Generously supported by Marathon Oil Corporation
Energy Conservation Basics
Awareness brings change
In a busy society like ours, why take the time to conserve anything? We have become a “throw away”
society to make life easier. Is easier the answer? If we don’t think about the future, it may be, but one
sign of an advanced civilization is how much the people consider the future beyond themselves. The
natural resources of planet Earth are limited and many are being used up faster than they can be
replaced. Many of these resources will never be able to be renewed once depleted. In order to
conserve these limited resources, we must change our current habits in relation to energy, water, and
waste.
The most important resources to conserve are fossil fuels, water and wood. There are many reasons for
each of these to be used more efficiently.
Fossil Fuels
Fossil fuels are oil, natural gas, and coal that formed in the earth from plants and animals that lived
millions of years ago. They are burned to release the energy which is used today for our transportation
and electricity needs such as heating and cooling our homes and manufacturing products. Due to their
low cost, fossil fuels provide 85% of all the energy used in the U.S.
28% of the energy we use in this country is used for transportation with passenger vehicles using 2/3 of
the transportation fuel and commercial vehicles using 1/3. The remaining 82% of the energy used in the
U.S. is used to produce electricity.
Almost all of the fuels for transportation are from fossil fuels.
Fossil fuels provide 2/3 of the energy used to produce electricity.
Why we need to conserve fossil fuels
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Fossil fuels are nonrenewable. As they are used, they are not being replaced at a rate that is even
measurable. Although there is a huge quantity of petroleum in the earth, it becomes less
profitable as the methods needed to remove it become more expensive.
The way we produce energy from fossil fuels today causes pollution. Pollution is not just ugly, it
infects the water, air and ground. It also causes diseases and death in living creatures, including
humans. Carbon dioxide (CO2), a pollutant, may cause the temperature of the earth to become
warmer. This climate change increases storms which cause damage. It also causes water in the
form of ice on the land and sea to melt which causes the sea level to rise.
Dependence on fossil fuels creates political issues because about 53% of the oil we use in the U.S.
comes from other countries.
Petroleum is refined into over 2,000 petrochemicals which are used to make many products
which make our lives easier. For example most medications and medical supplies are petroleum
based. Our petroleum supply needs to be conserved for these important needs.
Most plastics are made from petrochemicals. More and more products are being made of
plastics which contain toxic materials such as PVC which enter the environment when disposed
of. Plastics take hundreds of years to disintegrate.
Carbon Footprint
Using transportation fuels and electricity produced by fossil fuels emits carbon dioxide to the
environment. Our “Carbon Footprint” is the total amount of carbon dioxide created by all of our
activities and the things we use. A person, a building, a business even an event all have a carbon
footprint, including your home and school. The graph below gives you an idea of the per cent of
contribution of different activities to our carbon footprint.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/
Energy consumption globally has almost doubled in the past 20 years.
Due to improvements in controlling the amount of CO2 emissions by various activities, the amount of emissions
has not increased as much as energy consumption.
Water
Think of all the different ways that water is used in your life. Where does it go after you use it?
Wastewater goes to a treatment plant that uses energy to process the water to be reused. This use of
energy usually creates CO2, so the less water and thus wastewater we use the less we contribute to our
carbon footprint. Most water that is consumed in this country is used for electricity production.
Water Facts
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Only 3% of the water on earth is fresh water.
The Great Lakes are the world’s largest source of freshwater. The rest is saltwater.
Only 20% of the earth’s population has running water.
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Americans use at least twice as much water and energy per person as anyone else in the world.
The world population, which was 6.8 billion in 2009, is projected to reach 7 billion in late 2011
and 9 billion in 2050.
40% of household water goes down the toilet.
Most American households waste about 8,000 gallons of water a year waiting for the hot water
to arrive at the tap.
Wood Products
Paper made from trees is the most common form of waste. Almost half of all school waste comes from
paper. Much of it can be recycled but it still takes energy to reprocess it. Using less paper means saving
energy, trees, water and the chemicals needed to do the processing. Trees are needed to prevent
erosion and to absorb carbon and turn it into the oxygen we breathe. A paper mill uses 20% less energy
to make paper from recycled materials than it does to make paper from fresh lumber.
Waste
The manufacturing industry in the U.S. uses 1/3 of the energy and 13% of the water supply, and 7.6
billion tonnes of waste are produced before products reach the purchaser. Americans create about 4.5
pounds of trash a day each. Some waste is biodegradable but most just piles up. Some is burned, which
can release toxic chemicals into the air. Others release toxins into the ground. In an average person’s
lifetime that comes to 600 times an average adult’s weight – in garbage.
Creating your own Conservation Plan
Now that we have learned why we should conserve energy and other valuable resources, let’s think
about what we can do.
Who should conserve? If we study global energy consumption we see that the U.S. consumes more
energy than any other country.
Where to look to conserve – our actions and our habits.
Make a chart to keep track of your daily activities. (See Energy Conservation Observations for a possible chart – at
the end of this activity)
In the chart consider the following:
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List your daily activities
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Describe your surroundings at school, home, church, your yard – wherever you are. Look around you to
see where energy is being used, even if you are not involved in those activities. This will increase your
awareness.
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List the items involved in the activities. For example – the sports you play and the equipment needed.
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Food - what you eat is consumed to produce energy in your body, but there are several other things to
consider about the relationship between energy and food:
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The healthier you eat, the less pesticides you consume and thus fewer toxins are consumed.
These toxins often come from petrochemicals.
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Consider how food gets to your table. Some travel around the globe to get to you.
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Transportation habits – do you walk? ride a bike? Take a Bus? Ride in a car?
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Which activities require electricity?
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Which activities require water?
What - Now that you have learned why to conserve important resources and looked at your lifestyle, let’s think
about a process to use to evaluate the everyday choices we make.
Using your Energy Conservation Observations, where the usage of resources is divided into categories, use the
information below to make responsible choices.
Items we already own should be used as long as possible unless they are using a large amount of energy. For
example refrigerators over 10 years old are using more energy than newer models.
When deciding if or what new items to purchase think of the life cycle of the product. The life cycle means every
step it involves, from the raw materials needed to produce it, its manufacturing process, distribution, use, and its
recycling potential or disposal needs. (Another type of life cycle involves the marketing of products.)
A helpful way to remember what to consider when deciding whether to buy a new product is to think of a square
with each of the words in red below on one side:
1. Energy required to operate.
2. Materials – does it contain:
a. toxins
b. nonrenewable resources
c. recycled materials
d. imported materials
e. Packaging
3. Process to make – How much energy is required to make it? Does it require water to produce?
4. Transportation - how far does this product travel to get to the store or your home? In the U.S. food
travels from 1,500 to 2,500 miles to get to the table. If refrigeration is required during transportation, this
adds to the energy used.
To expand the illustration, it can be extended to an octagon (stop sign shape):
5.
Packaging - Is the packaging necessary or overdone?
6. Size - consider:
a. Larger sizes and buying in bulk often saves packaging and money.
b. Buying more may be wasteful if its usage will expire before it is used.
c. Using smaller electrical devices whenever possible. For example laptops use more than
50% less electricity than desktop computers.
7. Time - Saving time can save many resources. For example, when your internet speed is fast, you
get through using the computer faster and thus use less energy. If you turn it off that is!
8. The 3 R’s – reduce, reuse, recycle - CONSIDER Do I really need this product?
Can I buy a used product and reuse it or use something I already have?
How will I dispose of it after it is used?
(Have the children create a slogan such as Be Aware in the middle of the Stop Sign Shape.)
An anagram can be created by scrambling the letters of the first words listed above. This will help to remember
the criteria.
generously supported Marathon Oil Corporation
Energy Conservation Observations
Activity
Example
Morning routine
Notes
Notes
Notes
Surroundings
Bedroom, Kitchen,
bathroom
Items used
alarm clock,
toothbrush,
coffee maker
toaster, clothes,
shower,etc
There are many
electricity powered
devices in the
kitchen
I could use a
wind up alarm
clock, take
shorter showers
Food
Pop Tart, milk
Eat healthier!
Transportation
Car to school
Ride my bike to
school
Energy used
Alarm Clock
Coffee Maker
Toaster,
processes to make
clothes,
Gas for car
Water Used
Coffee, shower,
processes to make
clothes
I can’t believe
how much water
it takes to make
my clothes!
generously supported Marathon Oil Corporation
Energy Conservation Observations
Activity
Notes
Notes
Notes
Surroundings
Items used
Food
Transportation
Energy used
Water Used