Rebecca Bozarth, DVM

To help decrease our petroleum usage, my husband and I both drive biodiesel fueled vehicles, using biofuel from our local co-op (recycled fryer oil). Of course we buy organic, recycle, etc. But the #1 way that we decrease our use of oil is one that I think needs to have a lot more attention from any group that wants to address sustainable living/peak oil/quality of life.

The primary cause of our current crisis is really human overpopulation. To address this issue my spouse and I have chosen not to have children. To us, it seems that human overpopulation is the "elephant in the living room" that nobody really wants to address.

If we fail to address this issue, we will continue to treat symptoms without curing the disease. Eventually we will be unable to address all of the symptoms and the patient may become uncurable. Increasing energy efficiency will only take us so far. Human beings are supposedly unique in the animal kingdom for our ability to extrapolate from our current circumstance and our experiences and so better plan for our futures. Clearly the earth is a finite space with finite resources.

We cannot continue to grow as population for ever and ever into infinity. Yes, we can grow until we've used up all of our resources and are drowning in our own wastes. Or, we can choose to limit our reproduction and our population, decrease our environmental damage, and have a wonderful quality of life. A serious paradigm shift is in order....quickly!