Energy
is one of the most important elements in human life, from the early discovery of fire to the current day. It can not be dispensed with in any way, especially in the times we live, and the technological developments that have taken place have led to total dependence on energy and its sources, but humanity suffers from scarcity and lack of energy, the result of years in the lack of rationalization in its use, resulting in the waste of large quantities of resources. This lack of conservation of our energy resources is also a direct major contributor to global warming, and loss of natural resources.
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Energy Sources:
There are many sources of energy natural and manufactured :
| Hydro powered. | Nuclear powered. |
| Solar powered. | Petroleum powered. |
| Wind powered. | Coal powered. |
| GeoThermal powered. | Natural gas powered. |
Ways to conserve energy:
Because we can not take one step in life without energy, we must preserve it in all possible ways and means. There are many steps that must be taken to conserve energy sources, many think this is a job to be left to governments, the reality is energy conservation starts at home.
If the air conditioner is turned on in the summer, avoid running the air conditioner at a temperature higher than or below the ideal temperature. Close the curtains, blocking direct sunlight in the summer reduces your energy consumption.
It is preferable to wear warm clothing indoors come wintertime and to close all doors and windows in order to reduce the need to consume excessive amounts of energy.
While shopping choose material that is lightweight and lightly packaged. Most people fail to realise that heavy and heavily packaged material cost a lot more energy to produce and transport, also produces more waste.
Choose material that does not use plastic packaging, or at least uses the least amount of it. Opt in for paper packaging whenever you are offered that option, you will not kill trees if you use paper products as most of us think, paper products are 100% recyclable vs 10% that of plastic.
Plastic is produced from oil and its derivatives, and takes 500 to 1000 years for the material to break down in nature. It is the main cause of death for many natural resources both in land and in the sea. Plastic is a main contributor to global warming as well. Although we cannot completely get rid of plastic, we can severely limit its use. Recently some countries banned the use plastic bags and set laws and fines for its manufacture and use. Los Angeles was the first city in the US to ban the use of plastic bags.
What to do if you have no other choice other than using plastic bags? avoid throwing them in the trash after first use, wash them and reuse them.
Batteries are another major problem we face today with the widespread use of electronic products. When batteries are needed for a variety of purposes, purchase rechargeable batteries, and avoid buying a non-rechargeable battery, which is disposed of after exhaustion.
Avoid using electric ovens for heating food, because they consume large amounts of energy, use a microwave oven for light cooking and heating of food.
The trend is to use all energy saving devices. Nowadays, they are available in the market, they have a lot of demand, and they are offered at competitive prices. Do not purchase unnecessary equipment and be redundant, close all devices after completing the work they are used for.
The biggest energy consumption devices in an average home are air conditioners, heaters, refrigerators, water heaters, washing and drying machines, light bulbs. Many of these have went through various energy improvements over the years from energy saving light bulbs to energy saving water heaters, but the main savings come from the way you use these devices vs how much power they consume. It is true replacing an old water heater with a new energy saving one saves you a lot of money on your annual energy bill, but it's how much hot water you let go to waste per day that contributes the most to any meaningful long term savings and energy conservation.
Create awareness and educate your kids on the importance of preserving energy sources from depletion and rationalizing its use in all areas of life. Yes washing one piece of clothing consumes as much energy as washing a full load, it's all about habits. That early development of good habits starts at home, it does not and should not come to us in the form of a government law.
Last but not least, the growth of blockchain assets secured by mining is a new form of energy consumption. POS and DPOS blockchains consume a lot less energy to secure and maintain. Such as the Steem blockchain which uses DPOS, an energy saving blockchain you might call it, Ethereum is planning a move to POS at a certain point. Recent projects using or going to use energy saving blockchains are Qtum(POS), EOS(DPOS), Tezos(DPOS)...
sources and credits:
1- http://www.morganhilltimes.com cartoon image