Energy Conservation

The following information came from www.dosomething.org.
Every time you hop into a car or turn on your bedroom light you use energy. We use energy for transportation, in our residences, in commercial places and in the industrial sector.
But using too much energy leads to negative effects on the environment like air pollution. We can curb this negative impact by conserving energy and figuring out how to do everyday things using less energy or alternative energy sources.
Want to do something about it? Learn more, starting with these 14 shocking facts.
From the paper you take notes on to the food you eat at dinner, you are surrounded by things that require tons of energy and resources to produce. Read up on these facts about energy and resource use, and then do something!

Fact 1
If the price of gas is $3.00 per gallon, each 5 miles per hour you drive over 65 miles per hour you drive is like adding $.21 per gallon of gas.

Fact 2
More than 25% of energy consumption in homes goes to lighting.

Fact 3
A ton of recycled paper equals or saves 17 trees in paper production.

Fact 4
Production of recycled paper uses 80% less water, 65% less energy, and produces 95% less air pollution than producing paper from new trees.

Fact 5
If offices in the United States started using two-sided copying more (from 20%, the figure in 1991, to 60%), they could save the equivalent of about 15 million trees.

Fact 6
One fifth of all wood harvested in the world goes to paper production.

Fact 7
Recycling one glass bottle saves enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for four hours.

Fact 8
The United States consumes almost 9 million barrels of gasoline daily – 43 percent of total global daily gasoline consumption.

Fact 9
LEDs could cut national energy consumption for lighting by 29 percent in 20 years.

Fact 10
If left on constantly, an LED light could last for up to 50,000 hours, or 6 years, which is 50 times longer than a regular 60-watt incandescent bulb.

Fact 11
Only about 10 percent of the energy used by a bulb creates light. The rest of the bulb only creates heat. (Not good!)

Fact 12
If everyone in the world lived as Americans do, we would need 5.4 planet earths in order to sustain life.

Fact 13
1.5 BILLION gallons of water would be saved and 60,000 pounds of fertilizer would not have to be used and released into the water table if just 10,000 gave up eating beef once a week.

Fact 14
If every American made sure that their car tires were properly inflated, an estimated 4 million gallons of gas could be saved every day, and there would be 30% less used tires in landfills.

Fun Facts about ENERGY
A heavy coat of dust on a light bulb can block up to half of the light.


Across America, home refrigerators use the electricity of 25 large power plants every year.

A hot water faucet that leaks one drop per second can add up to 165 gallons a month. That's more than one person uses in two weeks.

An energy-smart clothes washer can save more water in one year than one person drinks in an entire lifetime!

Every time you open the refrigerator door, up to 30 percent of the cold air can escape.

Every year, more than $13 billion worth of energy leaks from houses through small holes and cracks. That’s more than $150 per family!

A compact fluorescent light bulb uses 75 percent less energy than a regular bulb – and it can last up to four years.

A crack as small as 1/16th of an inch around a window frame can let in as much cold air as leaving the window open three inches!

Some new refrigerators are so energy-smart they use less electricity than a light bulb!
To Do something, check out our page on ways to conserve energy and prevent pollution!

Sources:Fact 1 & 9 – U.S. Department of EnergyFact 2 – www.wikipedia.orgFact 3-7 – www.earth911.orgFact 8 – Alliance to Save EnergyFact 2, 10-11 – Greenlight www.greenlight.orgFact 12-14 – Ideal Bite www.idealbite.org
Fun Facts- www.alliantenergykids.com
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