Yes, they were great, but they had some help from the government, in the form of rationing:
https://en.wikipedia.org/...
While rationing only lasted about 4 years, it happened. And it made a difference, apparently. Head below the Cinnabar Swirl for some brief thoughts and some links.
Why did it start? Per Wikipedia:
In summer 1941 the British appealed to Americans to conserve food to provide more to go to Britons fighting in the Second World War. The Office of Price Administration warned Americans of potential gasoline, steel, aluminum and electricity shortages. It believed that with factories converting to military production and consuming many critical supplies, rationing would become necessary if the country entered the war. It established a rationing system after the attack on Pearl Harbor. In June 1942 the Combined Food Board was set up to coordinate the worldwide supply of food to the Allies, with special attention to flows from the U.S. and Canada to Britain.
And what was rationed?
American civilians first received ration books—War Ration Book Number One, or the "Sugar Book"—on 4 May 1942… Sugar was the first consumer commodity rationed. Bakeries, ice cream makers and other commercial users received rations of about 70% of normal usage. Coffee was rationed nationally on 29 November 1942 to 1 pound (0.45 kg) every five weeks. Typewriters, gasoline, bicycles, footwear, silk, nylon, fuel oil, stoves, meat, lard, shortening and oils, cheese, butter, margarine, processed foods (canned, bottled, and frozen), dried fruits, canned milk, firewood and coal, jams, jellies and fruit butter were rationed by November 1943.
The work of issuing ration books and exchanging used stamps for certificates was handled by some 5,500 local ration boards of mostly volunteer workers selected by local officials. As a result of the gasoline rationing, all forms of automobile racing, including the Indianapolis 500, were banned.
The point is, people sometimes need a push to do the right thing.
I keep tweeting members of Congress with vague exhortations like "We need to #ActOnClimate NOW!" And "let's take #climateaction soon!"
What will that action look like? What are the "low hanging fruit" that might move the dial downwards on carbon emissions? What could be implemented quickly, and start to work immediately? What would cause the least disruption?
Would it be possible to ration gas? How about electricity? What about beef, or pork, or cheese? Here's a neat site detailing what was rationed back in Dubya Dubya Two: http://www.ameshistory.org/...
The more I listen to the national "conversation" about climate change, the more I suspect there will need to be some semi-draconion measures imposed, and sooner, rather than later.
And yes, I know that the "denier" crowd yelps incessantly about "government control" and "the evils of socialism" and whatnot. Is even raising the subject of rationing just playing into their hands? Is it giving them ammunition?
Do I care? Not sure that I do. What do you think? (And note... I forgot to add "water" to the poll! Homer Simpson "D'oh!")