Green Tech Girl

CNN is reporting about the pain at the pump; will gas prices ever come back down or are we finally seeing the rampant cost of fuel run up as predicted by the peak oil people?

One commenter really struck me:

I waste gas every day. Because even though i could just as easily do my job from home, I am required by my employer to drive into the office every day. My 17 mile commute takes 40 minutes in stop-and-go traffic. I would LOVE to not have to drive in every day. Can someone (eg Congress) please start penalizing businesses that don’t allow people to telecommute where possible??

And I have to say, I am seeing a decided lack of leadership on this issue. Why aren’t we calling for more telecommuting? Why aren’t we encouraging more use of public transit? Why is our government so silent on this issue? Are we just going to sit around and whine or do something about all this?

Telecommuting is cheap and easy to do, and the only reason it is not done more is that bosses are too prone to want to micromanage and control people. With a webcam, the boss could conceivably be looking at you all day at any rate…shades of Big Brother, for sure, but it would solve some of those management fears that instead of working at home, the employees are out partying.

We need to start making some serious changes, NOW. The worst case scenario: If these prices continue to rise so dramatically, it will be too much too soon and our economy could collapse. So let’s start being more proactive, please!

*end of rant*

I never liked taking commuter planes. These are the planes that sputter along, noisy and loud, turbulent and unstable like a flying rollercoaster. So I’m not too disappointed by this study showing that smaller planes are being left behind as fuel prices rise. I consider this the warning shot across the bow in terms of peak oil, however. Large planes may soon follow, and our days of cheap travel may be coming to an end. Bummer. I have yet to see Europe. Time to get my traveling in before it becomes something only the rich can afford.

There are quite a few things I like about the Libertarian party, except for one huge glaring problem: environmental policy. They think somehow that the “free market” will fix all environmental woes. Are they nuts? Check out this old post from the Libertarian blog, complaining that government restrictions are stopping oil companies from making new refineries in the United States. (more…)