Well, some folks are saying Don’t Buy Gas on April 15th, so we can send the oil companies a message, and lower the price of gas.
And, some of us believe it can work. (See a fun video from April 2012 below).
Some folks are having doubts. Though, I say whenever you can use your own spending power to send a message — however personal or small — you should try. Put your money where your mouth is!
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Don’t have a car? Boycott PLASTIC
How can you participate in a Gas Boycott if you do not own a car? I think that one failing of the old-style-e-mail-message-one-day-gas-boycott is that many people — especially people who live and work in cities — don’t have a car, so they think they can’t help. So, I think gas boycott activists should add a dimension: If you want to add your support, DON’T BUY PLASTIC on Gas Boycott Day. Carry your own water bottle and don’t shop for things made from plastic. (Did you know that plastic was made from petroleum? MyPlasticFreeLife notes: “…about 10% of U.S. oil consumption is used to make plastics. And as we know, oil is a resource that is running out.”)
One day not enough?: Use less gas all week
Some of the naysayers note that a Gas Boycott won’t do much if folks just buy more gas the day before or the day after. Well…how about you DON’T BUY on April 15th AND you try to use less gas all week? Take a neighbor to the store one day this week. Ride your bicycle. Use public transportation. Anytime you use less gas, you SAVE MONEY, and keep money out of the hands of oil companies. It’s a tiny bit of empowerment, anytime you want to use it.
Can this Gas Boycott really work? Are we just fooling ourselves?
There are a lot of naysayers dismissing the Gas Boycott. Well, there were similar naysayers years ago, when the idea of a Summer Solstice “Voluntary Blackout” first went around. As early as 2001, activists decided to turn off their lights on Summer Solstice to protest bad energy policies. I remember an economist I appealed to sending me an e-mail about how foolish the idea was. Though, putting out the “voluntary blackout/boycott electricity idea” did send a message. And, now, there is an “Earth Hour” (in March), which is very similar, and is honored by millions of people and even many organizations and governments.
Links to some “doubters”, and old stories about a 1997 or 1999 Gas Boycott:
Mad about gas prices and oil companies? There are many ways to take action:
If you are upset about gas prices, and want to take a stand, there are definitely, bigger, more organized actions you can take “in addition to” or “instead of” the April 15th Gas Boycott!
Consumers for Peace has an ongoing boycott of specific oil companies, a petition, and other good information:
What You Can Do page at Consumers for Peace
Speaking of Tax Day (April 17th this year) and April 15th…
War Resisters League has ongoing programs to resist/boycott taxes:
War Tax Resistance page at WRL
May Day / May 1st, 2012 / M1 General Strike!
On May 1st, Boycott Everything! Don’t go to work! Don’t go to school! Buy Nothing! You will be joining the Occupy movement, peace and justice organizations, labor groups, and workers around the world, who are having a General Strike on May 1st. This event will send a strong message to greedy corporations and the 1%.
May Day 2012 (NYC): here.
