The leaking of 210,000 gallons of oil each day into the Gulf of Mexico is without a doubt a reputation crisis for BP (as my colleague Jillian noted last week) - but it's very quickly becoming a crisis for the entire oil industry. 

Commentators have suggested it could take another two weeks - and another 2.9 million gallons of oil - before the oil wells can be sealed.

Just as the Chernobyl disaster led many countries to revisit their use of nuclear power generators until safety mechanisms could be addressed (which took nearly 30 years), I suspect many people are revisiting their use of oil-based products. I certainly am.

Consumers like me have distanced themselves from the environmental impacts of the products we buy. We purchase our product, use it, and then dispose of it - with most of us patting ourselves on the back for disposing it responsibly. 

Greater awareness about the environmental impacts of consumerism has had some impact on our purchasing behaviour. Many companies have paved the way by offering alternatives, such as hybrid cars and offsetting air miles, or introducing disincentives, for example paying for plastic bags. But the reality is that there’s still a gap – afterall New Zealand alone consumes 158,000 barrels of oil daily! 

The extent of the crisis has forced me not to just criticise the oil companies but to acknowledge my part. By purchasing products of which oil is a by-product – such as petrol and cling film – I’m contributing to this environmental disaster. 

I suspect that this will become a turning point - and another nail in the coffin - for the abandonment of oil. The reality is that we'll never completely rid ourselves of it until it runs out. But I hope it will result in consumers demanding oil-free products – and responsible manufacturers responding by investing even more money to find alternatives.