Unplug! Disconnect! Consume Less Energy!

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For my Environmental Science class with Dr. Huff I have been given the assignment to minimize my energy usage as much as possible for a 24-hour period.

What is energy consumption?

It is the amount of energy consumed in a process or system, or by an organization or society.

Think about how you use energy every day. You wake up to an alarm clock. You take a shower with water warmed by a hot water heater. You drive to work. That’s just the energy used before you get to work! Every day, the average American uses about as much energy as is stored in seven gallons of gasoline.

Before I give up my energy consumption let us take a look at some facts.

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Residential and Commercial Sectors

Any place where people live is considered a residential building. Commercial buildings include offices, stores, hospitals, restaurants, and schools. Residential and commercial buildings are grouped together because they use energy in the same ways—for heating and cooling, lighting, heating water, and operating appliances. Together, homes and buildings consume more than a third of the energy used in the United States today. In the last 30 years, Americans have reduced the amount of energy used in their homes and commercial buildings. We still heat and cool rooms, and heat hot water. We have more home and office machines than ever. Most of the energy savings have come from improvements in technology and in the ways the equipment is manufactured.

Transportation Sector

The United States is a big country. The transportation sector uses almost twenty-nine percent of the energy supply to move people and goods from one place to another.

Americans love automobiles. We love to drive them. We don’t want anyone telling us what kind of car to buy or how much to drive it. Forty years ago, most Americans drove big cars that used a lot of gas. The gas shortages of the 1970s didn’t change Americans’ driving habits much. What did change was the way automobiles were built. Automakers began making cars smaller and lighter. They built smaller and more efficient engines. One reason for the changes was that the government passed laws requiring automobiles to get better gas mileage. With new technologies, cars now travel more miles on each gallon of gas. Today, new passenger cars get an average of 33 miles per gallon. If automakers hadn’t made these changes, we would be using 30 percent more fuel than we do today. In 1973, there were 102 million cars on the road. Today, there are more than 137 million cars. There are more cars being driven more miles than ever before. Forty-eight percent of the passenger vehicles sold in 2009 were sport utility vehicles and light trucks. With the recent fluctuations in fuel prices the demand for these big vehicles has dropped, while demand for hybrids and other fuel efficient vehicles has increased.

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MY DAY UNPLUGGED

I woke up Sunday morning to birds chirping. No alarm clock. I usually don’t use an alarm clock on the weekend anyways. I usually check my phone for new emails and quick look at Facebook all days, even on the weekends. But not today, today I am unplugged. I went into the bathroom not to take a shower or curl my hair…I went in to unplugged the blow dryer and curling iron. I didn’t know they draw electricity even if they are turned off.  I had some fruit for breakfast. I also unplugged everything in my kitchen. I never relieved how many thing I have plugged in. I unplugged the microwave and the stove. I did no laundry.

Watching TV wasn’t an option today. So I sat down on the couch and went through all my school work. I was enjoying the silence and peace. After about an hour I had an amazing idea to go visit my parents. When I got to my mother’s house we went out back to relax. My mother made a delicious salad. My mother and I sat and talked for a few hours. She of course could not disconnect from her phone. It rang and she answered every time. Made me stop and think how much of this bad habit she could not let go. After that I went home and took a nap. I lay in the peace and quiet of my bedroom, and fell asleep. I woke up about an hour and half later. I went outside in my back yard to work on my homework for another class.

I had a very peaceful day.  It is so easy to adopt bad habits—to let e-mail and Facebook, texting and TV seep into our lives and stretch roots where they’re not invited. My mother and her constantly being on her cell phone is a perfect example. I also realized how much an instrument of technology is connecting me with people I love. It’s all about balance. Recognizing when we need to pull back and focus on our own families and yet embracing the modern world and using its advances for good. I recently found out that my childhood friend had lost her daughter a few weeks ago. I use Facebook to keep connected and I don’t think I would want to live without my phone. It is definitely the thing I could not be without. I also need my car. I do live in the middle of the city. I could walk to the store. But I would need my car to go to work. I only live three miles from work but there is a big hill to walk up. So I need my car. The thing I could give up is the TV. I think TV is a waste of money, waste of time and waste of energy. I have four TV in my house all with cable and cable boxes. My cable bill cost $100 a month. I think it is a total waste. It is easy to become addicted and I think everyone in my house is. 

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My Riverside Public Utility Bill:

My meter reading for 3/26/12 to 4/25/12 was 402 KWH. This was for a 30 day period. My daily average was 13.40. My daily average for the same time last year was 10.84 and my consumption for the period was only 347 KWH. I really need to focus on cutting back. My daughter being home could have something to do with it. She leaves the TV on for the dog! Go Figure!

Here are some tips from RPU:

Use reusable shopping bags.

Photo Credit: RPU

Ride a bike, walk, or use public transportation. More information at RTA's website.

Install energy efficiency measures throughout your home. See our rebate programs.

Drink filtered tap water and use a recyclable water bottle.

Compost your garbage; up to 60% of your waste is suitable for composting.

Buy recycled products like paper, carpet, and tile.

Install water efficient fixtures like faucets and toilets.

Install weather based irrigation controllers and native plants in your yard.

Eat and buy local! Try to purchase foods and products grown or produced within 100 miles of where you live. You can start at one of Riverside Farmer's Markets.

Look for non-toxic cleaning products - it's better for your family and the environment.

Choose water based latex paints over solvent based paints when painting your home. Never use lead based paints.

Reduce, recycle, reuse.

If you have a furnace, fireplace or gas heater, have them serviced regularly to prevent deadly fumes and install a carbon monoxide detector.

Ensure you have good ventilation and balanced humidity in your home to prevent the growth of mold and mildew, which can be harmful to your health.

Make sure to recycle all electronics and batteries. You can check the CURE website for the nearest household hazardous waste drop off location.

Water! Water! Water!

www.waterpurifier.org

I live in Riverside and I have to say I love my tap water. Riverside Public Utilities provides only the highest quality drinking water. They perform thousands of tests to ensure the water is safe to enjoy. Riverside water begins as snow or rain that touches the local mountains or foothills. In the underground aquifers it is filtered through percolation. The water sources allow Riverside Public Utilities to provide us with water independence. There are many wells and reservoirs that allow 26 billion gallons of water each year.

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California’s drinking water standards are among the highest in the United States. Tap water is regulated by state and federal guidelines.

Some things recommended to save water are:

Indoor:

Turn off the water when you brush your teeth – save 3 gallons per day.

Shorten your showers by one or two minutes – save 5 gallons per day.

Fix leaky faucets – save 20 gallons per day.

Wash only full loads of laundry – save 20 gallons per load.

Outdoor:

Water your yard only before 8am – reduce evaporation & wind interference – save 25 gallons per day.

Install weather-based irrigation controller – save 40 gallons per day

Use broom instead of hose to clean driveways – save 150 gallons each time.

Check your sprinkler system for leaks – overspray & broken sprinkler heads – save 500 gallons per month

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Did you ever wonder what federal agency is in charge of tap water?

Well Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) in 1974 to protect public health by regulating the nation’s public drinking water supply and protecting sources of drinking water. SDWA is administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its state partners.

Highlights of the Safe Drinking Water Act

• Authorizes EPA to set enforceable health standards for contaminants in drinking water

• Requires public notification of water systems violations and annual reports (Consumer

Confidence Reports) to customers on contaminants found in their drinking water -

www.epa.gov/safewater/ccr

• Establishes a federal-state partnership for regulation enforcement

• Includes provisions specifically designed to protect underground sources of drinking water- www.epa.gov/safewater/uic

• Requires disinfection of surface water supplies, except those with pristine, protected sources

• Establishes a multi-billion-dollar state revolving loan fund for water system upgrades -

www.epa.gov/safewater/dwsrf

• Requires an assessment of the vulnerability of all drinking water sources to contamination

www.epa.gov/safewater/protect

·   Drinking Water: Past, Present, and Future EPA-816-F-00-002

www.epa.gov/safewater

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What federal agency is in charge of bottled water you wonder?
FDA REGULATION OF BOTTLED WATER

In the United States, bottled water and tap water are regulated by two different agencies: FDA regulates bottled water and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates tap water, also referred to as municipal water or public drinking water. EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water has issued extensive regulations on the production, distribution and quality of public drinking water, including regulations on source water protection, operation of drinking water systems, contaminant levels, and reporting requirements.


Under our statutory authority, FDA regulates bottled water as a food. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act or the Act) provides FDA with broad regulatory authority over food that is introduced or delivered into interstate commerce. Under the FD&C Act, manufacturers are responsible for producing safe, wholesome and truthfully labeled food products, including bottled water products. It is a violation of the law to introduce into interstate commerce adulterated or misbranded products that violate the various provisions of the Act.


FDA has established specific regulations for bottled water in Title 21 of the Code of
Federal Regulations. These regulations include standard of identity regulations, that define different types of bottled water, such as spring water and mineral water, and standard of quality regulations, that establish allowable levels for chemical, physical, microbial and radiological contaminants in bottled water. FDA also has established current Good Manufacturing Practice regulations for the processing and bottling of bottled drinking water. Labeling regulations and regulations for foods in general also apply to bottled water.


FDA regulates bottled water as a food under the FD&C Act and is responsible for ensuring that bottled water is safe and truthfully labeled. Specific FDA regulations for bottled water cover cGMPs for bottled water production and standards of identity and quality. Recent regulatory activity includes adoption of maximum allowable levels for critical contaminants, including certain disinfectants and disinfection byproducts, uranium, arsenic, and the adoption of testing and remediation requirements for the prevention of E.coli contamination.


FDA will carefully consider the conclusions of the reports and factor findings into future regulatory decisions. But really bottled water just isn't as save as tap water.

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