Just like pelicans, people can't avoid oil either

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - So the Gulf oil spill has you ready to quit petroleum cold turkey? Louisiana's brown pelicans have more of a chance of avoiding Big Oil than you do.

Merely parking the car and riding a bike won't cut it. Your sneakers and bike have petroleum products in them. Sure, you can shut off the AC, but the electric fans you switch to have plastic from oil and gas in them. And the insulation to keep your home cool, also started as oil and gas. Without all that, you will sweat and it'll be all too noticeable because deodorant comes from oil and gas too.

Oil is everywhere. It permeates our daily lives in ways we never think about.