End the Addiction

There is a war being waged against nature and the fact is, it isn't necessary. Think for a moment about what is going on in the Gulf of Mexico. This large body of water that is home to an innumerable amount of marine life including fish, dolphins, whales, all kinds of microscopic organisms necessary to keep everything else alive. By BP's estimates there are 5000 barrels, or 210,000 gallons, of oil leaking into the gulf each day and by that low estimate that means at least 7.77 million gallons have leaked to date. BP has resisted any efforts to accurately measure the spill because in their words it is "not relevant to the response effort," stated in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/us/16oil.html).  In other words, the corporate goliaths at BP want to keep the average American in the dark so we won't care as much since this could clearly be a huge blow to Big Oil who heavily funds the people running the American government. The amount of oil that is scientifically thought to be leaking from the well is over 1 million gallons every day totaling over 37 millions gallons to date, three times more than was spilled from the Exxon Valdez accident which killed 100,000 sea birds, 22 orcas, 2,800 sea otters, and the list goes on. So three times the amount of oil and it's not stopping anytime soon. This is a crime against nature, it's ecological genocide if you think about it. Why is BP investigating their own crime? We don't let murderers do that in a court of law so this doesn't make any sense to me. The newest effort to stop flow has just begun not even 24 hours ago and we won't know if it is working for a day at least. BP calls it "Top Kill" and what they are doing is trying to plug the leak with 50,000 barrels of mud. We'll see how that works out... and you can watch the progress unfold here: Top Kill.

Dear American People,
We can stop being such massive oil consumers in simple ways that will only enhance our way of life. Oil is dirty to extract, poisonous to inhale, and dirtying the planet which we need to survive. We must rid ourselves of habits like plastic, junk food, and most of the things we buy at the grocery store and get back to basics. Boycotting oil is the most important way to end this ecological genocide and it is easy to do from your own home. Most people need to drive their cars to get from A to B and I understand that, because I'm in the same boat. We aren't given the options that exist, to power our cars with little to know damage to the environment with water or wind. But while there are a few things that will be hard to change, there are many things that are super easy and realistic:

1. 10% of oil consumption in the USA goes toward making plastic, a non-renewable resource that is creating massive dumps in our oceans called gyres. Quit using plastic bags, bottled water, and buying single use containers. Instead use a sturdy reusable bag (not the kind you get from a grocery store, but a well-made cloth one). Buy a filter for your tap which even without the filter is regulated FAR more than bottled water is and most bottled water comes straight from a tap anyways. Instead of buying single use containers, make meals at home which saves money and saves your health. Fast food is killing Americans by giving them heart disease, diabetes, and cancer to name a few. It's cheap and easy to eat healthy, which brings me to my next point -

2. Food in this country on average travels 1,500 miles from "farm" to plate and I use the word farm lightly. That's halfway across the country and for what reason do we do this? You can grow food anywhere in the country very easilly, farming is not a difficult task. Buying food locally offsets an incredible amount of oil consumption and once you start doing it, you'll realize all of the amazing benefits that living, healthy foods have to offer. The cure to most illnesses that are challenging so many people can be found in their diet and fresh (meaning picked days before eaten) fruits and vegetables are the key to success. It's not rocket science. Humans need food like every other living thing on this planet and if that food has traveled over a thousand miles and been processed for you time and time again, the food is dead and does not contain the same things had it been picked from the vine, tree, ground, etc. a few days before eaten. Try it for a week and feel the difference.

3. Buy things locally, supporting local business, and much of the time you won't even need to drive. Ride a bike if you're only going a couple miles, carpool to work or if you're going out somewhere with friends, take public transportation if it's available.

A change needs to happen in this country and now is the time for revolutionaries to rise up!

How you can help:
To report oiled wildlife, please call 1-866-557-1401
To discuss spill related damage, please call 1-800-440-0858.
To report oiled shoreline or request volunteer information, please call 1-866-448-5816.