[GreenYes] How to Drive Down Gas Prices? I propose "Support OPEC - Buy an SUV"

["Melissa Bernardin" <mbernardin00@hotmail.com>]

Dear Big Picture Green-yes-ers,

["Support OPEC - Buy an SUV" an appropriate bumper sticker slogan from 
www.suv.org.]
The gas question is a little off list topic, but considering that American 
passenger vehicles emit more greenhouse gases than ALL SOURCES of greenhouse 
gas emissions of ALL BUT 3 other nations on the planet (on a per-nation 
basis*), educating ourselves on auto impact on the environment is critical 
to global security.

Thus, my contribution:
The best way to "keep gas prices down" is to buy a high mileage car, a 
hybrid, an electric car, take mass transit, bike, or walk (where and 
whenever possible).

I went to an interesting talk by some energy folks at Tufts University last 
month on energy and national security and one of the panelists noted that 
imported oil (Middle Eastern, Venezuelan, Canadian etc. etc.) is more 
expensive than domestic sources.  Thus, to the contrary of the anti-Arab oil 
message posted on 4/15, not buying imported oil, and rather using US drilled 
oil, will actually drive *up* gas prices.

Lets seriously rethink the american transportation system.  If you read 
carefully in recent newspaper articles dealing with Arab anti-American 
sentiment, you will learn that much of their hostility comes from our 
occupation of their lands to allow us to remove oil from beneath their 
homeland to consume for our own uses. Think about it people, how would we 
feel if Persian Gulf nations flew fighter jets over to Texas, pulled out 
their guns, extracted our oil, and shipped it overseas to use for their 
economic gain?  Might we be a little pissed off?  Let's not live a 
double-standard world.

To further encourage looking this as a "drive less" issue rather than a 
"boycott this or that type of gas", please note:  "Terrorism" is not the 
only threat to America's well-being.  Thousands of people are dying from 
every year from asthma, lung cancer, and countless other diseases that are 
at least partially linked to not only combustion of fossil fuels (such as 
burning gasoline) but to oil refining and production (such as in towns in 
Louisiana and Texas).  One place I found to learn a little about the health 
impacts on US oil refining is at www.refineryreform.org.

America, it's time to wake up and smell the noxious connections.

Gotta drive? 2002 Guide to environmental ranking of passenger vehicles:    
http://www.greenercars.com/
[*Book found at this web site graphs GHG emissions by nation and the 
emissions of American passenger vehicles.]

Suggested reading for all Americans:
http://www.sierraclub.org/globalwarming/suvreport/

Join the national SUV ticketing campaign:  http://www.earthonempty.com

-Melissa Bernardin
Boston, MA

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