Boycotting BP companies? Here's a few to consider

[cascadiance]

Here's a facebook page that is set up for this now.



http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boycott-BP/119101198107726

Companies that are part of the BP empire in addition to those labeled "British Petroleum" or "BP" here...

Amoco
Aral
Arco
AM/PM
Castrol
Wild Bean Cafe
Shell-Mex (joint venture between Shell and BP) - link

If you're taking the plunge and investing in solar energy, be aware that BP is involved there, so perhaps check solar panels to make sure that they don't have BP solar voltaic cells link

Hey the righties boycotted 7/Eleven gas stations enough to force them to stop reselling Citgo gas (from Venezuela), so maybe we can have an effect here too.

[jxnmsdemguy65]

1. I'm OK with all of that except Castrol....

it's the best motor oil there is... not a good idea to skimp on motor oil if you want your car to last a long time.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

4. Maybe the second-best is not as bad as you think?

Provided Castrol IS actually the best? Trying to smell the grass here.

[HopeHoops]

9. If you want the motor to last a long time, use synthetic oil.

It really doesn't matter what brand. All of the synthetics provide better protection.

One caveat: Apparently there is some benefit, but not a profound one, in switching to synthetic after using natural for a long time. The REAL benefit of synthetic is if you begin using it immediately in a new car and continue using it throughout the life of the car.

[Berry Cool]

2. Good luck. You can't readily tell when a plastic item you buy is made out of BP plastic

or wrapped in packaging made from it.

As for the righties, they didn't understand that oil is fungible. Do we have to join them?

[conscious evolution]

3. Thanks for the list

I have already started steering clear of their gas stations.

[dana_b]

5. me too and it's not easy!

they have the lowest price around here and are everywhere BUT it's a very small price to pay for the evil they are committing right now.

[cascadiance]

7. I've been going to Costco for a long time now...

I had briefly gone to 7/Eleven while they still sold Citgo gas, but try to just go to Costco now for gas. They sell it cheaper, and I'd much rather they get the profits than some of these other right wing oil companies anyway.

Might be more difficult now though if I start a new job soon where there isn't a convenient station that close by to where I live or on the way to work any more.

[cascadiance]

8. Amoco in recent months has been changed to "Invigorate"...

According to this article.

I wonder if it would be written the same way now in terms of how "valuable" a brand of a BP venture would be...

[dana_b]

10. yeah, we have a Costco about

5 miles away. Not convenient but cheaper and NOT BP! :)

[Echo In Light]

6. K/R

[elocs]

11. Easy to do since I don't patronize any of them anyways.

No BP stations in my area at all.

Any way to guarantee that any BP pumped gas ever got mixed in with other oil to make different brands of gasoline?

I used to know a guy who drove a gas tanker semi and he said he would deliver his gas to different stations, different brands, but it all came from the same place.

My guess is that BP is entangled in more things than people would ever believe. Boycotts tend to make the boycotters feel better and more righteous about their cause though.

[cascadiance]

13. At least it makes it harder to have a public face as someone's distributor...

I think you're right that gas gets sold to the "highest bidder" and that ultimately you could be buying from BP and not know it, even if you buy from Costco. I remember even when I switched some years back to just buying from Costco, that others pointed out that ultimately Costco buys gas from these other companies. But I did feel that at least I'm rewarding a retailer that respects American worker's jobs and thinks more progressively than other gas retailer companies who worked more to push Republicans.

Limiting BP's ability to have a profitable retail chain, and having to hide their relationships distributing gas to others (sort of like 7/Eleven got in trouble being a more visible distributor of Citgo gas), makes it that much harder for them to do business here in this country. And any pressure on them like this ultimately will lead to more demanding investors in their company to fix things and stop the BS that they've been doing over the years, and look at more things than just their quarterly profits as a measurement of being a good investment.

So boycotts aren't the only solution that is needed, but I think they can be part of a larger strategy to apply pressure on them to stop the crap they are doing.

[Quantess]

12. Thanks!