In the world today energy usage is a key in achieving global sustainability. Today Scientists are trying to find more renewable energy sources, compared to fossil fuels, which are non-renewable. Scientists are also trying to find ways in which to make our energy usage more eco-friendly. This means making our energy usage more efficient and that the waste created by our energy usage does not harm the environment (such as fossil fuels emission of CO2 gas). If we want our world to survive in the long run we have to find more sustainable and efficient energy sources and methods, to reduce our impact on the environment. In my quest to become more eco-friendly I found some simple methods that I could use in my everyday life.
Transportation
Cars and Carpooling
Cars are unquestionably the primary means of transportation in the United States today. Most cars in America use non-renewable energy, primarily fossil fuel oil, which contributes to the CO2 emissions in our environment (Global Warming). There are other renewable sources of energy being applied to cars that I discovered in my research, such as hydroelectric, solar powered, and even air-powered. However most of these eco-friendly innovations won't be in the mainstream of the market for at least a decade or so. I decided to research some eco-friendly car methods that could be applied in the world today, in order to help decrease these harmful CO2 emissions.
If cars are you're only means of transportation, car-pooling is a great method to reducing your CO2 emissions. Two people going to the same place the same way shouldn't be using two different cars, yet it happens every day in America. Setting up a car-pooling strategy with friends is a great start to reducing your carbon footprint.
Tire Pressure
1) "Most car tires are underinflated, and taking yours to the gas station for a quick sip from the air hose can improve your mileage by 3.3 percent. Doesn't sound like a lot, but if you drive six thousand miles a year, under inflation "costs" you an extra $150 to $250 a year. or about seventy-two gallons of gas. And each gallon burned dumps about twenty pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere" (181).
Why: Checking to make sure that your tire pressure is right saves money as well as energy, and that translates into reduced CO2 emissions, which means becoming more environmentally friendly.
When I went to the 76 stations to check to make sure my tires were properly inflated a man working at the station named Eliot, taught me how to know what the proper amount of inflation was. When you open the door on the drivers side there is a yellow sticker that will tell you what the inflation should be. For my car it said 30, which means 30 lbs of pressure. Basically when you put the pressure stick into the tire (the device that measures the pressure of the tire) you should get a reading the equals the pressure mentioned on your sticker; the pressure is different for different cars. Eliot gave my mom and I a heads up on tomorrow's gas prices and some information about what type of gas to buy.
Alternative Transportation
Biking and Walking-
"Did you know that if you rode your bike thirty miles a week instead of using a car (if you have one), you'd prevent fifteen hundred pounds of CO2 from polluting the air?" (153).
Riding a bike is certainly more eco-friendly than riding a car that emits CO2. Aside from the numbers though riding a bike is not as practical for some people as it is for others. A 7-mile bike ride from my house to my school every morning is possible but not practical. It is okay to use a car for long distances, but I would encourage you to try walking or riding a bike if your destination is within a practical distance; this practical distance will vary for everyone depending on a person's physical capabilities.
1) In my project I committed myself to riding a bike or walking if was going to go somewhere within a mile radius. For example, instead of using a car to get to Aina Haina shopping center I would walk or ride a bike.
Why: "If every American spent thirty minutes a day walking or cycling instead of driving we'd cut CO2 emissions by 64 million tons and lose 3 billion tons of excess body weight a year" (215). Not only is biking and walking more eco-friendly, it is also beneficial for our health.
Mass Transit-
If you drive ten miles to school each way, you're putting about thirty-six hundred pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. By contrast, in 2005 people reduced CO2 emissions by 6.9 million metric tons-and saved three hundred forty million gallons of gas-simply by taking public transportation instead of cars. Taking mass transit also kept four hundred thousand metric tons of car-spewing greenhouse gases out of the air" (160).
If walking or biking is not a practical transportation method for where need to go, taking a mass transit system, such as a subway or bus (probably a bus in Hawaii), can help you reduce your CO2 emissions compared to taking a car. The great thing about mass-transit systems is that while they emit more CO2 gasses than a car, they carry much more passengers than cars. In comparison, a bus actually emits less CO2 per person on the bus.
Electricity-
Light Bulbs
Energy efficient light bulbs are rising in the markets these days. These energy efficient light bulbs are also known as Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (a.k.a CFL bulbs). Simply switching out regular light bulbs with new energy efficient CFL bulbs can help you to make your life greener.
1) Replace your old bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs.
Why: "CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs use only about a quarter of the energy of incandescent bulbs, but they last ten to fifteen times longer and will save your parents sixty-seven dollars in energy costs over the lifetime of the bulb!" (81).
CFL bulbs do cost more than light bulbs but in the long run they will actually save you energy and money.
TV and Computers
TV and Computers have integrated themselves within the lifestyle of almost every American, and these technologies have even integrated themselves across the world. American's today watch more TV than Americans 50 years ago, which is increasing our energy consumption, but the availability and technology of TV's has rapidly expanded since that time. Computers have also progressed in mountains even in the last 2 decades. This increased use of technology has also meant that more energy is being wasted, and more CO2 emissions from these electronics. However, there are some ways in which you can reduce your energy consumption in these categories.
1) Unplug electronics you are not using.
Why: "According to a spokeswoman for the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program, we spend more than a billion dollars a year powering TVs and VCRs when they're not even turned on!" (83).
Unplugging TVs, VCRs and any other electronics should become part of your daily schedule. Checking your household whenever you leave making sure all your electronics is unplugged will reduce your CO2 emissions, which of course harm the environment, and save you money. In my house it only takes about 5 min. to do this task, but times will vary depending on how many electronics you have.
2) Switch to laptops.
Why: "Did you know that laptops use up to 70 percent less energy than desktop computers? Skinny laptops such as the MacBook Air use green materials inside and out, and less than half the packaging. You can even get a solar panel and backup battery to recharge your laptop off the power of the sun" (79).
Simply buying a laptop can help reduce your CO2 emissions. If you do decide to get a laptop though remember to recycle your computer properly, taking to your local electronic store to ask how to properly dispose of your computer.
Chores
What American teenager or American in general doesn't have chores around their house? I myself have to do plenty of chores around the house, so applying these few methods that I learned about in Generation Green and Do One Green Thing taught me what I could do to make my chores more eco-friendly.
Laundry
If you don't do this chore, how are you going to survive in college, or in life? Having clean clothes is a necessity in the modern world today, where we are constantly judged on our appearance. There are even some great ways for you to make this essential chore more eco-friendly.
1) "Plan ahead so you always run a full load of laundry-using cold water takes the least amount of energy-and use a phosphate-free detergent" (99)
Why: "You'll save up to $20 a year by washing in cold or warm instead of hot water" (86). Plus, using phosphate-free detergent is not harmful to the environment.
2) "There's nothing like the smell of laundry that's been dried in the fresh air, so if you have a yard, you might try line-drying your clothes" (99)
Why: "If you hang-dry just half of your annual laundry load-say, in the warm half of the year (which doesn't matter if you live in Hawaii)-you can reduce GHG (Green House Gas) emissions by an average of 723 pounds and save about $50 a year." (86). In other words, reduce green house gases in order to save money.
3) "Wash very soiled loads in warm water, reserving hot water for killing dust mites in bedding every two weeks." (84).
Why: "By switching your temperature setting from hot to warm reduces energy use by 50 percent" (86)
4) "Hang at least one load a week to dry" (84).
Why: "Every time you hang-dry a load of laundry instead, you save 4.4 pounds of carbon emissions" (82).
5) Clean your laundry filters
Why: "You may not realize that 10 percent or more of your energy costs can be due to clogged filters keeping the air from circulating freely." (80). Be careful with this method if you are allergic to dust or lint.
What Kind of Washers do I Look For?
1) "Look for a model that bears both an Energy Star label and a Water Efficient Factor of less than 9.5 (which means it uses 35-50 percent less water than an average washer)"
2) "An Energy Star-approved model has to be at leas 50 percent more energy efficient than standard models, and can save you more than $145 a year compared with a ten-your old machine. See www.energystar.gov" (87)
Washing the Dishes
Every teenager should be doing this chore. Your mom or dad makes you dinner, and the best thing that you can do to repay them is to clean up the mess they made; quite frankly though I hate washing the dishes. However there are a few simple ways in which you can make this task a little more energy efficient and eco-friendly.
1) "After the washing cycle is complete and the drying cycle has kicked in, turn off the machine and open the door a crack or pull out the shelves before you head off to bed. You dishes will be drying on their own and can be put away first thing in the morning." (72).
2) "Keeping the faucet turned to cold saves water and money; houses with electric water heaters spend about 25 percent of energy costs on heating water. (If you haven't done so already, ask your parents to wrap your water heater with insulation. For about six dollars you'll avoid up to 10 percent of your heat loss that way.)" (75) Using cold, warm, or even moderately hot water won't make a difference in the cleanliness of your dishes. "Studies show that germs don't get killed unless the water's scorching hot, anyway" (75).
What Kind of Dishwasher Do I Look For?
1) "Make Sure it's Energy Star. (For models see www.energystar.gov)" (101)
2) "Read the yellow Energy Guide label looking for an Energy Factor of at least 0.65" (102)
3) "Check the water efficiency by asking a salesperson. Most new models use about 7-10 gallons per load, but some water-efficient machines consume as little as 4.5 gallons per load." (102)
4) "Just by switching your dishwasher, to an "Energy Star dishwasher can save you $25 a year." (102)
Generation Green
Do One Green Thing
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