The price of oil and us

Well, for a while there it looked as if people were going to stop driving so much. Now the price of oil has dropped by about $30 a barrel in just a few months. It's still not low. Car gasoline in the United States had never averaged about $2 a gallon until about three years ago. Remember how the gas stations didn't even own large number two symbols for their price signs, and they had to take small number fives and turn them upside down to look like a two?

The experts say that the wild jump of a few years ago and the wild drop of the past few months have little to do with long-term petroleum supplies in the world. They are because of the American dollar, which was very weak only a few months ago and now is strengthening; because of unrest in the Middle East; and because of financial speculation.

New version of book coming

Well, I'm going to be updating my book on alternative energy, for a 2009 publication by Lyons Press. I tell people why fossil fuels still rule and what an individual in America can do to use less energy and begin using alternative energy.

In my book...

Learn sobering facts about per-capita energy use in the United States.
Demystify solar energy.
Consider wind turbines.
Meet people who built micro-hydroelectric plants in their yards.
Consider whether to heat with wood.
Rethink how you get around. Compare hybrids to ordinary cars.
Explore geothermal heat.

Learn how to conserve energy at home.