What are ways you can reduce your energy consumption?

Don't leave lights on when no one is in the room. If you are going to be out of the room for more than five minutes, turn off the light.

If you know of a light that everyone forgets to turn off, make a sticker or a sign to hang next to the switch that says "Lights Out!" or "Don't Forget!"

Where possible, use compact fluorescent light bulbs. Those funny-looking bulbs produce the same amount of light by using 1/4 of the electricity. Plus, they last for years and years without burning out.Turn off the TV when no one is watching it. The same goes for computers, radios and stereos - if no one using it, turn it off. Turn off all the appliances at the surge protector/control strip - that four- or six-plug extension chord that you plug all your computer things into. Some devices, like modems or other networking boxes are drawing small amounts of power all the time. Check with your folks first, but the best thing to do is turn them ALL off at the surge protector.In warm weather, the thermostat at home should be set at 78 degrees. (Don't do this, of course, if it will cause health problems for anyone in your family.) When no one is home, set the thermostat at 85 degrees. That way, you'll reduce the need for air conditioning and you will save energy. If you have ceiling fans or other fans, turn them on. The blowing air can make you feel 5 degrees cooler, without running the family's air conditioner. Fans use a lot less electricity than air conditioners!

In cold weather, wear warm clothing and have your thermostat set to 68 degrees or lower during the day and evening, health permitting. When you go to sleep at night, set the thermostat back to either 55 degrees, or turn it off. When you leave home for an extended time, set the thermostat at 55 degrees or turn it off, too. That way, your family can save from 5 percent to 20 percent on your heating costs. (Don't do this, of course, if it will cause health problems for anyone in your family.) Americans use twice as much energy as necessary to heat their homes. That accounts for a lot of wasted energy!

If you have a fireplace, close the damper when you don't have a fire burning. An open fireplace damper can let 8 percent of heat from your furnace escape through the chimney! In the summer, an open fireplace damper can let cool air escape. It's like having a window open!

Make a map of your home, and mark all the windows, heating vents, and outside doors. Take a ribbon and hold it up to the edges of the doors and windows. If the ribbon blows, you've found a leak! Ask Mom or Dad to seal the leak with caulk or weatherstripping.

Think about your curtains. Keeping the curtains closed on cold, cloudy days helps block the cold outside air from getting inside. Also, keeping the curtains closed on very hot days keeps the hot air out![1]


[1] http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/saving_energy/index.html

How do you consume energy at home and around your neighborhood?

There's no shortage of advice for how to use less energy at home, thus saving both money and the planet. For decades, energy-efficiency advocates have tried to convince Americans to replace incandescent light bulbs with compact-fluorescent ones, use hot water sparingly, wait as long as possible before turning on the A/C, and so on. But not all of these tips are created equal: Some appliances and behaviors use more energy than others. How good a grasp do we have on this crucial information?
Recently, a team of researchers led by Columbia University's Shahzeen Attari surveyed 505 people, recruited via Craigslist in seven U.S. metropolitan areas, to find out. Cursed with poor instincts for energy use, what's an eco-conscious citizen to do? Unfortunately, we're fettered by a dearth of reliable, up-to-date information on appliances' energy use. It's a service that you'd think the Department of Energy, so determined to promote energy efficiency, would provide, but they don't. Neither do big-box retailers with the resources and incentive — energy-efficient appliances typically cost more up-front, but then pay for themselves over time.Our continued national dependence on fossil fuels is creating a dangerous vulnerability to both long-term fuel scarcity and catastrophic climate change.
The current economic crisis requires substantial national policy shifts and enormous new government injections of capital into the economy. This provides an opportunity for a project whose scope would otherwise be inconceivable: a large-scale, fast-track transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.The share of homes being built in the U.S. with environmentally friendly features jumped to 16% of single-family starts last year from 2% in 2006, says McGraw-Hill Construction, a market-research firm in New York. Fueling the trend, industry officials say, is a desire to save energy at a time of high fuel costs. Indeed, in a recent survey, 93% of builders named increased energy efficiency as an important green practice—far more than cited any other benefit.
"People understand energy efficiency because it's easy to measure," says Michele Russo, director of green content at McGraw-Hill, a unit of McGraw-Hill Cos. "They get that bill all the time."
Green homes generally cost anywhere from 2% to 10% more than a typical home, depending on the features included, though the difference is shrinking. About 4%, or $14,000, of the cost of a $398,000 home purchased last year by Keith and Rebecca Sorensen was for green features, including a solar water heater and added insulation, says Michael Chandler, who built the three-bedroom residence in Chapel Hill, N.C. But the couple says their energy bill has been cut by two-thirds from their previous home. The roughly $200 a month in savings means the Sorensens' green premium will be paid off in about six years.
"We're kind of tree-huggers, if you want to call us that, but I hate spending a lot of money hurting the environment, so sometimes I just go without what i need for a while." says Mr. Sorensen, 38, an accountant.
Many of the latest practices in green building revolve around ways to make homes use less energy. Here's a look at some recent innovations.[1]

[1] http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903461304576524391474712716.html

Reflection

Doing this project has helped me reflect on a lot of things. To how we, the people are damaging the earth and if we don’t start acting now, we may cause damage that is irreversible. If we don’t act now our grandchildren may not be able to see certain animals or maybe even certain plants. Our children’s, children have a greater percent of being born with birth defects and health issues. All the chemicals we inhale and put in our body make our body change and work in different ways. Climate change is not only in America, it’s all over the world. Sadly to say but the countries that contribute less are the ones that are impacted more. Big companies over the world dump their trash in other countries, but it’s not only them who are affected, the winds carry chemicals and it’s traveling all over the world.

We have to act now. We have become a society where our material things mean everything to us. They make us who we are and who were not. We have lost the value of family time. To sit at the dinner table and ask how each other’s day was. New technology comes out every day that helps us do things easier, we have become a lazy society where everything is handed to us and many of us, not all, and we take things for granted. Certain people don’t understand that other countries around the world don’t have free education, and we are fortunate to have it for free (If you want to put it that way. Because the money comes from the taxes we pay)

At first change may not be easy, but In the long run it’s going to benefit everyone. From the simple’s thing to turning off the light when you walk out the room to not having the heater all night or the AC all day, it reduces your bills. You don’t always have to do that, there’s always other solutions. You can move closer to work that way you could take public transportation or maybe even walk, which can help you get in shape.

I’ve come to realize that you don’t always have to buy that new phone or those new shoes, its bout appreciating what you have and take care of it. That includes our water, electricity, our animals, plants, etc. This project has made m want to change myself, for the better. I would not like to be one of the many responsible for our Earths damages. I’m going to change my ways starting from recycling and not throwing everything into one big black bag. In the morning I won’t leave the water running when I’m brushing my teeth and I will take more showers than bath. I will also try to convince my parents and everyone I know to change to light savers bulbs. Changes like these may be little but if everyone does at least two solutions it can help reduce it. It may take time but were doing it for our children and their children. We face a climate catastrophe that will define our generation and the future of our country, and the solutions to this crisis will create jobs and improve public health. So why aren't we acting?

Step 8, Questions !

 What did you learn? 
I learn that we can save energy in many different ways. To conclude, the simplest things can use so much energy such as tv stayingg on , lights being on, things plugged into  the
What were the challenges. Ive also learn that theres a lot of natural resources being used as well and our earth is suffering from all of these changes. pollution is one of the biggest causes of global warming which is something i learn as well. 

I learn about an event called Buy Nothing Day, Which is basically a day consumers evented on black friday to not buy anything. Well try to save money and buy things you NEED not WANT. For examples, instead of buying unneccesary clothing and shoes, buy things that you need such as undergarments, deodrants, etc. I agree with this event because it helps consumers save money and make them realize how much money they are spending.


Sucess? Trying to accomplish some of these things in my own house hold was complicated due to the fact that i was so accostume to leaving things on and using so much power. leaving my charger plugged inside the wall was one of the hardest courses to maintain because im so use to leaving it there and just plugging my phone out of the socket.Turning the television off before i go to sleep was also very hard to maintain because its such a habiet that i have thats so hard to overcome, i will leave the tv on while im sleep in the middle of the night. as well as leaving it on while im in school.
What about the project could be improved? well writing 500 words could have been different maybe 200 words would of been a little easier. =)

Sustainability in school

Everyday we are being introduced to new ways we can save energy and reduce global warming. Schools take up an immense amount energy. We do not only use electrical energy but we consume lots of paper, water, and heating. Schools have lots of computer rooms and most of those computer are always . That right there makes up allot of energy. All the lights that are on in the class room that stay on even if no one is in the room. We can all help reduce energy at our school, like turning off the computers when you leave school. A school computer left on 24 hours a day wastes $224 a year in electricity. We can also recycle the paper. Use the back of papers and not throw them out cause a simple mistake was made.

If you really want to get creative you can ask your teacher if you can start a website engaging climate change and how to help. You can make it count as grade that way you can help and also earn from it. It would be a great learning opportunity and it will show lots of ways you can help in school and in your neighborhood or home.

http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/blearthday2002.htm

Sustainability at home

Have you ever taken a moment to yourself and thought how much energy you consume at home? Just think how much things you use during the day. Now multiply that by 365 and all the people in the world. That's allot of energy. The activities we do at home can impact our climate change in many ways. To promote sustainability, we must use less energy. Some things we can to consume less energy is turning off the things when we don't need them, turning our thermostats down. Something that n also save you money and help the environment using ceiling fans instead of having the air conditioner a day . Another way is recycling. Lessening the amount of what goes into our landfills can help improve a community's sustainabslity. We need to learn to stop being selfish, we can a live well and but not consume as much. The way things are running we’ll need four the in the next 100 years, but only have one. People need a reality call, but perhaps when they realize it might just be too late and the damages will be irreversible.

Resources:http://www.preservationnation.org/issues/sustainability/?gclid=CNCQ2tbo_awCFWcRNAodZX_FSA

Proposing how to better manage the resources of Sustainability.

 School- When the end of the day come all students should shut down their computers as well as plug the wires out of the socket.
If weren’t using the computers we should leave them off and plugged out.
If you’re not using the classroom you should turn the lights off.

Neighborhood- Everyone on the block should recycle and help the environment. To conclude, be able to clean the environment if you see something outside of the home as in paper, plastic, garbage, etc you should be able to pick these things up and throw it in the trash.

Home- Everyone in your household should turn off the television when it’s not in use, as well as the Radio and Computer, don’t leave your charger on with your phone not plugged in that’s just wasting electricty.

All of these resources of stablilty can effect us in many ways and its our place to help fixs of all these needs because this can cause global warming, and effect us in a very harmful way. To conclude

some natural resources cause pollution which affect the physical environment. by enhancing the pollution because of toxins released when moving the chemicals, it can also cause oil and chemical spills to occur.

Be able to help the environment so we all could live longer and be able to have children. =)

Sustainability in the home

Sustainability in the home is a very extreme aspect of life when different things are happening.Expecially climate change is included.There's a few ways people can consume power within your home, energy is used for everything especially in a person’s home. To provide light in one’s home uses energy, to keep you warm energy is supplied, also energy is even supplied when hot water in one’s home is needed. Energy is used to function all the appliances in a house or other places as well.Taking actions as in insulating and weather stripping your home and buying energy star certified (High efficiency) appliances is a way to conserve energy and keeping your house in a sustainable balance.Clean and greener energy appliances.Modernizing your windows can be another way you can go green, replace your windows with argon filled double glazed windows they save 2.4 tons of CO2 per year. Changes in temperature due to climate change effects our demand for energy. As for example rising air temperatures will most likely lead to substantial increases in energy demand for air conditioning in most American cities . But on the other hand energy needed for space-heating can in deed decrease.Us as humans can modify our actions in ways that limit energy use. Using green products can stop the uneccessary burning of these fossil fuels and this wont affect our energy use, our cars and other energy used resources by living a energy savory life.The remaining emissions are from methane from waste in our land fills, raising live stock , natural gas pipelines, and coal , isn't that interesting. An individual can make the most impact of reducing carbon emissions.Examples like the electricity we use in our house holds, the waste we produce, also the transportation we choose to use each and everyday of our lives.Those choices affects us personally and even more our future life styles to come in case ones never took the time to dwell on this. Take the time out to set your priorities straight and see the difference from using all this energy that you don't need, you can save it and use healthy energy consuming without costing you a fortune or even harming the planet. Thoughts like these keep the planet and a house balance very stable and sustainable in deed.There are a few basic tips to put a halt to climate change.Check your tires , for each gallon of gas's saved 20 lbs of carbon dioxide aren't produced. Use less hot water because it takes energy to heat the water and by using less of it , it reduces 350 lbs of carbon dioxide. And avoid products with a lot of packaging, preventing waste from being created meaning there's less energy wasted and fewer resources thats consumed.And last the most extreme tip is to turn off your electric appliances when they are not in use, because thats wasting usable resources and energy that can be used for something much more needed.Especially in the house house when individuals have electric devices inserted into the outlets if they aren't in need then unplug them so the energy is not going to waste. Therefore save energy and keep your home in peaceful balance but going green and keeping it sustainable.

 This image explains how sustainability is an extreme aspect that controls the worlds functioning.





Link: http://www.powerscorecard.org/reduce_energy.cfm
         http://earth911.com/news/2007/04/02/what-can-i-do-to-help-prevent-climate-change/

Solutions

By 2050, three earths will be needed to meet human demand for resources. How can we ensure that one earth can support 10 billion people by 2050?

First we have to admit that climate change is a problem. Decades and decades of using fossils fuels, industrial and agricultural practices made us become addictive. While most of us would like to think that we aren’t part of the problem, the fact remains that if you drive one of the many vehicles on the road, you’re contributing to global warming. Evidence shows that human activities are affecting the global climate. Climate change has serious implications for public health. Catastrophic weather events, variable climates that affect food and water supplies, ecosystem changes are all associated with global warming and pose health risks

There is a variety of solutions:

• Set limits on global warming pollution


• Invest in green jobs and clean energy


• Drive smarter cars


• Create green homes and buildings


• Build better communities and transportation networks

If we get started today we can tackle this problem. Our planet is warming, and we are helping it happen by adding more heat trapping gasses, primarily carbon dioxide. Our atmosphere has limits too. CO2 remains in the atmosphere for about 100 years. The longer we keep polluting, the longer it will take to recover and the more irreversible damage will be done. Instead of taking your car to the store, you can walk or even take a bike. You are not only helping the environment but you are even helping yourself. It would also reduce the amount of fossil fuels that are burnt for you.

Fuel efficient vehicles, renewable energy, protecting forest are all common sense solutions, which won’t only reduce global warming; it will save us money and increase business opportunities.

Governments should have a responsibility to educate both the public and industry about these hazards. Laws banning the production of CFC gases would help to slow down the rate of ozone depletion and global warming. If fines existed for production of certain gases, maybe industry would use safer alternative measures.

Climate change affects the fundamental requirements for health, clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food and secure shelter. Many of the major killers such as diarrheal diseases, malnutrition, malaria and dengue are highly climate-sensitive and are expected to worsen as the climate changes. Areas with weak health infrastructure, mostly in developing countries will be the least able to cope without assistance to prepare and respond. Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases through better transport, food and energy use choices can result in improved health.

Identifying and Improving Statibilty

 How we consume energy ?
 whats carbon footprint ?

 Home- We consume alot of energy. Such as The amount of coal produced must be at least the equivalent of twice as much as oil. As for electricity not generated by coil or oil. To conclude,we use alot of energy when we leave the lights on when we are sleeping keeping the tv. plunged in and on at night. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the world’s consumption of marketed energy is forecasted to increase by 44% from 2006 to 2030.
Neighboorhood- If there is only so much food, timber, petroleum, and other material to go around, the more we consume, the less must be available for others. The global economy cannot grow indefinitely on a finite planet. As populations increase and economies expand, natural resources must be depleted; prices will rise, and humanity especially the poor and future generations at all income levels will suffer as a result.
School- schools usually use  up to 10 Times as much energy a day as a house does every day. so they use pretty much a lot of energy, and most of it is from computers classroom and hallway lights. i dont believe that they turn the lights off when closing the school.

Whats Carbon Footprints ?

A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases produced in our day-to-day lives through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation etc.
The carbon footprint is a measurement of all greenhouse gases we individually produce and has units of tonnes (or kg) of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_much_energy_does_a_normal_school_use_in_a_day#ixzz1eMe0Ekss

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081221123422AAWBwXX



By Alpacheta Cole

Impact on home and school community

The climate change affects everything around us. Climate change is a primary reason for global warming. The climate change can affect what a person eats, their living environment, how to transport things and materials and etc. Also climate change can take a part in affecting people’s homes and the school community. Within the schools the products the schools buy can affect the Ozone Layer. The activities the teachers and the schools, have an effect on the Green House Emission. Even the services that the school itself can affect SMOG. The Greenhouse effect plays a part in the whole Climate change theory of it all; it is a natural process in which the absorption infra-red radiation by an atmosphere warms a planet. So you may ask what’s wrong with warming the plant right. It shouldn’t be harmful to warm the planet during the cold wintery day’s right? Well you’re slightly incorrect the different climates variously changing in the course of our planet can be somewhat intensely drastic I might add. The reasoning for Global warming and Climate changing colliding is because of this Green House gas called "Carbon dioxide" better known as ( CO2).The temperature is slowly rising steadily day by day .The planets ice shelves are melting also including the ocean sea level is riding. Because the drastic affects of the climate change can alter the habitat that the animals live in, some of them can become in fact extinct due to the fact that the climate changes the growth because the weather is a partial reason why crops grow to provide nutrition and energy for people and all living organisms."Human activity caused an imbalance in the natural cycle of the green house effect and related processes." This statement is justified because every day we as humans and people whom live on this planet earth are effectively moving carbon in all the time. Transportation, heating, cooking and electricity all burn fossil fuels. Such as chalk boards, the lights in the classrooms are used as energy and also burns the fossil fuels. ‘Because of all the carbon dioxide being let into the atmosphere the concentration level is increasing". " Climate kind of trains the boxer , but the weather throws the punches And what the climate will do is help train weather to throw certain punches more often , We'll see as extreme precipitation events, extreme droughts"- Deke Arndt a quote used to clarify how climate operates I personally found the quote quite informative and somewhat entertaining. So therefore climate change has a major part to do with how the earth operates .Not only do climate change affect just the earth’s weather but also affects schools, homes, energy and crops being grown. If the climate doesn’t change alot then the world wouldn’t be in the tragic state it is in at this present date. Climate changes alter how we live. My opinion to this theory is if people started using more organic products and started saving energy and stop burning unnecessary fossil fuels global warming and tragic climate change wouldn’t occur.

This picture displays a primary example of how the green house effect comes into the climate change theory and how the atmosphere works

Link: http://www.globalissues.org/article/233/climate-change-and-global-warming-introduction