The Icing

This morning, Johnnie and I watched the documentary, "The End of Suburbia," which gave a history of American suburban life as it predicted a future in which our dependence on gas/oil will have to change. I thought a lot about what kinds of decisions I could make to decrease my own dependence on gas/oil. These are the things I'm considering:

1. Have some kind of a garden this summer, even if it involves planting vegetables in the spare pots I have sitting in my backyard.
2. Take the bus more frequently. There's a bus that goes up Palm to Fig Garden on a regular basis. When I do my Long's/Whole Foods run, perhaps I could take the bus instead of driving.
3. Walk more frequently--not just for exercise but to get to the grocery store or to the Tower District.

Of course, these are only minor changes. I wonder, too, about living closer to work, eliminating processed foods from my diet and adding more locally grown food (did you know that since most fertilizers and pesticides are made of gas that the food we eat is about 10% oil?), getting a hybrid/small car, using a bicycle more frequently, staying in my neighborhood to shop (and decreasing my consumer impulses), and making other more major lifestyle changes.

It makes sense to me that we will run out of oil someday--and what's happening with gas prices right now seems to indicate that we can't continue to live with the same dependence on oil. I know that any change I make may not make a huge difference . . . but at least it's a start.