Monday, June 30, 2008

Oily Plastic

Blah, Blah, Blah on saving wildlife - fish, birds and plants - in favor of having lightweight ipods and cell phones and portable computers and containers in general. What are all of these items made with? Plastic of course, and what is plastic a derivative of? Well, oil.

If we would just take advantage of all the proven reserves of oil in and around this country and not worry about a bunch of sea animals and go build the systems to drill it, we might be in a better position to negotiate with the Arabs. We and other wildlife will always adapt. There is the potential for oil spills, but how much worse is that than a cyclone in Myramar, an earthquake in China or flooding in the US?

The dependence on oil is not just evidenced by the use of autos/planes, but also every bit of plastic in your home/office is made from petroleum by-products, derived from oil from the ground. Can you see using metal or glass IV's, or no more baggies or Tupperware? What about computers, TVs and radios? LOTS of plastic in this great country of ours. Take a look around your surroundings now and see how influential it is.

Initiating all hybrid or cell-fuel cars, or eliminating air travel is not going to reduce our dependence on oil. Yes, it's a great answer, but by the time those things are evolved to that point, we could have access to tons of our own oil/fuel and be in better shape than ever, if we'd only begin setting up and drilling now. Of course, those plastic bottles, baggies and food containers are leaching chemicals into the food you swallow, so maybe we can find a solution for that as well. More on that later ...

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