Don't Hate the Player, Hate the Game

Over the weekend I noticed a dramatic increase in the amount of facebook freakouts over gas prices. What do people expect? It's a LIMITED resource and there's no where for costs to go but up- that's just basic economics- and yet people continue to be blissfully ignorant that their own reliance on this non-renewable resource is the REAL problem.

I've seen people suggest not buying gas for a day, or not buying gas from certain companies, but that's not going to solve the problem-

It will only hurt the small business owner trying to make a living and provide for their family.

Those small business owners are your clients- do you really want to hurt them?

If true change is to happen, it needs to start with people getting out of the gasoline game all together. By reducing our individual usage of non-renewables, we create less demand, and large companies are forced to invest new sources of energy which are both renewable and sustainable. The fact is, most of the big energy companies already know how limited their supply is and they're getting desperate to keep providing in a profitable way in order to tide over the general population until the demand decreases. One way to force people to move more quickly is to make the current supply much more expensive to access. In the meantime, profits may soar, but demand will decrease, and people will get angry that they have to change their ways. The oil companies are not the problem- they are merely creating supply for the market demands. The people creating demand are the problem. We live in a society in which we can vote with our demand and our money-

If you want to see change, you need to be a part of the solution.

To be part of the solution, you need to educate yourself on the alternatives available to use in your home and business life. Some people don't even know where they are currently contributing to the problem outside of the gas pump- which is just one small part of the oil equation. Here are some great resources to help you understand your alternative options:
• Greenpeace: 10 simple ways to use less oil
• Matador: 50 ways to use less oil
• EIA: Renewable & Alternative Fuel Options

Anne Ruthmann is a lifestyle & wedding photographer from Boston, MA. She spent 10 years practicing marketing & management in corporate and non-profit businesses before pursuing her passion for photography as an independent small business. She loves helping others find creative and low-cost solutions to business problems. Follow her on Twitter to see her daily adventures and thoughts.