Introduction
Save Energy, Save Earth is a rather terse maxim that can nevertheless be teased out to reveal a deeper meaning. In sum, this saying means that in order to save the planet we ought to work on saving energy.
Saving the earth, here, means preserving natural life on Earth for future generations: seas, rain forests, clean air and biodiversity, among other things.
Why does saving energy mean saving the earth?
The reasoning behind this phrase is the fact that humans’ over use of energy has resulted in devastating damage to the planet. The most notorious culprits are fossil fuels: coal, oil and natural gas. When we burn these fuels to release their energy we also release a huge number of toxins and noxious gases into the air, including nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and various sulfides. These gases cause a thick layer to form in the earth’s atmosphere, which traps the sun’s rays and causes the atmosphere to warm up. This is called The Greenhouse Effect and it is responsible for rising sea levels, catastrophic climate change, and the melting of our precious polar ice caps.
In addition, humans are damaging the planet through a general trend of over consumption. We are producing huge amounts of plastic, for instance, which we discard. All of the new consumer goods that we buy take up a lot of energy to produce, and most of them are totally unnecessary. Do we really need to buy two small bottles of water a day? Do we really need all of those new clothes or two cars for a single household? Cutting back on our consumption is crucial if we want to save the planet, and this is inextricable from saving energy more generally.
How can humans save energy and thus save the earth?
We have already seen that it is a good idea to cut back on our consumption because this will help us to save energy – which is beneficial for the planet. Here are seven ways that we can all save energy, both as private individuals and as companies.
- Never use too much energy for the job. This could mean changing simple habits around the home, such as never boiling a full kettle of water (which uses a lot of unnecessary energy) when we just want a single cup of tea. Or, it could mean totally overhauling the way that factories and other large energy guzzling businesses work and streamlining their operations so that they are more energy efficient.
- It costs much less energy to recycle an aluminum can or a glass bottle than it does to produce a new one. Recycle wherever possible.
- Has your laptop broken? Get it repaired – or learn to repair it yourself – rather than discarding it into landfill and purchasing a new one. The same goes for larger scale machinery, cars, and also shoes, jewelry and clothing.
- Studies have shown that a vegan diet has a much lower carbon footprint than both the vegetarian and the omnivorous diet. It is so easy to go vegan: it’s totally delicious, and better for your health, too, as well as being good for the planet and saving thousands of animals from suffering over your life time.
- Use insulating materials around your home and business to prevent heat energy from escaping so that when you heat the premises you do so as efficiently as possible.
- Solar energy and wind energy are two examples of energy sources that are much easier on the planet. We can use as much of this energy as we need without worrying about it running out, and it also does not result in the release of harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
- Where we must use other energy sources, it is crucial to ensure that they are sustainable. When using wood, for instance, it is vital not to cut down ancient forests, to hack into rain forests that provide habitats for different species, or to chop down trees without replacing them by planting trees elsewhere.
Conclusion.
We should all start to act right now to save energy, as this is essential if we want to preserve our planet for future generations to enjoy.
Laura