The Daily Campus

Issue date: 6/12/06 Section: News

Media Credit: Megan Reynolds Gas prices continue to soar at the pump.

With the current oil crisis in effect, US citizens have found themselves looking for ways to cut down on their gasoline usage.

For the many college students that choose to have their car on campus, the majority of which are upper-classmen, the trend in gas prices is not as major a concern as it is for commuters.

Residential students often find nearly everything they need is located within the college community thus many of those students find themselves driving only on rare occasions.

According to Sarah Blish, a 3rd-semester student at St. Joseph College, it is possible for teenagers and young adults to have fun without sacrificing a large portion of their paychecks on gasoline.

As a commuter, Blish is forced to drive to-and-from school and work and is mindful of how expensive gas is these days.

However, like many commuting college students, she hasn't changed her lifestyle because of the high prices.

"I don't really take any steps to avoid the expenses," Blish said.

She feels that the rising gas prices will not be a huge problem for commuters as long as they "anticipate the rise in gas prices."

According to Blish, she is in the minority of commuting students when it comes to dealing with the problem of budgeting, as most are not mindful of the ways they can save money with regards to travel expenses and do not budget their money or use other methods to cut down their expenses.

"One of the reasons why your price of gasoline is going up is because demand for oil is increasing in places like India and China, and the supply for oil is not meeting that demand," said President Bush in his March 24 speech at the Limerick Generating Station.

This is problematic for the United States because the key ingredient in gasoline is crude oil, and since the US is very dependent on foreign nations for oil, the country is at a disadvantage. In his speech, Bush proposed various solutions to the oil crisis problem.

"One way to make sure the price at the pump doesn't go up as global demand increases for hydrocarbons is to figure out how to drive our cars with different kinds of fuels, such as ethanol," Bush said.

One alternative energy source growing in popularity is biodiesel fuel. At a time when gasoline costs more than three dollars a gallon, resorting to this fuel saves a lot of money. While biodiesel fuel is available commercially through such companies as GreenFuel, the ingredients for the fuel are very accessible, making it very easy for an individual to produce their own.

"Biodiesel is usually produced from used cooking oil so that it can be considered a recyclable product," James D. Stuart, UConn emeritus professor of analytical and environmental chemistry said. According to Stuart, the chemicals cost about 60 cents per gallon, making the alternative energy source extremely affordable, not to mention less harmful to the environment than diesel fuel.

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