toxins will be off all of the East coast of the US, up and over to the UK and the rest of Europe, and back down again. Some deniers are saying that the spill isn't that bad, we aren't see lots of dead animals and fish washing up. Of course, it would be hard to see all the fry and other small life forms in all that muck, wouldn't it? And a lot won't be washing up on the Gulf coasts, but elsewhere... Irritates me no end the media being so tentative. The spill's in the Gulf, the Stream goes through it, so of course it's just a matter of time.

Already there are signs in the stores about no more shrimp coming in. Next year, likely there won't be any shrimp at all. Well, not from the Gulf, anyway. The dieoff is already underway.

My MIL hates coal too -- her dad worked for a while in the mines and also delivering coal, so she's seen it up close and personal. Some of our electricity comes from coal, and some from oil or natural gas -- unless you're off the grid and don't drive a car or motorcycle, chances are you're partly responsible for the mess our planet's in. We all are -- yes, me too.

Why is that? We didn't build the rigs, or screw up the safety regulations. We didn't let containment pools at mines collapse or get flooded and destroy homes and the environment at large. Right? But we all expect fuel at a "reasonable" price -- money-grubbing corporations aside, they're cutting corners at least in part because there's so much demand for fuel, at unreasonably low prices. These are limited resources, and should be used and priced accordingly, but instead they're treated like they're renewable, as if we could always get more.

We turn a blind eye, because we don't want to have to sacrifice anything. Heck, there are people out there leaving dead rats at climate scientists' doors and sending them death threats, because if anyone were to listen to them enough to actually DO something, that would threaten their way of life (the guy leaving the rat I know of, was seen driving off in a yellow Hummer).

And heaven forefend anyone "cut back" on their "lifestyle".

My MIL has her luxuries these days, not having to make everything from scratch (some, but not all). And she's not in good enough health to bike or walk to work, so she drives there -- at least it's only a couple of miles, and she doesn't travel long distance very often, and always with others. She has her television and loves her old movies. But I dare say she lives what she considers a comfortable life, at considerably less fuel usage than the average American.

L's and my fuel usage for travel has gone up over the past year, and I'm not thrilled with it. If the school were closer, that would be a happy thing. Currently I weigh it against the cost of lack of physical fitness, and quite frankly, kung fu makes me do more for getting and staying fit than anything else I've done since I was a kid. The healthier we are, the less we'll need to make demands on the medical institutions and use pharmaceuticals (talk about pollutants!).

Still, a day may come when we give up going to the school...

What gives the U.S. the right to use 1/3 of the world's fossil fuels? Nothing.

Want to go on vacation, travel to visit family, commute to work or class in a car, etc.? I'm not saying not to do it -- we each are responsible for ourselves and how we interact with our world. But know the cost. It's a hard and uncomfortable thing to think about, but like dealing with a suspected illness, denying it won't make it go away.

Everything has a cost -- even alternative energies do, because they need to use some fossil fuels for construction and transportation. Two new Energy Star dishwashers are getting put into the house tomorrow (one downstairs, one up) -- likely a good thing overall, but... at least the previous ones were a few decades old, so well-used. I'm also a fan of using my cup for more than one fill-up of water before washing it, for sure!

But we need to look hard at each thing we do, and think about it in context of the world, not just ourselves. And yeah, no need to be serious all the time, but play-time needs to have a lower outlay of resources, because those are getting scarcer every day.

Been dealing with stress and depression for a few years now, sometimes not so well. The whole thing gets overwhelming, and trying to figure out what I can and can't do.... end up not doing a whole lot sometimes. Thank goodness for L and for a few good friends. Hope I can get it together this year.

Slowly working on divesting of some stuff -- very slowly, as we have the annoying habit of picking up useful stuff. Still trying to organize things, but that'll be a long road too. Can't give up though. Well, we could.... but we won't.