Big Oil/ Deep Roots

Just about every adult my age raised in the U.S. knows this little ditty by heart: “Come and listen to my story ‘bout a man named Jed…”  Black gold, indeed! The poor mountaineer becomes rich! He moves to Beverly, -Hills, that is! Swimmin' Pools, Movie Stars! Naturally, hilarity ensues as the Clampetts continue to shoot at their food and cook over open fire in spite of their great wealth and fancy digs.

The premise was made for laughs, but the story is not to far removed from the real-life tale of a failed silver and gold prospector named Edward L. Doheny. He and his mining partner Charles A. Canfield struck it rich near Chavez Ravine. Their story can be found in an article on the Paleontological Research Association’s webpage titled, History of Oil, The Story of Oil in California. Doheny and his second wife, Carrie Estelle Doheny, were great philanthropists. In fact, the Carrie Estelle Doheny Foundation donated money to First UMC Los Angeles for several years, to put on a holiday party for the children of our neighborhood. So even I and the organizations for which I work reap the benefits from oil wealth.

It struck me as I thrilled to a wonderful afternoon at the Getty Center, that the spewing maw a mile underwater in the Gulf of Mexico was connected to me and my life. As much as I enjoyed the Getty Center, I was challenged by the disparity between its beauty and the ugliness of the oil slick in the Gulf. How many of the privileges I enjoy are directly connected to the wealth of oil? And how many of those privileges are costing me -costing us- a future?

I often buy ARCO gasoline (British Petroleum, of course). It’s the cheapest if you pay cash, and that’s been my guide to how to buy gasoline. I’m not buying ARCO anymore, but my other gasoline choices are no better. So what are my non-fossil fueled options?

We bought an old Mercedes-Benz Diesel, which we hoped to run on bio-fuel; but just as we embarked on the research for how to do it, all the bio-fuel companies in our area went bust. I started doing research online but have run into some roadblocks. Take BioLiberty, for instance. BioLiberty.net was supposed to be a site started by veterans of the Gulf wars who want to encourage U.S. energy independence through fossil fuel alternatives. But, the website was ‘under construction’, and I’m doubtful  the information they do provide (like links to Chevron, for instance) will help achieve the stated goal.

I’ve not given up on reducing my need for fossil fuel. I’m walking more, taking the bus, riding my bike. But as we know, transportation isn’t the only way we use fossil fuels.

I’m surrounded by plastics for one thing. For another, items from food to clothes, furniture, and medicine have ridden countless ships, planes,trucks and my car to get to my house, and when I’m done they’ll make a sort of return trip by similar means. So, I’m working to reduce my reliance on plastics, doing things like getting my seltzer in cans to wrapping things in wax paper. I was given a set of metal chopsticks in a carrying case, and those work great in place of plastic forks and spoons. I’ve started carrying around a container for my restaurant left-overs, sparing the need for the disposable ones. I rarely if ever get those one-use plastic shopping bags—even if I forget my reusable bag.

As for food, we’re closer to becoming locavores.  We’re composting and planting more food in our back yard. Everyone knows about subscriptions to farms, and shopping at farmer’s markets. I love the group, Food Not Lawns (Turning Yards into Gardens and Neighborhoods into Communities). The name alone is informative and inspiring.

In Los Angeles, finding local food has literally become art. Fallen Fruit is a collective who have mapped fruit trees in Los Angeles.  They’re encouraging folks to plant fruit trees on the borders of their properties. They’ve partnered with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for the show EAT LACMA (February-November, 2010) Once Mother Nature’s been given a showing at LACMA there can be no doubt that she’s making valuable cultural contributions. To paraphrase Trudy the Bag Lady, “Fruit, Art. Art, Fruit.”

I suppose we’re moving full-circle, a la Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Her family’s adventure is a reversal of the Clampett’s adventure. The Kingsolver family leaves the city (Tucson, in their case) and returns to a mountain home similar to the one where Jed would have been shootin’ at some food. The book documents a year of food on their farm in Appalachia, along with commentary on the state of food in the world, and of course, menus and recipes for food in season.

It’s time to live into a world where we understand that Black Gold is over. The riches we now seek are in fertile soil and waters near where we live.

I used to think, “I just hope it’s not too late.” Now I think it’s worth giving it a try no matter what.

Connection to the cycles of life is a blessing worth pursuing. If it saves the world, so much the better.