Sunday, October 26, 2008

The Gas Fast

Question: How much gas do I consume in one week of normal driving?

There are at least three important things related to the consumption of gasoline.

  • First, supply and demand of oil drives to a large degree the world's economies.

  • Second, gas is very important to politics and foreign policy.

  • Finally, oil is a big issue for the environment.

All these issues are much more complex than mentioned and in fact are interrelated in rather complex ways, too. Through all the complexities, there is a thread of simplicity: oil and gas are volatile topics this day and age.

My wife and I each have a car. I putz around in a little green "tortoise," while my wife cruises in a red Subaru. I never thought that I'd ever get as reliant on a car as I am. I've always walked, biked, or ridden the bus, or hitchhiked where I needed to go. That is...until a year ago.

For these reasons, I will carefully examine how much gas I use during a week of driving. I plan to do this by filling up the tank every evening so I can figure out how much I drive in a day. I also will record where I go and why I go there as well as such factors as weather. It should be interesting.

Chao for now.

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