All of us have seen footage showing the destruction of wildlife along the Gulf Coast and the destruction of this region by oil. Americans will undoubtedly be analyzing the factors that led to this terrible catastrophe and asking, “What more could we have possibly done?” click this link!

Although the oil leak is a technical result of BP’s well failure, the amount of oil that was accumulating there before it malfunctioned could be a major factor in this disaster.

BP’s accumulating oil is the product of a growing societal dependence, resulting from years of using the fuel to support personal and industrial growth. International Energy Outlook 2010, a report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, shows that global consumption of petroleum and other liquid fuels has increased since 1990. It went from being less than 150 Quadrillion Btu to almost 175 Quadrillion Btu. It is predicted that this trend will continue. From 86.1 million barrels of oil per day in 2007, to 92.1 millions barrels in 2020, the usage rate should increase. The oil industry is integral to the economic development of modern America. The oil industry is a major consumer of this substance, but manufacturers and industrial facilities also use it in alarming amounts. This can be attributed to the high demand for fuel and automobiles.

It is unlikely that oil consumption will improve in the future, so disasters similar to the one that hit the Southern Coast are sure to occur again. Many parts of the industry choose to ignore these facts in favor of short-term returns. However, certain manufacturers take active measures to reduce oil dependency and promote environmentally sustainable processes. ECORE International is based in Lancaster Pennsylvania and has grown a thriving enterprise by finding new ways to recycle, reduce, and reuse. The company is a privately owned, small manufacturing firm that saves more than one million barrels per year of oil while recycling 80 million pounds worth of rubber scrap into different products. This small, privately owned manufacturing company is able to save enough energy each year to heat 600 homes.

Although it’s disappointing to see that most industrial sectors aren’t taking conservation measures, the companies that have adopted alternate methods of production remain unabated by their commitment to change. These companies continue to fight for the environment while the oil disaster continues.