The John James Newsletter 83 – a game for the Long Weekend

4 October 2015

When the Gods want to punish us they answer our prayers

Anon

I have a Long Weekend game for you (You may save time by copying the list into Excel).

Here is a partial list of products made from oil (some 160 of the more common 6000).

For your information: One 42-gallon barrel of oil creates 30 gallons of fuel (for cars, planes, deliveries, fishing etc). The rest (almost a third) is used to make things on the list. Each one of us uses about 4 litres of oil in these products every day (some 35+ Bn litres pa in Australia alone)

The game is to tick those you can NOT do without. Don’t tick if you know how to REPLACE them with some other material such as wood or metal (Hint: what did we do before 1940?).  

How many ticks voted to continue using “essential” oil products? I could not do better than 17, or 6%, which is a lot more than what I would aim for!

Then I understood why some part of me wont want THIS society with MY standard of living to ever really want to diminish the use of fossil fuels. The game showed me the enormous personal and industrial changes that would have to be made in every aspect of our lives and the way we manufacture in order to no longer rely on oil.

CAN YOU BECOME TRULY SUSTAINABLE?

Ammonia

Anoraks

Anesthetics

Antifreeze

Antihistamines

Antiseptics

Artificial limbs

Artificial Turf

Asphalt

Aspirin

Awnings

Balloons

Ballpoint Pens

Bandages

Basketballs

Beach umbrellas

Bearing Grease

Bicycle Tires

Boats

Boxes

Cameras

Candles

Car Battery Cases

Car Enamel

Carpets

Car bodies

Cassettes

Caulking

CD Player

CDs

Clothes

Clothesline

Cold cream

Combs

Cortisone

Crayons

Credit cards

Curtains

Dashboards

Denture Adhesive

Dentures

Deodorant

Detergents

Dice

Dishes

Disposable nappies

Dishwasher parts

Doors

Dresses

Drinking Cups

DVDs

Dyes

Electric Blankets

Electrical insulation

Enamel

Epoxy glues

Eyeglasses

Fan Belts

Fertilisers

Fishing Boots

Fishing lures

Fishing Rods

Floor Wax

Food packaging

Food Preservatives

Football Cleats

Football Helmets

Footballs

Freezer bags

Garden hose

Gasoline

Glycerin

Golf Bags

Golf Balls

Guitar Strings

Gumboots

Hair Coloring

Hair Curlers

Hand Lotion

Heart Valves

High-pressure pipes

Hose fittings

House Paint

Ice Chests

Ice Cube Trays

Insect Repellent

Insecticides

Irrigation fittings

Kerosene

Life Jackets

Linings

Linoleum

Lipstick

Luggage

Model Cars

Mops

Motor Oil

Motorcycle Helmet

Nail Polish

Nylons

Nylon Rope

Oil Filters

Packaging

Paint

Paint Brushes, rollers

Panty Hose

Parachutes

Paraffin wax

Percolators

Perfumes

Petroleum Jelly

Pillows

Plastics

Plastic Wood

Playing cards

Printers Ink

Purses, handbags

Putty

Refrigerant

Refrigerators

Roller Skates

Roofing

Rubber Cement

Rubbing Alcohol

Safety Glasses

Shag Rugs

Shampoo

Shaving Cream

Shoe Polish

Shoes

Shopping bags

Shower Curtains

Skis and stocks

Slacks

Soap

Soft Contact lenses

Solar panels

Solvents

Speakers

Sports Car Bodies

Sun Glasses

Surf Boards

Sweaters

Synthetic Rubber

Tap Washers

Telephones

Tennis Rackets

Tents

Tires

Toilet Seats

Tool Boxes

Tool Racks

Toothbrushes

Toothpaste

Toys

Transparent Tape

Trash Bags

TV Cabinets

TV screens

Umbrellas

Upholstery

Vaseline

Vitamin Capsules

Vaporizers

Water Pipes

Waterproof jackets

Wheels

Yarn