I went to the gas station the other day and spent close to $4 per gallon. My tank was not empty but it cost about $50 to fill up my tank that was at about 1/4 tank empty. Typically that’s what it costs to fill it up when it is empty, but I have not allowed it to get empty because I am afraid of what the price will look like. My car has needed some repairs so I have been using my partners SUV, and the truck is a gas guzzler.
If you are like me then you have a budget you have to abide by every week to ensure you have enough money for bills, food, gas and extras in that order. When the price of gas goes up it strains the checking account and you have to cut corners. With gas prices at about $4 per gallon, ongoing conflict in the middle east and wars in oil producing countries it does not seem like the price of gas will be dropping down any time soon. The prices are running up and they are not slowing down.
Since the price of gas has risen the price of everything else has risen. Food prices are at an all time high and warnings are coming from the UN, EU and FDA about possible civil unrest. When looking at the uprisings in the middle east the price of food is usually a contributing factor. Summer time is coming and demand will be up again as I am sure it will be another hot year, we may even see gas hit $5 per gallon. At $5 per gallon I do not think I will be driving anywhere but to where I need to go.
So what can we do? Fighting these companies almost seems hopeless because of the behemoth size they are. I purpose boycotting the largest gas station chains here in the US; ExxonMobil, Shell and Chevron. As convenient and plentiful these gas stations are, they are usually the most expensive when you compare them to other gas stations. Since the Gulf oil disaster that took place in April of 2010 I do not purchase from BP, so as difficult as you may think this is, it’s not. I have not purchased fuel from either of these gas stations in many years and instead have relied on others such as RaceTrac and Hess which is almost always cheaper than ExxonMobil, Shell, BP or Chevron.
You can also drive less, use public transportation, walk or ride a bike, carpool with friends and family, car share and when purchasing a car, look at the fuel economy. You can also demand the end to all wars, demand better fuel efficiency or better yet, demand renewable energy from congress. We could have began reducing our oil dependency many years ago but people were too greedy and the powers that be manipulated the market and now we are in dire straits. So take action, change your habits, because the only way to change them is to start with you.
Peace & Harmony,
Christina
About the Columnist
With a bachelors degree in political science from Florida Atlantic University, Christina Fermin has always cultivated her love for history, politics, sociology, ancient knowledge and teachings, the outdoors, the ocean and the environment. Christina strives to make our world better by helping us all create a new reality and understanding of all taking place here and now.