Flatliners
Astonishing. Based on the best estimates I can come up with, residents of the US Northwest are on track to use a little less gasoline in 2006 than in 1999. That's right, the region's gasoline consumption--total, not per capita--has flatlined over the last 7 years.
Over the same period, the region's population grew by 9 percent or so. And that means that per capita gas consumption fell by about 9 percent between 1999-2006. As far as I can tell, that puts per person gas consumption in 2006 lower than at any point in the last 4 decades!
There are a probably a couple of forces in play here. First, the region went through a recession a few years back -- unemployment was up and wages were flat. So some of the decline in personal consumption may have stemmed from a slow economy.
Second, gas was at historic inflation-adjusted lows in the late 1990s, but since then prices have more than doubled; and much of the price increase occurred just as the recession was easing. People have responded to high prices by cutting back on consumption -- using transit a bit more, buying slightly more efficient cars, perhaps driving a bit less, or using the more efficient car if two are parked in the driveway.
Third, a gradual trend towards more compact and centered urban development may be reducing how much city-dwellers need to drive to get to where they need to go.
No matter what the cause, it's reason for celebration in a gloomy, rain-soaked season.
All You Can Heat
I recently moved into a new apartment in classic 1920s building. It’s well maintained, centrally located, and charming. But one of the building’s so-called selling points – it’s even on the manager’s business card – is that “all utilities are included.” Is this really a good idea? And who benefits?
“Free” energy probably appears like a huge benefit to renters. But to me it was actually a turn-off. Surely, allowing tenants to gobble up electricity, heat, and water at no additional cost leads to energy gluttony and waste. And in the end, that drives up rents. After all, tenants are still paying for utilities, it’s just that the costs are hidden in their rent checks rather than clearly stated in their utility bills. And under the “all you can heat” system I end up paying a portion of my profligate neighbor’s costs as well.
Since I moved in I’ve become accustomed to endless “free” hot water, toasty steam filled radiators, and never-ending electricity to power all my widgets. And wouldn’t you know, I’m beginning to see the energy hog creep out of me. My showers last just a little bit longer than they used to, my attention to turning off the lights is just a little more relaxed, and when I look in the refrigerator, I take more time perusing with the door ajar. I like to think of myself a frugal energy user – and if my discipline is slipping, then what’s to keep a less mindful tenant from air-conditioning their place by leaving the freezer door open?
But there is a potential upside to this story: the building owner assumes all responsibility for paying the energy bills for 140 people. At four to five thousand dollars a month, that creates a huge incentive for conservation – at least in theory.
Who Wants Chinese?
An interesting pair of articles in my morning scan of the papers. This:
...scientists concluded Wednesday that the baiji [the Yangtze dolphin], a freshwater dolphin that was one of the world's oldest species, is almost certainly extinct.
And this:
Gov. Chris Gregoire on Wednesday promised the strongest winds of change in two decades on the long-stalled drive to rescue environmentally ailing Puget Sound -- work that could cost nearly $9 billion by 2020.
Now obviously, there are pretty big differences between the Yangtze Basin, home to 400 million people, and Puget Sound, which is home to fewer than 4 million. And, of course, there are huge differences in wealth too. Northwesterns have a lot more of it.
But the similarity between the two waters is striking:
The baiji, a beloved creature known as "the goddess of the Yangtze"... was once a common sight as it cavorted in the river.
Sounds a bit like our local charismatic megafauna, doesn't it? Everyone loves our local black and white endangered "whales" that, scientifically speaking, are actually dolphins.
