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Community Corner

A Local View of Global Oil Dependence

Attendees of an event hosted by TEDx Manhattan Beach exchange opinions about sustainable energy and leading more healthful lifestyles.

In the wake of the biggest oil spill in United States history, locals who attended a presentation about energy Wednesday night said that lessening society's dependence on oil begins at home.

"The connection between oil consumption and everything we do has to do with how we live," said Sheila Lamb, Redondo Beach resident.

TEDx Manhattan Beach, an independently organized affiliate of the global Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED) conference, hosted the evening to spur lively discussion and creative thinking about a large-scale issue in a smaller community. The aim of TEDx is to encourage local groups, such as schools, businesses, libraries, neighborhoods or just groups of friends, to organize, design and host their own independent, TED-like events.

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"It's not only social awareness, it's global awareness," said Dei Murray, one of the organizers of the event, which drew 38 attendees to Hawthorn Suites on Sepulveda Boulevard.

The keynote speaker, John Marston, gave a seminar that sought to break down the complexity of the subject.

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"The idea is to get a conversation going," said Marston, who worked in the oil industry for 17 years. "It's a huge complicated issue that doesn't lend itself to a soundbite. So how do I get the holistic picture?"

Marston explained the "Magic 5" elements of the creation of crude oil: source rock, a period of maturation, permeable reservoir rock, a trap on top of the oil well and timing in the order of the steps. The process takes at least 100 million years of extreme compressing and heating underneath layers of rock, he said.

Not far from Manhattan Beach, oil is extracted from the Wilmington oil field, which stretches from San Pedro Bay through Long Beach and is the third largest in the country.

"Oil is magical," said Marston during his presentation. "Crude oil has just changed our life in society."

Though Marston talked about how oil has been crucial to the growth of human civilization, he also recognized the importance of alternative, renewable sources of energy.

Since reserves are limited, Marston predicted that gas prices will rise in the next several decades. The scarcity of gasoline will force people to make changes in the way they live, he emphasized, such as using mass transit systems and living closer to their workplaces.

In order to reward those who practiced what they preached, organizers gave people who walked or carpooled to the event a tote bag filled with California-grown oranges, bananas and other fruit.

Amanda Baumhauer, a Culver City resident, carpooled to the presentation and also walks 10 minutes every day to work.

"We should at least have resources and reserves," Baumhauer said. "Oil is precious. We should be able to pass it on to other generations."

Other attendees spoke about contributing to a more sustainable community by leading more healthful lifestyles, such as eating better, walking or biking more often and buying fruits and vegetables that are grown locally.

Kevin Covert, a Manhattan Beach resident for more than 15 years, did not walk to the event but wished he had, and said he is thinking about buying a more fuel-efficient car.

"I feel like I've been too much of a consumer, and I want to give back," Covert said of his response to the presentation. "The most interesting thing was how limited [oil] is and how 100 years from now people won't be living on oil."

The topic for the next TEDx event, scheduled for July 28, has not been confirmed, but Murray said she has been contemplating the issue of "good people doing evil things."

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