Micah Nelson
English 101-5:30
Dr. Sonia Begert
3 December 2015
Cut Back A Little To Save A Lot
Today as citizens of America, and stewards of the earth we face many dilemmas: Health problems caused by air pollution, damage to precious land from coal mining, environmental deterioration due to global warming, water pollution, and even acid rain. All of these major complications could be avoided if we simply cut back on the amount of energy we use in our daily lives. In this essay I will discuss how and why we should cut back on our use of energy and the many ways in which we can benefit from it.
Cutting back on energy means many things. On the Natural Resources Defense Council website it states that “Our best weapon against global climate change is clean energy. Renewable power, conservation, energy efficiency in buildings and elsewhere, more efficient vehicles and clean fuels. These are the solutions that will reduce the impacts on our climate, revive our economy, and create jobs”(Quotation from NDRC website). By saving energy we are saving the earth, saving lives, and saving money.
Our earth is being greatly impacted by many factors. One of the biggest issues we face is climate change due to global warming, caused by the burning of fossil fuels. We burn fossil fuels for many different purposes but one of the most important outcomes we get from this process is electricity. In the U.S. our main process of creating electricity is by burning fossil fuels in a coal, oil, or gas powered power station. These power plants turn water into steam, and then using the steam to power a big set of wheels called a steam turbine. “In 2014, the United States generated about 4,093 billion kilowatt hours of electricity. About 67% of the electricity generated was from fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and petroleum)”(Quote from U.S. Energy Information Administration website) CO2 and greenhouse gasses are released, making our atmosphere thicker, and in turn is heating the earth. Thus causing climate change. “Climate change is the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time, responsible for rising seas, raging storms, searing heat, ferocious fires, severe drought, and punishing floods. It threatens our health, communities, economy, and national security”(Quotation from NRDC website). While maybe having a hotter summer here in Washington would be enjoyable, adding to our the severity of our already changing climate is not worth it by any means. Agricultural development and growth depends on a steady water supply, but due to climate change we have seen more floods and droughts. Take California for example. Over the summer I spent some time in San Diego at my Grandmother's house. At this time California had been experiencing an extreme drought. My Grandma explained to me how nobody was even allowed to water their gardens, or fill their pools, and that residents of the area had been advised to cut back on their overall water usage. This was especially sad to see because my grandmas whole garden had died due to this drought. She had used this garden to grow many foods such as tomatoes, and carrots which were beneficial to her overall health, and also saved her money on her grocery bill.. On a larger scale we see climate change explained by Katharine Mieszkowski, on July 23, 2014 that, “California farms, which guzzle 80 percent of the water used by humans in the state, are feeling the heat. Farmers in the dry Central Valley alone may stand to lose $810 million this year from keeping their fields idle, according to the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences. They’ll also spend an extra $453 million on pumping water out of the ground. The state likely will lose 17,100 agricultural jobs because of the drought”(Article on Reveal News Website). We can clearly see how just by cutting down on our energy usage would slow down, reduce, and save us from big problems like the drought in California, which is only one of the many places being affected negatively by climate change.
In cutting back on our use of energy we can save lives, and make a healthier living environment for future generations. When we burn fossil fuels we release all sorts of chemicals, depending on what fossil fuel we are burning. The chemicals released range from things like lead which is released into the atmosphere when we buy unleaded gasoline, to things like sulfur dioxide that comes from the burning of coal and oil in power plants. Sulfur dioxide worsens symptoms of people who have asthma or emphysema. Sulfur also irritates people's eyes, noses, throats, and even has a negative effect on crops. If we simply cut back on our use of energy we could reduce some of the damage we are doing to the earth and ourselves. In the chapter 5 of the book “Power Hungry” by Robert Bryce, fellow at the Institute for Energy Research, it talks about how coal fired power plants are some of the largest emitters of mercury “pumping some 96,000 pounds of mercury into the air each year.” He then goes on to explain how most humans come into contact with mercury when eating fish from bodies of water that have been exposed to the mercury, and how damaging it is to the human body. Mercury especially affects pregnant woman, and older folks, and has been linked to things like “autism, impaired cognition, and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's.” Bryce also goes on to explain how on top of all of the mercury released by coal burning power plants, they also release about “176,000 pounds of lead, 161,000 pounds of chromium, and 100,000 pounds of arsenic- all of which are damaging to the human body”(section from chapter 5 of the book Power Hungry). As you can see the amount of coal, and other fossil fuels needed to sustain our energy wasting lifestyles has major health risks.
By cutting back on our use of energy, we are also reducing our bills, and who doesn't enjoy saving money? We as Americans waste so much electricity, through habits, and through things like leaving the lights on while we're away. Our hard earned money is being wasted, when we could set money aside to do things like a family vacation ,save money for college, or even save up for that new car you've been wanting! The cost of energy used in our household varies from state to state, but according to latest release from the U.S. Department of Energy-Energy Information Administration (EIA), “the average residential monthly electric bill was $110.2”(section from eye on housing website). This is a lot of money to some who don't have much, and even to those who have the money, it's never a bad time to save.
Recently in my global citizenship class at Bainbridge Island High School we watched a video on energy, and the measures homes, schools, and even cities are taking to cut back on the cost of electricity. We first see an average couple, in an average house, in your average neighborhood. They wanted to cut back on their electricity cost, so they took the measures to do so. First they replaced their refrigerator, washer, and dryer with Energy Star approved appliances. Energy star is an U.S. environmental protection agency organization that works to help people, and businesses cut back on their costs of energy through energy efficiency. Even though the couple is buying these appliances now it's going to save them money in the long run. They then find leaks in their air ducts and seal them up to stop cold air from getting in and hot air from getting out. This makes it so they don't have to keep heat up their house as often or for as long when it's cold, and vice versa. The next electricity bill was substantially reduced, enough so that their house got a badge nailed on it informing people that their house is Energy Star approved. We then saw how schools in places like North Carolina were cutting back on electricity costs by building schools that utilize day lighting, instead of lighting through electric light bulbs. Finally we saw how the city of Austin Texas replaced all of their traffic lights with LED lights, saving the city more than 200,000 dollars in energy cost. In fact Austin wasn't the only place who saved themselves hundreds of thousand of dollars by cutting back on electricity through this simple method, “By replacing outmoded light bulbs in street traffic lights with highly-efficient LED (light emitting diode) bulbs, U.S. cities report over 10.4 million in saving every year”(section from government energy efficient solutions website). This is significant. One, because these cities now have more money to put towards things that benefit the community, and two because in cutting back on their use of electricity the less fossil fuels need burned in power plants to create it. These are just some of the many ways people, and places have cut back on their use of energy in order to save themselves money.
Cutting back on energy usage has many clear health, environmental, and social benefits. We may not see something as simple unplugging the TV to make a difference, and it won't. Not unless we all work together, and take baby steps towards creating a healthy living environment, not only for us but for generations to come. By cutting back on our use of energy we are doing much more than just saving ourselves some money, we are saving lives, saving the world.
Works Cited
"Average Monthly Electrical Bill by State – Updated Data." Eye On Housing. National Association of Home Builders, 12 Mar. 2015. Web. 01 Dec. 2015.
Bryce, Robert. "Chapter 5." Power Hungry: The Myths of "green" Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future. New York, NY: Public Affairs, 2010. 58-59. Print.
"Electricity and Climate Change." Electricity and Climate Change. Power Scorecard, 2000. Web. 01 Dec. 2015.
"Energy." Efficiency, Alternative and Renewable Sources. Natural Resources Defense Council, 13 Nov. 2. Web. 1 Dec. 2015.
Letcher, Trevor M. Future Energy: Improved, Sustainable and Clean Options for Our Planet. London: Elsevier, 2008. Print.
"U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis." What Is U.S. Electricity Generation by Energy Source? U.S. Department of Energy, 31 Mar. 2015. Web.
01 Dec. 2015.
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