Every time the price of gas goes up 1 cent a gallon it costs the U.S. Postal Service another $8 million for fuel. While the USPS waits for a breakthrough in automotive technology so it can increase its fleet of 45,000 alternative-fuel vehicles, the Postal Service has to find better ways to use - or not use - its 180,000 gas guzzlers. Eliminating left turns has improved fuel efficiency by 5-12%. Fuel efficiency has also been improved by having more letter carriers walk their routes, as well as use bicycles and subways. Because the Postal Service budget is funded solely by the sale of postage stamps, we should think of ourselves as helping to lick the problem of costly fuel.
The Ford Motor Company's problem started when gas hit $4 a gallon and customers stopped buying SUV's and trucks. The company went from a 2007 second quarter profit of $750 million to a 2008 second quarter loss of $8.7 billion - which reflected the largest quarterly loss in Ford's 105-year history. In response the company's CEO said he believed the shift to fuel-efficient cars is permanent and Ford will shift too. By 2010 Ford plans to spend 2/3 of its vehicle budget on cars and crossover vehicles - which might put Ford back into affordable.
As the cost of gas goes up, so does the cost of transporting food. There's one food, however, that's also getting more expensive because of a labor shortage - and that food is snails. Most snails come from central and southern Europe; and because the economies are better in those areas, snail hunting has become a less desirable job. As a result, companies are having to pay more for snails to attract more snail hunters. Naturally, the increased cost gets passed on to consumers - but not at a snail's pace.
Nevertheless, there are some businesses that are benefiting from the increased cost of gas and the downturn in the economy. Unlike other vacation destinations, campgrounds across the U.S. are reporting that tent camping is up 10% over last year. It seems many frugal families are pitching tents as close as they can to their vacation destinations - whether it's Six Flags Amusement Park or Grandmother's house - instead of staying at a hotel. Paying $30 a night for a camp site instead of $150 for a hotel room is allowing people to get greener - in nature and in their pockets.
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