U.S. Oil Dependence? A Choice
" [T]he U.S. face[s] a choice: continue to increase our dependence on imported oil using any means necessary to secure access to it, including war and threats of war, or, undertake a sustained, national mobilization to free us from oil dependence by reducing consumption and investing in energy efficiency, renewable fuels, and public and alternative transportation.... By reducing our reliance on petroleum, and helping other countries (both the oil-rich and the oil-poor) do the same, we can make our country safer, our economy stronger, and our world less vulnerable to economic crises and war....

The U.S. can and should choose a different 'demand-side' approach [instead of a 'supply-side' one]. This approach would seek to make petroleum less important to the U.S. and the world economy. Such a strategy might include some combination of the following policy options:

Reducing Computer Disposal in Landfills
"Until a company unveils a 'silver bullet' toxin-free, fully recyclable eco-computer, one of the best strategies for conscious consumers is to save existing computers from ending up in landfills. According to the National Safety Council's Environmental Health Center, the average lifespan for a personal computer is about two years, and the SVTC estimates that by the end of this year, Americans will have disposed of more than 300 million obsolete computers. By 2006, according to a report by the Computer Take Back Campaign, more than 150,000 computers will become obsolete in this country every day....

Three main strategies can keep many of these computers from being dumped.

1. REFURBISH: ...Even if upgrading isn't an option for you, remember that there's probably someone who doesn't consider your machine obsolete.
2. REUSE: If you must purchase a better computer, consider buying used. Barely used computers that are too out-of-date for a technologically advanced business might be perfect for home use....
3. RECYCLE: Since Real Money first tackled the computer issue three years ago, more and more computer recyclers have set up shop, some locally, some nationally, accepting computers from all across the country, so no obsolete machines ever have to be consigned to landfills."

Take Back Your Time Day
"Americans work, on the average, nearly nine full weeks (350 hours) longer per year than western Europeans do. On top of that, working Americans take an average of about two weeks of vacation per year, while the norm in western Europe is five or six weeks. Is this a mere cultural difference between us, or are Americans working way too much? John de Graaf responds that Americans are literally working themselves to death. The Europeans, he says, have achieved the right work/life balance.

De Graaf, known for producing documentary films for PBS such as the popular Affluenza, created Take Back Your Time Day to draw attention to the 'overwork, over-scheduling, and overstress that is threatening to overwhelm our lives.'

Heedless of race, class, or gender, overwork causes Americans more than our share of job stress, health problems, and burnout, he says, and that, in turn, costs our economy more than $200 billion a year in sick leave and work-related injuries.

We're spending so much time at work, says de Graaf, that we have little time for our families and friends; for getting to know our neighbors; for getting involved in our communities; and for being active, informed citizens.

On October 24, 2004, de Graaf and thousands of like-minded people will take the day off of work and participate in activities geared toward catalyzing a 'much-needed national conversation about work/life balance and how we can reclaim it.'"

"Take Back Your Time Day" Simple Pleasures, Co-op America's Real Money, July/Aug 2004.