Life at $200 a Barrel

Analysts predict that the price of oil may top $175 a barrel by November 2008 and $200 by the end of the year. Opinions about the cause of our problems abound, including the greed of the oil companies, 9/11, the Iraq War, and our own insatiable need for fossil fuels. Many causes are suggested and there are just as many solutions being discussed but not being implemented.

As a result, we can look for gas prices to reach $6 to $7 per gallon this year. All products and services we take for granted will be impacted, requiring many of us to make lifestyle changes. The price of food could raise 30 percent, while airline travel will soon become an endangered species. One group, who has the power to make this all go away has yet to take meaningful action; the citizens of the United States can make the the economy reverse course by exerting its influence on supply and demand.

The issue of oil prices impacts every aspect of world economics. Economists are concerned that the US trade deficit is widening at an increasing rate, devaluing the dollar. Big business assures us that buying on credit is not harmful although one million homes are in foreclosure. Marketing lures us into unhealthy eating habits to the point that diabetes afflicts 8 percent of the US population and 57 million of us have elevated blood sugar readings that qualify as pre-diabetes.

The controlling game-piece, the US dollar, is being mismanaged by consumers. Consumers can become powerful activists by the way they spend, or don't spend their money. Being an activist does not mean chaining ourselves to the nearest oil tanker, but it will take more than following some obsolete advice to buy a hybrid and recycle your aluminum cans to set us back on course.

Item one is to wean ourselves off the substance we have abused for a century, fossil fuels. There are so many ways oil is used at every level of society in the United States that we have to develop an all-encompassing strategy to free ourselves. The gas pump, the grocery store, the fast food drive through window, and the mall are some of the businesses whose products and services depend on consuming enormous quantities of oil.

To alleviate our dependence on oil, purchase products that don't require excessive processing or long-distance transporting to our markets. Consider some of the ways we can become part of the solution:

• Travel - Decrease fuel consumption by Teleconferencing, Telecommuting, and taking "Staycations." Read about "hypermiling" to improve your own gas mileage. Remember, "When you drive alone, Osama bin Laden rides with you."
• Lowest Gas Prices - Use sites like gaspricewatch.com to locate the cheapest gas in your neighborhood. Get active by becoming a "Spotter" to post the best prices in your area.
• Food shopping - Support local farmer's markets, buy fewer prepared foods.
• Buying local - Keep an eye on the "Made in ..." label.
• Home budget - Buy fewer carry-out meals, cook homemade meals, prepare brown-bag lunches.
• Repair, Reuse, Recycle - Learn to repair simple electronics, car maintenance and home repairs.
• Become an Activist - Volunteer, ride-share, and compost your garbage.
• Use the Internet - Keep your eyes and ears open by networking online.
• Optimize your Health - Help the health care crisis by not becoming a statistic.
• Teach - Infuse in our children the joy co-existing with the earth.
• Innovate - Identify conditions and situations in your daily life where you see a solution to a problem.

If each of us replaces or diminishes at least one oil-consuming habit in our lives, perhaps we can prevent the many hardships we are facing, one barrel of oil at a time. When consumers use the US dollar wisely, by spending less and directing the flow of currency strategically, they can become an extremely powerful instrument of change.