The only way...
One thing that I've noticed about the environmental 'debate' surrounding oil usage and foreign oil is that it seems to center around reducing oil consumption. Nobody talks about the exchange that oild companies have and that there is no way to boycott a single provider of oil. As it turns out, the only way to eliminate foreign oil is to eliminate oil.
I hear that if only we could get a 30mpg average nationwide we could give up foreign oil! That would be true if we simply stopped trading oil as soon as we were within the limits of our national production. The oil industry is private though, and will try to get the cheapest oil they can. Guess where that comes from? It's not local!
It used to be (meaning until VERY recently) that they only way you could stop using oil, at least for transportation, was by riding a bike or living in California. Alternatively, you could find a person to convert your car to electric or do it yourself.
In recent years though, electric car production has taken center stage. The Chevy Volt, Tesla Model S, Nissan Leaf, and Aptera coupe are all soon to be available. Nearly all of them are affordable too! (I'm talkin' to you Chevy) You have to take the cost of operation into account when you look at these vehicles as well. Equivalent fuel cost for an electric car is roughly ten cents per gallon so calculate that savings over gas per month. Also remove oil changes from your budget. for me that's an extra 100 dollars per month. So I could afford a payment of up to 100 dollars more per month, which raises the price of the vehicle I could buy.
That said, some of the vehicles, like the Nissan Leaf, will be priced more like a Honda Civic to begin with, so it's all savings.
It's not just fuel...
It's not just oil to burn that costs us. It's millions of plastic products like plastic bags that must be eliminated. Chico Bags, Flip & Tumble, and ecoBags all provide replacements for shopping bags, produce bags, and various other bags. Drinking straws are made from stainless steel, polycarbinate or glass and are dishwasher safe.
Bottled water likely doesn't use recycled plastic either. Use a stainless steel bottle with filtered water instead. In any case before you use a plastic product, look for ecoFriendly alternatives.
Remember, the only way to eliminate foreign oil and make America more secure, is to eliminate oil. At least the kind you have to drill for.
The iPhone...
During the campaign, Organizing for America created an iPhone app to help get President Obama elected. This was a great idea. It took advantage of the younger, tech savvy demographic that was more likely to vote for a Democrat to help organize in a truly mobile and viral way. It allowed people to take their activism with them on the road, show off their phones at the same time. I don't know the statistics of how much of the neighbor to neighbor calling had been done by the iPhone, nor any other statistics, but once it was out there it accomplished the goal of improving participation.
Google Android...
While the iPhone is an excellent platform with a huge user base, it has more competition in recent months. The most widespread of these new competing platforms is Google Android. More and more phones are running Android and it is even becoming the savior of some companies like Motorola. The thing is, it's kind of a different demographic. People who are more likely to vote Democrat, but not likely to own an iPhone. These are generally people who appreciate the availability of Android, the features, or the open-source nature of it. Open source advocates tend to be very supportive of community and community developed software. They know how to organize on a budget and how to herd cats. They also understand the perils of a profit motive in some instances.
The Android platform is widely available. it is spreading to many phones and carriers. It is easy to develop for, and it favors a supportive user base to the Democratic political platform.
Future direction of mobile OFA...
As a personal note, I had some ideas for the future of mobile organization. Basically all iPhone and Android platforms have GPS, or network-based location. When organizations like FreedomWorks send a mob to shout down a congressman, or to march on Washington, all the supported phones in the area of the event should start going off. The concept of the flash-mob should be repurposed for political showings. Every time a conservative demonstration pops up, there should be a flash counter-demonstration. You can even track who is attending with an RSVP mechnism.
Member-organized events such as candle light vigils can be set to send out invitations to anyone within a 30 mile radius of the event directly to you phone.
People should be able to make donations from their phone. When people see something that makes them passionate in person or on TV, they can make a donation immediatel from wherever they are, instantly.
The same should go for petition requests. The healthcare petition recently sent out could have been signed by more people if it was sent straight to their phones.
Lastly, when a petition is signed, or an action is taken, you should be able to tie that into your social networks such as twitter and facebook. When I sign a petition, I want twitter to automatically tweet and encourage others to do the same. All from my phone!
Please take this all into consideration, and strengthen our activist network for future success.
