What are you doing to reduce the United States dependency on oil by conserving fuel?

All economists agree that the high cost of fuel rests primarily on the consumers demand for refined fuel. So what are you doing to conserve? Are you just part of the problem or are you becoming part of the solution?What are you doing to reduce the United States dependency on oil by conserving fuel?
It is not just now that our family has tried to lessen our dependence on fossil fuels, but here are some of the things we do. We walk or take a bus MOST of the time...(not all, I have two small children and need to get around easy sometimes). We recycle, we turn off lights that are not being used, we double up at bath and shower time. We advocate for use of wind energy and other alternative fuel sources...Oh and when I DO drive I have a Geo Metro which is amazing on M.P.G.!!!!What are you doing to reduce the United States dependency on oil by conserving fuel?
You guys don't get it. Do you get how gas prices actually go. It's all of supply and demand. Nothing with this forcing them to lower. It depends on how much they have. Report Abuse

Certainly i agree with your point that high costs are the result of high demand by consumers. This isnt the long term solution though as there will always be some sort of high demand along with dwindling supplies. I am doing many things to conserve...starting with as another poster said...reducing the frequency of trips for pleasure and fun. I make sure the tires in my car are properly inflated, run some fuel injector cleaner through the fuel system to keep it clean and running smoothly. I change the spark plugs in my car about every 50 thousand miles to ensure proper detination of the gas and air mixture which will literally give you the most bang for your buck...excuse the pun please. I also make certain the fron end of the car is ';alligned'; and is not ';pulling'; to one side or the other which will cause the car to ';fight'; from going in a true straight line. I DO NOT pay for premium gasoline as it is specially designed to ';retard'; or delay the spark for high end cars built for speed, not astrovans and chevy trucks or honda accords like mine that do well...and sometimes better on regular 87 octane fuel. There are many htings one can do to conserve fuel and these are just a few. But back to my humble opinion of what we can do to solve this entire problem? Turn plant cellulose into bio fuel. Read up on it....there was an article not long ago on dateline nbs.....it shocked me literally....and im not much of a conspiracy theorist or at least i try not to be, however, do you honestly think that big oil cpmpanies havent thwarted this type of creativity? I think so...and it will only take enough individuals like you and i to get mad and do something about it. This is the first step and it is dialogue.
We are a family of five with only one car....it is rough sometimes..but you can make it work...
I have no car. Can you say the same thing?
Went to live in another country, hey if everyone did that...
I live 5 miles from my job, I drive a 4 cyl. car, I don't travel out of town, thinking of taking the train next time I go to the beach.
As you can see everyone who answered your question is cutting back on driving. We are not the problem. I personally do not drive any extra than I have too, work and back, spend a lot more time doing family things at home. Used to have date night with my husband, now it's the whole family playing games or watching a movie. Now after children go to bed my husband and I go outside and sit on the swing, talk and you know, we are making things better for us and the economy, more for us though.


Now if you could get the politicians to cut back on driving maybe things would change. Could even take the profits that the oil companies are making (9 billion dollars last quarter) and actually make them pay taxes on them might make a big difference, or we could just stop buying gas for 2 days and see what happens. What do you think?
I cruise around mindlessly killing time in my giantic Tahoe. Please that avatar is hideous! Makes me angry and want to dump petroleum based products all over the park in honor of earth.
I limit my trips by batching errands together. I also have a car that gets 32 mpg. Lower the thermostats and shutting off electricity especially lights.





I wish there were car pools and mass transit for my commute, but none exist.
I take public transportation, which generally helps reduce oil usage. But I'm lucky to be in a part of the US where it is feasible.
i drive less now. the question is back to you.
I'm driving to work and that's about it. Not making any extra trips. What are YOU doing snizzleborfin?
Carpool to the spots with the crew, and ride the bike to the store for whatever. The Nissan gets pretty good mileage, but I'm not trying to pay $120 a month on gas.





Yo, that Avatar is what's up, son. Official.
Asked my boss for a raise!!!





No really, there is nothing we can do. It's all part of the growing economy. Think about it, if everything cost the same as it did when our great great great grandparents were alive, we would all be millionaires driving big fancy cars. Learn to adjust and stop whining...when the gas hits to be about $5 high...we would only hope for it to be three bucks again.
I am becoming the solution. I am no longer buying gas from Exxon or Mobil. (now I believe they joined) If everybody does this eventually they will be forced to lower their gas prices as will all the other stations.
i'm driving 85 instead of 110 on the highway.
i got a v6, moved to the boonies, and started working from home. i make much fewer ';quick trips to town,'; and my commute to work is about 15 feet. when i do have to drive, at least it's fun :D
i walk to work...
I'm playing on Yahoo! Answers instead of driving around town.
I stay home a lot. My husband also builds fuel tanks for bio-diesel conversions.
I have no choice. No mass transportation out where I live and I have to drive to work, grocery store, etc... Can't walk there or ride bicycle as I live out miles from town.
You're not really that naive are you? It's all a big scam by the oil companies who are filling their pockets with our hard earned dollars.
Carpool thrice a week. :)
shitting on all my neighbours lawns so they dont have to buy artificial fertilisers...
i will defenetely buy an ethanol friendly car when i buy my next car, changed all my light bulbs to energy efficient ones, replace my front door to save on heating and air, starting recycling , it all helps.
I sold my car, Everything for America ... I expect GOD to prevent American soldiers from dying while they are guarding the petroleum companies while they are stealing away the oil in Iraq. God knows that these soldiers are innocent.
I rarely drive.


I used to drive to the gym to work out. Stupid! Now I walk or run everywhere and have never felt better.


(I started this for health but I love the extra benefit of not driving and therefore saving $ on gas.)
electing an oil man to the office of president so he can drive the prices up to the point we cant afford it anymore!
looser
Right now i walk to school and I walk, ride the bus, or BART to get anywhere else. I'm fortunate enough to be attending a college in an area that has fantastic public transportation.





Unfortunately, I will be returning home this summer, where I must attend summer school that is 33 miles from where I live, and then go to work - 40 more miles - and I have to drive, because there is no public transportation. So basically I won't be going anywhere besides work and school! I plan to ride my bike when I want to visit my friends or go to the beach, those are both less than 10 miles away. Currently I am trying to figure out a better solution than driving everywhere, because driving 80 miles a day seems a bit ridiculous to me, not to mention a huge waste of gas.