Unplug! Disconnect! Consume Less Energy!

Photo Credit: frenchsciencesf.wordpress.com

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.

Photo Credit: www1.eere.energy.gov

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.

Photo Credit: milehighyouthcorps.wordpress.com

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. 

Photo Credit: http://www.copernicusproject.ucr.edu

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.