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With
the rising oil prices, most people
are doing their part to reduce
their oil dependency where it
revolves around the car. We are
combining trips, trying to avoid
quick starts, slowing down a bit,
keeping our tires inflated
correctly and buying hybrids.
However, have we looked beyond our
cars to reduce our oil
dependencies?
If
you haven’t thought about the
use of oil in your everyday life,
you aren’t alone. Many people
aren’t aware how extensively
petroleum is used in the products
that we buy. It is used in plastic
products from plastic bottles to
plastic bags, but it is also used
in CD’s, DVD’s, Styrofoam and
numerous toys. To improve their
appearance, petroleum waxes are
applied to many fruits and
vegetables. In addition cosmetics,
chemical fertilizers, Vaseline,
lip balms, paints and numerous
other products contain ingredients
derived from petroleum.
So,
how do we reduce our dependency on
oil when it is used to make so
many products? The answer is to
shop for alternatives to petroleum
derived products.
At
the grocery store, buy canned good
items in metal or glass versus
plastic. If plastic is your only
choice, search for recyclable
plastics, such as #1 and #2, and
then recycle them. Don’t buy
water in bottles. Instead purchase
a stainless steel water bottle and
refill it with your own filtered
water. Buy locally grown fruits
and vegetables to avoid petroleum
waxes and the fuel it takes to
bring them to you. Select organic
products whenever possible to
reduce the use of synthetic
fertilizers, which are derived
from petroleum. Bag your grocery
items in paper versus plastic or
take your own bags and reuse them.
When
gardening, avoid chemical
fertilizers and pesticides and use
organic solutions. It’s safer
for your family and will avoid
using petroleum unnecessarily. And
if you have a small yard and need
a new lawn mower, think of
purchasing a reel mower, which
uses no petroleum – just a
little elbow grease.
Petroleum
is used in most shampoos,
cosmetics and personal care
products. Pick healthier and less
oil dependent solutions for your
cosmetic and personal care
products. Check out the website, http://www.aubrey-organics.com/about/treat_10synth.cfm,
for a few oil specific ingredients
and http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/index.php
to identify healthier
alternatives.
Most
of us eat at restaurants
occasionally. Often the servings
are too large and we decide to get
a doggy bag to take home. If we
did indeed get a bag, it might be
a better choice than what we
usually get; Styrofoam or
plastics, which aren’t
recyclable and are made from
petroleum products. Before you
decide to take food home, find out
what containers they have
available. Some restaurants use
paper containers with a foil lid,
which is a better alternative than
single use oil based take home
container that winds up in the
landfill.
To
reduce our country’s dependency
on oil, we have to look at various
things, from the cars that we
drive to the products that we buy.
And if you want to take the next
step, write companies to complain
about their packaging, ask grocery
stores to stock paper bags in
their produce section, and tell
restaurants to carry recyclable
and non-oil dependent containers.
Only through a combination of
efforts can we reduce our oil
dependency.
Sharon
Tepe is the founder of Go Green.
If you would like more
information, contact
Sharon
at sharon.tepe@fuse.net
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