Recreational Oil

I was discussing energy with co-workers this morning, as we walk to either Savemart, Fourbucks, or McDonalds. My co-worker's coffee cost more this morning than last week; inflation strikes again.

Caffeine is one commodity that will always require large energy inputs to get to our veins, as it doesn't grow locally. We have the luxury of choosing between Ethiopian or Kenyan, but I think most coffee is grown in Brazil. In any event, the Danes, Canadians, and Americans will give up an awful lot before giving up java.

These choices we make, and the energies behind them...too often they aren't sync'ed. We don't usually think of the 11,000 mile trip a bag of grounds makes to get to the espresso machine, but it's there. All that oil that's used is recreational, to deliver a non-essential product. Recreational oil.

And so it is with me, as I'm going to gas up the boat and truck to wakeboard and camp. I was trying to think about what people would do if they were, say, limited to 20 gallons per month. I'm going to guess that they'd absolutely find other ways to conserve and still allow themselves some opportunity to use it for recreation. Some would be demonized for doing so: When you boat alone, you boat with Bin Laden!

I only barely overheard the RV dealers discuss gas prices with their clients on Friday. More or less, I think I heard them say it's not really an issue for them...perhaps fewer people are buying RVs these days, but they have such a massive untapped retirement boom underway, and so many with so much discretionary income that those who are able to RV will RV.

Baby boomers will continue to spend over the next two decades, and as 70% of what we have is due to spending, this will drive the economy for quite a while. But after that, as I turn 55, comes my generation who never saved shit, whose members will still owe prodigious amounts on their mortgages. RV'ing just might suffer then, what with my expectation for long term oil scarcity and three generations of people who have never managed to plan for anything beyond the end of the month.

What will happen to recreational oil? Really, do you think there will ever be hybrid wakeboard boats or battery powered dune buggies and ATVs? I mean, come on. It's been said that the stone age didn't end for lack of stones, and so the oil age won't end for lack of oil. Perhaps my grandson's boat will be powered by Mr. Fusion, just drop in a few table scraps and coffee grounds and off he'll go. But until then, I'll be burning oil to recreate.