Recent editorials in the WDN spoke of "peak oil." My
brother, who has been involved with the transportation industry for over 30
years, has maintained for nearly 10 years now that we will reach Peak Oil before
2010. There is an organization, The Association for the Study of Peak Oil &
Gas (http://www.peakoil.net/) that
discusses Peak Oil in great detail.
I believe the majority of Americans are in denial about that
inevitable day when the wells run dry. With gasoline prices nearing $3.00 a
gallon a while ago, I continued to see 30% to 60% of cars at my favorite
Kwik Trip (on a nice morning, mind you) idling while the occupants were inside
collecting coffee and donuts. I think people are doing a lot of talking about
what the government and everyone else should do about this crisis but most are
not internalizing this reality and changing their own behaviors.
I am beginning to see initiatives to save on gasoline use in
particular that depend upon us making substantial changes in our daily schedules
(much of which is beyond our individual control). Neighborhood carpooling, for
instance will not succeed as a start because it asks us all to make major
changes in how we schedule our transportation needs at a time when we are not
even ready to let the cabin of the car cool off or heat up while we get our
coffee! We need to work to motivate small changes first. That is a way to help
people truly acknowledge that the problem exists and to realize that they
can do something about it.
I'm not sure even small changes will be widely accepted until
gasoline prices exceed $5.00 per gallon. At any rate, I would suggest that we
begin with things like:
1. Shut the engines off when they are not being used (If no
one is in the car or if the driver is sitting off the road reading a map,
chatting on a cellphone, etc.). This is so obvious I am amazed that
everyone does not do it right now. Arguments about it taking more gasoline to
start the car than to let it run were questionable in the old days. With new
engine technologies, such arguments don't even pass the smell test.The engine on
my wife's car shuts down at stop signs - and she gets great mileage!
Drivers of diesel powered vehicles, too, can realize
significant fuel savings by simply shutting off the engine. For instance, once a
school bus engine has warmed up (Here it needs only the trip from the Minnesota
City School Bus Company garage to the school to warm up.) it can be shut down
while waiting for school to end. Unless it is very cold outside (The buses are
not air conditioned, so this does not apply when it's warm.) the engines don't
have to be running until the buses are loaded and they are ready to pull out. I
am not advocating shutting down such engines at each stop, but I have observed
school buses sitting at the WSHS transfer point for nearly 30 minutes every
afternoon - with their engines running to "keep them warm" when it was 80
degrees outside! What will it take to encourage the Minnesota
City School Bus Company to stress conservation of fuel with their drivers?
Such moves have been a struggle for trucking companies but they are slowly
beginning to make progress - and to realize the savings.
2. Discuss the impact on fuel mileage of quick acceleration
starts. Encourage drivers not to engage in intersection races. I cannot count
the number of times that I have made a left hand turn into the inner lane of a
four lane road (the way I was taught) only to find the car behind me beginning
to rapidly accelerate past me on my right even before the driver
has completely negotiated the turn. That wastes gasoline! Such aggressive
driving habits are not limited to young hot-shot male drivers,
either.
3. Encourage people to plan trips in order to accommodate as
many needs in a single trip as is possible. Get groceries on the way home.
Stress the use of other high technology devices like cellphones to save on trip
time and miles by allowing tasks to be added "on the fly" (I'm not advocating
talking while driving. Pull over to the side, shut off the engine, and add to
that grocery list.)
If we can sell such simple changes to people then we can
perhaps move to changes that impact lifestyles and major transportation
habits:
1. Begin carpooling by identifying groups that have similar
schedules, work at the same place, and who live on a common route. It's not
necessary to all live in the same area, If I worked at TRW, for instance, I
could pick up TRW employees all along my route to work as long as we all worked
the same shift. They don't all have to live up by me on the hill.
2. Encourage people to begin to buy smaller cars. Frankly (and
this is just my personal opinion), I don't believe anyone ever really "needed"
an SUV. Minivans are cheaper, get slightly better mileage and hold more people
and cargo than an SUV. Seems if a driver doesn't "need" a minivan then that
driver surely doesn't "need" an SUV.
3. Encourage people to make EPA mileage ratings a priority
when buying a car and let the dealer know that mileage is important. Then
too, let the losing dealers know that a poor mileage rating was the reason their
car was not the car of choice. If we are going to let the marketplace determine
some of our energy policies (and it's likely that we will), then it's important
to inform that marketplace at all levels, not just at the consumer
level.
I don't make posts often. It's probably just as well. I can't
seem to make a short one.
-Leslie Hittner
