Saturday, October 4, 2008

Breaking the addiction to oil

One of the best ways to break the oil addiction is to switch to alternative means of energy and also using public transportation. Consider the amount of gas saved and the reduction in pollution if public transportation is the norm in Austin. This is the case in many developing nations, such as India where I spent the early years of my life. In Chennai, people use the local buses and trains since gas prices are high. Oh yes, and there is the 2-wheeler syndrome! With bikes that essentially give you more bang for the buck and less pollution per mile ... this seems like a no-brainer for short distances, especially if only 1 person is traveling.

This is where I beg to differ from Time's perspective on the issue on Sept 29. Low-cost hybrids are going to take longer to develop and could be liable to breaking-down in the middle of the road. Apparently the Chevrolet Volt (Hybrid-Electric as the name suggests!), would cost around 40k. Why not encourage public transportation and motorcycles as these solutions mature over the next five years...

Thanks for reading!

1 comment:

Betty Saenz said...

Have you seen the movie "Fuel", an independant film about this subject? Showing in LA right now, I saw it here in Austin. Excellent- should be required viewing for all citizens and public officials!

http://www.bettysellsaustin.com/Green-Austin-Texas-Real-Estate.php