Conserving Oil

[erpowers]

I went to an air show today and after the show was over I had a thought. Weeks ago Bush claimed he wanted people to conserve gas. Many people pointed out that if Bush wanted to concerve gas he would not make so many unneccesary trips to the Gulf Region. Another things that would save large amounts of gas would be to stop all the air show. In order to put on these show there a large need for gas. In addition, large amounts of gas is wasted when these planes do manuvers.

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. Cut back on Nascar races

Now there's a waste of gas.

I mean is there that big a difference between a Daytona 250 instead of a Daytona 500?

[MADem]

6. Awww, too many people like them

But here's an idea--make those drivers do those laps in FLINTSTONE CARS!!! Boy, they'd have some fit legs, eh?

[Mr_Spock]

8. lol - poor Nascar get's picked on in every conserve gas post

I understand the sentiment, but the gas they use is a minuscule amount compared to the total amount used. I suppose I shouldn't do my favorite hobby of drag racing either because my mileage is reduced slightly when I go to the racetrack?

[Telly Savalas]

11. That's because other sports don't waste gas.

I'm not sure where exactly this picture was taken, but it's obviously the parking lot of a NASCAR race. Attendees of other sporting events, rock concerts, etc. all take the bus or walk.

[DoYouEverWonder]

12. God forbid anyone should cut back and conserve

I didn't say there shouldn't be races at all, but if we cut them back or consolidated them, we could save a hell of lot of gas from just one sport that happens to consume a lot of fuel.

Does the Dayton 500 really need to be a week long event? Couldn't they get their ya-ya's out in one or two days instead?

[Telly Savalas]

13. Per fan, NASCAR doesn't consume much more fuel than any other sport

Most of the fuel consumption involved in any motorsport comes from the tens of thousands of cars that drive to the event, not the several dozen on the track.

[DoYouEverWonder]

19. So how much gas does a tennis player consume during a match?

Listen, all of us need to start cutting back and conserving in lots of different ways. Nascar could lead the way, even if it was just symbolically. But no, all you folks who love to watch men drive around in circles for hours and hours just won't have it. Thanks.

[Telly Savalas]

20. Tennis players don't get paid if there aren't thousands watching.

Per fan, the amount of fuel consumed at the U.S. Open is only marginally less than the Daytona 500.

Let me repeat: the vast majority of the fuel consumed at a NASCAR event is because of the tens of thousands of cars that drive to the track, not the dozens that drive on it.

This is true of any mass spectacle. Yet NASCAR gets singled out because it's an effective way for people here to demonstrate that they are better than the rednecks. So long as we fixate on this quasi-classist scapegoat and ignore the real issues like the lack of fuel efficiency in road vehicles, the absence of quality public transit, and obscenely poor city planning, we're never going to get even close to tackling the problem.

[DoYouEverWonder]

21. The National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow

is actually relatively small compared to a race track, even though it is one of the biggest venues for tennis. Besides most of the people do use public transport to get to the Open.

[Telly Savalas]

22. OK. Poor example.

But you're dodging the point which is that for over 95% of major sporting events (or other large public spectacles) in the U.S., the car is the primary means of transportation so therefore per fan the environmental footprint of NASCAR is only marginally greater than that of other public spectacles. It's curious that it gets singled out.

[Mr_Spock]

23. Hang it up - we have a stereotypical nanny liberal here who knows

what's best for all of us - what's best for them!!

You just can't win an argument with a person with that type of attitude. Though you did get the last word in :D

[TX-RAT]

24. Lets put the Movie industry on that list.

The energy involved in making them, and the energy consumed in going and seeing the movies.

[DoYouEverWonder]

25. Just curious, what is the MPG of a Nascar?

How much fuel does an average Nascar burn in one year?

[DelawareValleyDem]

26. The gas tanks hold twenty-two gallons

and getting one hundred miles out of a full tank is considered good, so figure between four and a half to five miles per gallon. The second question is more difficult to answer, and so far I've never seen or heard any discussion of it.

[Telly Savalas]

9. Blaming NASCAR...

is like fixating on a gnat when there's a pack of wolves in your living room.

[DelawareValleyDem]

14. This was actually done one year

The 1974 race was cut to 450 miles due to the energy crisis.

[napi21]

2. If Shrub wants everybody to conserve gas, he should set the

first example! Keep AF1 on the ground, and keep that caravan of 20+ SUV's parked! When he takes his frequent trips around the country, it's NOT only AF!, but a C130 to transport his caravan of SUV's for the parade to show off!

Even when he sticks around Washington, he has the helicopter wisk him off to Camp David. Those things don't fly on kool-aid either!!!

I have been conserving gas for a very long time, and since the price has skyrocketed, I'm even more careful in planning any necessary trips to the grocery store etc. I suspect most Americans are too.

I say he should take a clue from Carter. When he was in the WH and asked the Country to conserve fuel, he ordered the WH thermostat turned down to 65 (I think) and told everyone to do the same and get a sweater!

[FloridaPat]

3. Yeah, get rid of the auto races. All of them. The air shows are slowing

down quit a bit. But a lot of those flyers make a living doing those air shows. Maybe we should cut down on everything having to do with gas - like trucks. Raise food locally. Make your own clothes. SUV. Now there's a really big waster. Or how about eliminating plastic! We use oil to wrap stuff in to get them home to throw away the plastic! How much would that save a week even?

[gulfcoastliberal]

4. Expand the rail system. That would cut oil demand big-time.

More mass transit!

[Telly Savalas]

7. Expansion of public transportation would do much more

to alleviate the problem than symbolic gestures like banning some people's choice of recreation. And a corollary of this is that we need to impose some sanity to urban planning to facillitate transit, bicycling, and walking as viable means of transportation.

It's shameful how little such issues get discussed around here.

[Erika]

5. I glare at the hummer drivers

My dentist got one because of W's tax breaks to businesses.

[Kazak]

15. I do more than that...

;)

[Telly Savalas]

10. "Mom! I'm going to walk to the store to buy some milk!"

"Oh wait. I forgot. All the fucking stores are 10 miles away. Guess I need the car."

[MadHound]

16. I agree, but the savings would pretty much be symbolic.

If we really want to start conserving fuel, it is going to have to come from two areas. The first is by changing people's driving habits. There are still entirely too many people who commute one person per car, and that is still all too often an SUV. We should start instituting upgraded mass transit systems in all cities with over fifty thousand people. We should also encourage carpooling, and immediately mandate CAFE standards of 60mpg hwy/50mpg city. These numbers are easily within reach, witness the mpg ratings that most European cars get.

Secondly, we have absolutely got too stop transporting so much of our food and consumer goods by trucks. Rather, we need to start transporting as much as we currently can via rail, and start upgrading our rail system to carry even more. America's rail system has fallen into a serious state of neglect as more and more people and goods are being transported by truck. Rail is much more efficient and less polluting. It is also a good form of mass transit, especially if light rail starts being introduced.

Stopping air shows and NASCAR races would merely be a symbolic act of conservation. What we really need is true change, and until we start
making real changes, our oil consumption is going to continue to be sky high. Rather than focusing on symbolic changes, let us focus on making real gains by increasing CAFE standards and the availability of mass tranportation and start really using our rail system.

[No Exit]

17. Bush only wants us to conserve gas in order to protect his portfolio...

He wants the price to go down just a bit, b/c the way it's rising, numerous people will be priced out of the market and won't be able to buy gas even if they want to. And then the oil companies will "suffer".

[TX-RAT]

18. If we really want to conserve.

Have the high school kids ride the bus like they used too. since the base shut down here, we lost half our population, 1/2 our high school enrollment, yet we have twice the cars in the student parking lot.

Motor homes are another pet peeve of mine, big bulky, and hinder normal traffic flow.

Recreational water craft. Jet ski's, and hi-performance boats, restrict horse power on outboards used for fishing.

Off road only vehicles and motorcycles.