Energy Saving In Bangkok? Peanuts

Pain at the pump? Worried about 40 baht for the liter of benzine? Naa, this is nothing. Take comfort in the brave Europeans. Try Amsterdam or Oslo, where a liter of 95-octane unleaded will set you back around 70 baht a liter. This May ’08. Who knows about tomorrow. See? Gas is still too cheap here. That’s why nobody here is protesting against pump prices. Makes much more sense to protest for or against a new charter.

Instead of complaining, better envy the Brits where gasoline is taxed at roughly 65 percent, allowing the government to earn even more and do even more for the community, such as installing more CCTV cameras. Those cash coffers are bursting. For the citizen’s benefit.

As explained here, the high pump prices are less a problem of supply and demand but of investing/institutional demand. But the new global inflation starts biting everyone. We even hear the insanely overpaid expat with the outrageous contract complaining. The wait though for the bubble to burst can be tiresomely long. Better start saving energy and money right here and now.

Here’s how:

- Eat less.

- If you absolutely have to eat, shop at your local talat market. What you’d spend at the fancy shopping center mainly pays for that center’s utility bill. At the talat you support the seller’s whole family and clan, if not village.

- Finally start practicing self sufficiency.

- Improve your skills of waste separation. You’ll be amazed. Since years you threw away hard cash.

- Throw away those car keys. Hitchhike. Walk. Or go public transport – if you find one. Yes, it’s a holistic, meditative way of life to save energy. Expand your horizon. Enjoy the proximity of people you were never aware of. You’ll not only get back into the shape you once enjoyed back in those teeny days. You’ll also enjoy the unreserved admiration of your neighbors and friends for sacrificing your own comfort for the sake of the salvation of humanity.

- You may start thinking about closing the windows when the aircon is running.

- Or getting slightly upset when seeing a car parked with the engine running and the driver napping and the nearby shopping mall totally overcooled and the driver somehow not being able to move his ass into the mall? Put on your friendliest Thai smile. Kindly wake the driver. He’ll cheerfully smile back at you, admit his mistakes and follow your wise guidance.

- Impose a tough energy-reduction-regime on yourself. Why shower every day? Shower at least cold. Or with your neighbor. And no need to chill down that beer to freezing point. Or even better, brew your own alcohol as an alternative fuel for your car – if you haven’t thrown away those keys yet. It’s that easy! You may even market your own 95 after a while.

- If you absolutely want your beer chilled, pre-chill it in the Skytrain or any shopping mall for that. Bring along a cool box. Don’t forget a hat and scarf. Choose the most arctic spots in those malls.

- Or invite your neighbor for a beer while your wife climbs over the wall and empties that neighbor’s gas tank to refill yours.

- And if you still haven’t thrown away your car keys: Support your government when they plan to revive that ingenious program of Thaksin to shut down gasoline stations after midnight. Be sensible. The need to change your habits requires drastic action. Even if stuck with an empty gas tank in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere. Be grateful.

- And support Bangkok’s governor Apirak Kosayodhin for suggesting that cars entering inner city areas pay a zoning fee. His intentions may be impractical, as there’s no adequate public transport system. But more important: His intentions are good. Or hitchhike. Walk.

- While our dear government ministers recently held a cabinet meeting without jacket, enhance their elaborate energy-saving-program even further and become the talk of the town: What you need a shirt for?

- Ritually switch off all the lights and electric appliances for an hour each evening. Go green! And make wise use of the sudden tranquility. Meditate. And remember: Keeping one light out for an hour each day saves the country up to two billion baht a year. If everyone follows suit.

- And if you still didn’t throw away those car keys, don’t exceed 60 kilometers per hour on a highway. That’s the ideal speed to save fuel. Don’t worry about blocking the traffic and that honking and finger pointing of ignorant overtakers. Even driving no more than 90 kilometres per hour could save the kingdom a whopping 15 billion baht a year! For once in your life be a role model.

- Don’t hesitate paying that bar fine. The earlier the girls can leave, the earlier they can shut down the bar’s energy-hungry light show and hi-fi system.

- And reread yesterday’s newspaper. And again. What you need today’s paper for? Read any real news lately?!