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| Ashley Rueff/Triblocal reporter/Copyright Triblocal |
Lets be frank; few if any people have given up their cars, or even tried to use them less since the Oil Spill began. We all say we are ticked off at BP for the oil leak; Even before this leak, we forget about the 267,000 gallon spill in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and the 2005 Texas City Refinery Explosion which killed 15 and injured 170.
Angry at the gushing undersea well, Brian Poncin decided on his own to entice customers to get rid of BP if they could. He offered 10% discounts to those buying bikes while the well was uncapped. He went so far as to actually put a TV in his shopped tuned into the oil well all day. He extended this after the cap, and doubled the discount for anyone willing to cut up their BP Gas card. Now thats a deal.(His site can be found at http://mybiketinley.com/)
It must be said that as a company, the payout BP will make for the oil spill will only put a temporary dent in the company's pockets. Why? Simple. Because they know, and we all know, people want and often need to keep driving. Still, here is one guy, literally putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to using less gas. Now, to be fair, not everyone lives in either a small town where everything is close by, or a large city with a well establish public transportation network, and well designed bike paths. However, for those of us, fortunate enough to live in these areas, we should try to take the time to reexamine our behaviors, and our beliefs. Beliefs are meaningless without action.
Basic economics 101; if you don't want or need a product or service in a free-market economy to exist or thrive, don't buy it. Obsoleteness and disinterest drives products out of our market. In addition, lowering demand on any commodity, such as oil, drops the price. It was once said that at one time, there were probably dozens of companies making buggy whips, and that the last company that made them, probably made the best damn one you ever saw. But the advent of cars, made them obsolete. Oil, will never fully be obsolete. However, we can reduce our demand for it. Less demand, less production, less accidents. To meet production goals for consumer demand, companies such as BP often bypass safety measures. If production needs drop, then the strain on equipment and manpower drops in kind, even if prices begin to fall due to lowed demand.
In the end, its up to us not to use the product which causes so many issues as much as is realistically possible. No one needs to drive one mail to get a soda from the corner store. Besides, a good walk will help burn off some of the empty calories you get from soda. In summary, I say this to those on the Daily Mile, and anyone reading this blog; talk a walk, or ride bike if you can; its good for all concerned.
Angry at the gushing undersea well, Brian Poncin decided on his own to entice customers to get rid of BP if they could. He offered 10% discounts to those buying bikes while the well was uncapped. He went so far as to actually put a TV in his shopped tuned into the oil well all day. He extended this after the cap, and doubled the discount for anyone willing to cut up their BP Gas card. Now thats a deal.(His site can be found at http://mybiketinley.com/)
It must be said that as a company, the payout BP will make for the oil spill will only put a temporary dent in the company's pockets. Why? Simple. Because they know, and we all know, people want and often need to keep driving. Still, here is one guy, literally putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to using less gas. Now, to be fair, not everyone lives in either a small town where everything is close by, or a large city with a well establish public transportation network, and well designed bike paths. However, for those of us, fortunate enough to live in these areas, we should try to take the time to reexamine our behaviors, and our beliefs. Beliefs are meaningless without action.
Basic economics 101; if you don't want or need a product or service in a free-market economy to exist or thrive, don't buy it. Obsoleteness and disinterest drives products out of our market. In addition, lowering demand on any commodity, such as oil, drops the price. It was once said that at one time, there were probably dozens of companies making buggy whips, and that the last company that made them, probably made the best damn one you ever saw. But the advent of cars, made them obsolete. Oil, will never fully be obsolete. However, we can reduce our demand for it. Less demand, less production, less accidents. To meet production goals for consumer demand, companies such as BP often bypass safety measures. If production needs drop, then the strain on equipment and manpower drops in kind, even if prices begin to fall due to lowed demand.
In the end, its up to us not to use the product which causes so many issues as much as is realistically possible. No one needs to drive one mail to get a soda from the corner store. Besides, a good walk will help burn off some of the empty calories you get from soda. In summary, I say this to those on the Daily Mile, and anyone reading this blog; talk a walk, or ride bike if you can; its good for all concerned.
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