Energy Efficiency & Conservation

What's the problem?

The world’s energy demand continues to increase every year thanks to expanding populations and the fast growth of developing countries both putting strains on resources. The demands are currently mostly met by energy sources that include petroleum, natural gas and coal. These resources are limited in their availability and also contribute to climate change through the burning of these fossil fuels. The greatest hope is to replace the use of fossil fuels or at the very least decrease their usage to limit their impact on the environment. Luckily, renewable resources are being used more frequently and are becoming a viable solution to create a widespread use of energy that does not extract Earth’s resources or cause great harm to the environment. While the increase in renewable energy production is promising, petroleum, natural gas and coal still account for more than 77% of all US energy production.

Why should we care?

There are five major sources that we are dependent on for our energy. The majority of these sources have a negative effect on the environment by both releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as well as compromising limited resources. They include natural gas (31.8%), petroleum (28%), coal (17.8%), renewable energy (12.7%), and nuclear electric power (9.6%). The use of natural gas is common because of its affordability and availability through simple drilling methods. As the price of natural gas has decreased, the demand from electric power companies and industries has increased. Regardless of its inexpensiveness, natural gas production still emits greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere contributing to overall climate change, sea level rise, and more.The extraction of natural gas also harms the environment by potentially contaminating ground drinking water, causing sinkholes, and releasing odorless/flammable/dangerous gases.

What can we do?

In addition to conserving traditional sources of energy, we can look more into researching and investing in renewable energy. Renewable energy production has seen a significant increase in the last few years with both production and consumption of renewable energy reaching record highs in 2017, mainly due to the specific increases in both solar and wind power.

As individuals and a community, it is important to realize that electricity consumption is an important portion of our environmental footprint. Conserving energy in schools and homes are easy behavioral changes that can be made immediately. Turning off lights and electronics when not in use are easy starts. An air conditioner consumes the most electricity in a home, especially in South Florida. Investing in a programmable thermostat or simply raising the temperature a few degrees can save significant energy and money. Another low-cost solution is using more efficient bulbs. If every home in the United States replaced one light bulb with an energy efficient alternative, the amount of energy saved could light 3 million homes for a single year.

Green Schools Challenge Activities:

Schools can choose to do more than one activity but maximum amount of points a school can earn for this topic is the same. Points for participation will be based on a rubric. Download here.