Day #6 and #7:

How Much Energy Do You Use?

Now that we’ve spent some time observing how and what we toss in the trash, and how we are using water let’s move on to how we use energy.  

There are SO many things that you use everyday that require electricity – or energy. 

I bet you don’t think twice about pushing the “brew” button on your coffee maker or hitting the “power” button on your television or flipping that light switch. And that’s totally normal!

For the next two days I’m going to ask you to be aware of and pay attention to the lighting you use in your home.

Each day, once the sun sets, take a moment to get a quick count of the number of lights turned ON at that moment and record that number on your worksheet.  You can even get your kids to help!

Yes, this is a VERY basic look at energy use in your home but it helps give you a glimpse into a small piece of your home energy use. And, with any luck, it gets you thinking about the other pieces too!

Why does it matter if you conserve energy?

According to the US Department of Energy, the average American requires the burning of over 15,000 pounds of coal a year (or about 41 pounds per day) to meet the energy needs of their homes and cars.

Using coal as a resource to generate energy has a negative impact on the environment. Coal is a fossil fuel which is a non-renewable resource meaning it’s only available in a limited supply, is irreplaceable and takes a long time (like not in our lifetime) for the Earth to replace.

At some point the last chunk of coal or last drop of oil (both fossil fuels) will be taken from the earth. And when this happens fossil fuels will no longer be available as a source of energy.

The good news is that with a little effort we can do our part to reduce the amount of electricity we use and conserve energy – and in turn fossil fuels.

For more info, check out this video about why it’s important to conserve energy: