Week 18 - Different Sources and Energy Consumption

Fossil fuels are still of primary use as a source energy for our homes, vehicles, and places of work. We have been harvesting fossil fuels for little more than 100 years and already, we have depleted 50% of the known available supplies.

When we began using fossil fuels, scientists did not know the potential impacts it would have. It was thought that the gases would be absorbed by the atmosphere with no implications. However, as scientists studied the environment and the atmosphere, the overwhelming amount of gases created by the burning of fossil fuels was noticed to be building up in the atmosphere. Strong scientific indicators now show that the buildup of greenhouse gases are causing the Earth's climate to heat up. The change has only been by a few degrees, but it is significant enough to cause melting in the polar ice caps.

The cost of fossil fuels continues to rise, while the negative implications of their use increases at a high rate. We must be aware of the energy that we are consuming and how we can minimize our impact on the global environment. In order to minimize our impact, we have to be consciously aware of how much energy we are consuming.

For the next 24 hours, you are going to record all of the times you are doing something that causes fossil fuels to be burned. This would include any time that you are running an electrical appliance, the furnace, a vehicle, or even water in your home. You will also record ways that you could decrease your fossil fuel consumption by making small changes to the way you perform certain tasks, chores, and recreational activities.

Exercise 4.2: My Daily Energy Consumption

Now that you have had a chance to complete your 24 hour survey of the ways you consume fossil fuels, lets look at ways to decrease your energy consumption.

This will help you bring your own energy bills down and you will be doing your part in the global environment.

We have all learned about the three R's: reduce, reuse, and recycle. We think about these terms when it comes to decreasing the physical products that we use and throw into the trash. Did you consider how the three R's could be applied to energy consumption?

Exercise 4.2B: Heat and Temperature Pre-Test