We all know the problems with the use of oil: greenhouse gasses, a shift in the carbon cycle, greedy oilmen that will do anything to maintain their power base. And we know that every mile we drive is making the problem worse rather than better. But what can you do about it? Just give up your car?

Statistically, about 1 in 100,000 people in the US are in a good position to do just that, but what about everyone else? How do we maintain our financial infrastructure and reduce the amount of oil we use?

Some people would have us boycott oil producers for a single day. But doing this only causes us to buy a little more the next day instead, or stock up beforehand. Such tactics don't "show" anyone anything. There's always enough people who haven't heard about the plan (or just don't care) that the slight dip in sales is a predictable anomoly.

So, what's a budding activist to do? Baby steps. Instead of large meaningless guestures, we take small meaningful steps. We're talking about One day a week. We're talking about carpooling with just one or two people. We're talking about taking the bus to work one day.

This is where Free From Oil Fridays began. If your town is like Los Angeles, Friday is the biggest traffic day of the week. We get all-day gridlock on most of our highways from 6 am to about 10pm. Gridlock can mean that you travel 5 miles in about 2 hours; most people can walk faster than that. So, This is where we start: Fridays.

All we ask is that everyone make a little extra effort on Friday (or whatever day YOUR town has the most traffic) to reduce the number of cars on the road. If you carpool with just 2 people, that's 1/3rd the number of cars on the road. A 66% reduction in fuel use is an amazing thing. Heck, you might just decide to do it on Monday and Wednesdays as well...

But here's how you're really helping. By carpooling, or taking the bus, or riding a bike, you've taken one car off congested streets. This means that overall traffic moves a little faster. The more people that get with the program, the faster the roads will run on those heavy days.

So, instead of having an engine running for 2 hours to get that 5 miles home in LA, we might start seeing people (people who haven't seen this site, I might add) getting home faster. Like, in 10 minutes instead. Now, not only are YOU using 66% less fuel, but the other guy next to you is using about 1/10th the fuel, too!

And the hits keep coming: less time on the road means a little less stress for everyone, lower heart disease, world peace, angels happy and the Rams have a chance at the superbowl! Well ... okay ... but I think you can imagine what a faster commute would mean for everyone.

This is just idea #1. Once you've done your part on Friday, start telling other people about it. Send them here. Start a Movement. You want to know how to SHOW the big oil companies who's boss? STOP USING THEIR PRODUCTS! Even if it's only one day a week.

But, what if you're a good New Yorker who only takes the subway? Bravo! Excellent start, but remember, we have to get electricity from somewhere, too. Often this is from coal or nuclear sources. Solar powered lamps can replace a porch light, reading light at night, or even ambient light in your living room. Check our links section for more great ideas to reduce and reuse.