Global Warming
One of the major environmental problems that we all face daily is the issue of global warming. Every day in the news is another catastrophe that has occurred bringing with it a huge financial crisis and human tragedies. The cause has been evaluated by many experts and a common area they all agree upon is the excessive waste that we humans are dumping into the environment, along with the waste of energy that has been produced by carbon- producing electrical power plants. My concentration is on the waste of energy and what we all can do to reduce the waste of electricity, which will cut down on the carbon emissions that are produced which is a main contributor to the global warming picture. If we all continue to live as we have in the past, neglecting the environmental issues, the consequence could be a rise in global temperatures along with rising ocean levels and greater natural disasters.
The first chance we all have we should try to limit our own personal waste, and then discuss it with our friends and family to bring awareness to the issue. If we can reduce our overall waste of electricity then the power companies will reduce their production which will reduce their output of carbon emissions thereby reducing their effects upon the global warming issue.
Corporations and organizations need to be more aware of the waste of power they are committing everyday; they can reduce their usage by simple solutions such as shutting off lights that are not being used, turning the A/C thermostat to a higher setting when the building is not in use. Such items can be presented in a power wasted awareness program instituted by each organization and corporation as an “in-house” beginning to ensure employees are being “power-wise” in their use of electricity. A proper survey of building facilities should also be conducted to ensure they are using equipment that is power-efficient and up to standards for maximum power savings. Energy Saving System in Pok Fu Lam , Hong Kong ( http://www.essearth.com/) hasproduced the solar powered parking lot lights that alone can save a corporation 6 -8 hours of purchased power.
As an example, I discovered at High College Technology there was an excessive waste of power committed by leaving all the AC units, PC monitors, media display devices, and room lighting running continuously as shown in the video during the independent learning week. If the college had shut them off or turned them down at night when no one was there, I calculated that there would be a savings of approximately 75,000 AED lessening the carbon footprint by 5778 tons per year. The calculated information was taken from a power-point presentation delivered to HCT on “Electricity and the Environment” delivered by “Spark Group” a cell of students gathered to research Global Warming issues.
Local and national governments all should have an energy conservation program to reduce the amount of energy needed to support the nation or city, as these are direct costs which are a burden to be carried by the citizens of the community. Typical solutions they can do to help reduce waste is to use solar powered street lighting; it is estimated that of all the power used by municipalities, the amount used for street lights is at 30% as researched by Michael Bluejay (http://www.michaelbluejay.com/) who has his own website designed for specifics we all can do for saving electricity. It is important that not only government and corporations reduce waste, but also all of us as individual consumers.
The most direct method is what can we each do to reduce the waste. The first is to bring the subject to public awareness on the issue so that we all have a full understanding of what is meant, and how each of us is responsible for the carbon footprint left by us on this planet. Then in every daily activity we can be conscious of what power we are using such as shutting off the TV when not watching it or turning off a light when not in use. Other direct methods can be done by purchasing energy saving devices for our homes like the power-saver switch that can reduce home AC power usage by as much as 25% as stated on the (http://www.plugandsave.com/) website, and the compact fluorescent energy saving light bulbs that can equal 8 standard incandescent lamps in use in most homes today. Also we can install insulation in our homes to cut back on the amount of a/c needed to keep our homes cool in the summers.
I think that the best method to reduce the waste of electricity is to be aware, look at everything around you in your daily lives and when we see waste, either correct it or inform someone else to look into it. The common mistake that all of us make is to think that a simple light left on will have no impact. Just think to magnify that one light by the population of the Earth and see how massive the simple task can become.
http://www.energysavingsolutions.us/insulation.php
http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/howmuch.html
