[Aaron]

So I'm reading the forum & listening to talking heads as is my habit on Sunday mornings.

And a friend called to ask if I want to go sailing with some people.

Well it's a bit chilly here, but sunny & nice, so I'm about to head out when I start thinking about what I'm doing.

Like sailing is this eco-friendly, low impact, energy efficient way to spend time in energy intensive America.

Except that the whole process is oil based.

An industrial society enabled by cheap oil to produce affordable yachts, which are themselves literally made of oil. From the sails to the hull, the whole thing is built of organic carbon derived from oil... & so are portions of the road I'll take to get there in my oil burning vehicle.

Oil

OIL

What else enjoys the eco-friendly status of sailing, while it's actually all about oil?

[cynicalheretic]

Dude! Smoke a blunt and relax before you pop something

[dinopello]

There's still people that think having a nice green lawn that they spread "weed and feed" on and water is somehow helping the environment. Just put on on your synthetic-fabric windbreaker and go enjoy yourself.

Recreation is the largest component of carbon use in general

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'C')arbon scores

Recreation 1.95 tons

The single largest source of emissions. Researchers analysed CO2 caused by leisure activities plus the production of goods and services. Examples include seaside trips, which create 200kg per person each year, and TV, videos and stereos - another 35kg

Heating 1.49 tons

Second biggest source of CO2 resulting from burning of gas, electricity and oil. It is one of the easiest sectors to reduce, say campaigners. The easiest way is to turn down heating: every extra degree on thermostat accounts for 25kg of CO2 each year

Food 1.39 tons

Generated by cooking, eating and drinking, including food miles and production of raw materials. Includes food transport in UK - equivalent to 300kg per person a year - and driving to supermarkets - another 40kg. A restaurant meal generates 8kg per diner

Household 1.37 tons

This covers non-heating emissions generated in the home from appliances, furnishings and from the construction of the building itself. A fridge is responsible for 140kg of carbon annually, while lighting in a house contributes a further 100kg

Hygiene 1.34 tons

Includes emissions from the NHS and from individuals bathing and washing. Typical examples include taking a bath instead of a shower, which adds 50kg of carbon in energy production, or heating up a house's water, which adds 150kg

Clothing 1.00 tons

Energy and emissions generated in producing, transporting and cleaning clothes and shoes. In a year, the average person will expend 70kg of energy on new clothes, 100kg by using washing machines and

36kg by using tumble dryers, for example.

Commuting 0.81 tons

Travelling to and from the workplace on both public and private transport including aviation. Assuming a journey of three miles undertaken five times a week, the use of a car represents 500kg of energy for the average commuter in a year

Aviation 0.68 tons

The fastest growing source of CO2 emissions, thanks in part to the boom in low-cost air travel. A return flight to Malaga, for example, would represent 400kg of energy per passenger. A short break to Prague would expend 220kg of energy

Education 0.49 tons

These are emissions relating to schools, educational travel, books and newspapers. School buildings, for example, made up 172kg of energy; books accounted for 13.6kg; and the 4x4 school run (1.2 miles five times a week during terms) was 200kg

Phones 0.1 tons

All sources of CO2 emanating from communications including computing. Mobile phone chargers, for example, accounted for between 35 and 70kg per person per year. Sending letters, by contrast, represented only 0.01kg

[Last_Laff]

Attitudy Aaron,

Stay home, n' wait... that you'd whine less.

[smallpoxgirl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Aaron', 'W')hat else enjoys the eco-friendly status of sailing, while it's actually all about oil?

[Ayame]

Funnily enough this strikes a chord with thoughts I've had whilst riding my bike. My bike is made of an aluminium frame with specialised brake cables, gear bits and other what not dooblies. All these things are cranked out in a factory somewhere by machines running on oil to very specific designs so that they can all fit together on the end product. My bicycle even though it does not use oil to run, has been fabricated in a mass producing factory using specialised machinery and is fashioned from aluminium that was no doubt mined and shaped by processes using oil. If peak oil hit and a little gear wheel fell off my bike I would still be screwed.

[Zardoz]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Aaron', 'W')hat else enjoys the eco-friendly status of sailing, while it's actually all about oil?

[cynicalheretic]

I think you all need to relax and smoke a blunt. None of you are going to save the world. There is no point in suffering as no-one else will bother to do anything eco friendly and what tiny amount you do will have zero effect. I hate to be rude about it, but the world is fucked and you might as well enjoy your life now instead of freaking getting upset over the tiniest things of which you have no damn control.

[Aaron]

It would appear that some of our junior members are missing the point.

Ah well... it's just a post.

And we didn't sail after all... tide was too low.

I ended up meeting a nice group of musicians & we jammed all day at the marina...

And danced in pools of oil while giant oil-robots sprayed us with oil.

oil

\\Lighten up folks... it was just a random observation while I waited for my cod piece to cool.

\\\Just kidding... there were no robots.

[TITAN]

Aaron, I can't believe you would want to even get in that water (I'm assuming your location is accurate and you are talking about the gulf). I haven't seen such disgusting water in all my life. Isn't that where people get that flesh-eating bacteria? Or is it a virus...?

[DesertBear2]

We have some of these issues in our valley west of DC with the development that has been ongoing.

Down the road we have new neighbors who bought a 5 acre property. First they put up a huge house. Then they went and installed what must be at least a full mile of black board horsey fence with gates and horsey symbols etc. This must have cost them a good $50,000US to do all this. Of course, they have all the horse trailers and big fat-ass pickups etc.

The funny thing is that all the horsey stuff went in over a year ago but we have yet to see a single horse on the property. It's likely that these folks have no experience of any kind with horses but just wanted the horse country image.

[smallpoxgirl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Aaron', 'A')nd danced in pools of oil while giant oil-robots sprayed us with oil.

[pea-jay]

Sounds about right SPG:

Did a quick google image search on the term "oil wrestling" and got a lot of pics fitting that profile. Hot and slick

In all seriousness, it is this whole recreational sector that leads me to beleive there is a significant amount of waste in the system that could disappear without taking civilization with it. Sure many recreational-related job losses will occur, but that goes with the territory. Barring a collapse this is where job losses will occur first and hardest.

[nemo]

I think I get where you're coming from with you rant Aaron.
However, I'd suggest to smallpoxgirl and Ayame that gore-tex and bicycles are among the most sensible uses of fossil resources.

And yes, wooden boats are inferior. But they have soul.
One of my greatest experiences was sailing a few weeks onboard this beauty:

Canvas sails, hemp cordage and a frickin' moose leather rope bewtween wheel and tiller. Also two beefy diesels and a generator. She made horrible leeway, and we had bad luck with the wind. Ended up motoring a lot We probably burned a thousand gallons of fuel while I was onboard. Such is industrial life.

[Aaron]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TITAN', 'A')aron, I can't believe you would want to even get in that water (I'm assuming your location is accurate and you are talking about the gulf). I haven't seen such disgusting water in all my life. Isn't that where people get that flesh-eating bacteria? Or is it a virus...?

[holmes]

I hear you brother. I have been trying to cut back on stuff as well. I walk all week. Use stuff over and over again. the whole nine yards. when I hit the trialhead its on my feet. The best we can do for now. its not like there are many choices. If there were trains It would be alot better and a 4 day work week.

[gampy]

Since I became aware of the notion, and implications, of peak oil I have had similar thoughts. You look around, and everything...I mean EVERYTHING, is made of oil. Or made with oil. Or made with the help of oil.

Even the lovely pine furniture that adorns my abode is mass produced. I have one little end table that is a one-of-a-kind, that was fashioned by a real person with real hand tools. But even that is stained with a petroleum by-product.

It is a little depressing to think about, but it's not a bad thing to be aware of this.

I like to go camping, and kayaking. My kayak is 100% petroleum based. Most of my camping gear has plastic, or nylon in it. Geez...can't get away from the damn stuff, even if we try.

I do have a 100% wool peacoat I bought at the army surplus store, though. I will tell you that it is the best winter jacket I have ever owned. Goretex, and nylon shells don't have nothin' on a REAL
U.S. NAVY 100% WOOL deck jacket. It gets to -20 Celsius with 50+ km/h winds where I live. Nothing has ever come close to the insulating properties and sheer comfort of this jacket. It weighs about 15 lbs, (20 lbs wet,) but damn is it ever comfortable on a frigid, gusty, wet and freezing day. Besides the odd button I have to replace, I will own this peacoat / deck-jacket for the rest of my life.

Sorry. Didn't mean to go off on a tangent, but I was trying to think of something I owned that wasn't manufactured of oil, or it's by-products, and that came to mind....funnily enough, it is one of my most cherished possesions.

[dinopello]

I remember reading a great little paper about the complex hydro-carbon molecule and all the great properties it had and what could be made from it. The paper also tallked about what a waste it was to crack this molecule down to simple chains and then burn it up. At least products made from petroleum last a long time.

Does the description of the paper ring a bell with anyone ? I'd like to find it. Some chemist in the petroleum industry or at a university wrote it i think.