How to “Use the Force” to Lower Gas Prices

If you are not one of the 42 million or so people who have watched the Darth Vader kid & Volkswagen commercial (“The Force”) on YouTube or who saw it during the Super Bowl, you should go check it out now (and then come back to this post).

One of the best Congressmen out there today, in my humble opinion — Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) — and the Natural Resources Committee (Democrats) recently made a great spoof of this video, or sequel you might say.

But, beyond just spoofing or making another good version of it, Markey emphasizes a number of really good points about clean energy, energy efficiency, and oil that everyone who cares about the environment or society should probably know by heart. He nails some critical issues important to us all, like a good Congressman should.

Just to make them clear and easier to remember (or, at least, find), here are the points I’m talking about:

• A clean energy revolution can lower gas prices.
• U.S. consumers spend $1 billion a day on oil, largely oil from hostile or at least unfriendly nations.
• Oil accounts for half of our trade deficit.
• The U.S. has 2% of the world’s oil but accounts for 25% of consumption.
• Instead of giving billions of dollars to oil companies in tax breaks, we should use that money to invest in renewable energy (like wind and solar) that can be grown at home and can create much-needed U.S. jobs.
• “Every time there is a doubling of the deployment of solar energy, the price drops by 18%.”

Truthfully, these are just a few of the many, many benefits of solar, wind, and other renewable energy options. There are also huge health, economic, quality of life, and ecological benefits that — if you want to put a dollar amount on — are worth trillions of dollars.

Seriously, it’s time to do what’s good for the economy, the environment, national security, and you — get off oil and get onto renewable energy (more than we are now).

 

Now check out this great video…