Now is the best time for everyone to focus on lowering our energy consumption – and essentially energy costs – in our home. Energy savings in the home is essential to our environment and good for our family. Keep in mind that any energy saving that you can do will easily translate into savings for other day to day expenses. With the current state of our economy we are all looking for ways to save for now and for the future of our family. Cutting down on energy consumption is good for us and the environment.
You might be thinking that you practice energy conservation in your home. After all, nobody wastes energy on purpose, right? While that can be true, there are several small things that may have become part of your daily routine. You may not be aware that such things affect how much energy you consume each month.
For example, do you usually leave your appliances in standby mode? If yes, then you may want to change this routine to something a little more energy efficeint. Placing the appliances on standby mode still uses power. Try plugging your appliances into a power strip or a plug board and plug your appliances to this device instead. Whenever the appliances are not in use or whenever you’re leaving the house, you can simply turn off or disconnect the plug board. This helps in reducing your energy costs, and at the same time, helps avoid the risk of fire.
Do you usually take long baths instead of short showers? Of course, taking a long, warm bath is a way to relax and soothe your tired muscles at the end of a stressful day. However, filling a bathtub increases your energy and water costs. Try taking short showers instead. This way you cut down on both your water and energy usage.
Do you usually wash a few dishes or a few pieces of clothing at a time? Full loads of both your dishwasher and clothes washer is a much more efficient use of energy and water. By washing full loads at a time, you not only save time but more efficiently use both energy and water. If you normally use the dishwasher to dry your dishes, try air-drying them instead. Most dishwashers have an energy saving mode that will allow dishes to air dry and thereby save energy. You can also apply the same energy saving mode to your laundry routine during the summer months. Instead of using the dryer, hang them outside to dry. Another real energy saver is the use of cold water for laundering your clothes. Most laundry detergents today are designed to be effective in cold water and they really do the job well.
These are only a few of the tips that you can use to cut down on your energy consumption at home. Remember that energy saving is a good practice for you and your family because it’s good for the environment. Energy saving has the added bonus of saving your family money every day with little or no effort. Let’s do it for our world and our future.
MANAGE ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION BY ENERGY CONSERVATION
The world has been facing a number of environmental issues, such as pollution, deforestation or global warming. Even though it is fairly difficult to cope with these problems, there are some things we can perform to protect the environment.
Environmental pollution is caused due to excessive utilization of natural resources, presence of a large number of people and livestock in congested areas, use of agro-chemicals, setting up of factories, running of automobiles, burning of fuel, etc.
A change in the environment is due to pollution and also affects the ecological balance. Environmental pollution is caused both in rural and urban areas. Pollution can cause sickness and discomfort. It also affects the productivity of natural resources, such as land, water, forests and livestock.
Global warming refers to the augment in regular temperature near the earth’s surface and in its oceans
. Climate change is another term used interchangeably with global warming. On the other hand, climate revolutionize may include other changes in typical weather besides increase in temperature.
Air Pollution:
The tall buildings soak up heat during the day and release it during the night. Thus, the weather remains hot and unpleasant. Automobiles and industries emit smoke containing carbon dust, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and other poisonous gases, which are unhealthy. Chemical factories release harmful gases, which can travel long distances. Gases like sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxide come in contact with cloud or rain water and turn into acid and result in acid rain. Release of harmful gases like fluorine and nitrous oxide by factories into the atmosphere would destroy the ozone layer and allow the harmful rays of the sun to reach the earth. Gases like carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxide, when released from automobiles and industries, absorb heat from sunlight and raise the temperature of our surroundings. Due to deforestation and increasing industrial growth, the average temperature of the atmosphere may rise by 20 C – 50 C during the next fifty years. This is known as global warming.
Protecting the environment is something everyone needs to consider. We can prevent environmental pollution if we understand its causes and take following measures:
Recycle Conserving the energy Pressure government Write letters Educating the people Waste natural resources
First of all, we can save the environment by recycling things such as cans, glass bottles or newspapers as much as possible.
For example, if we recycle newspapers or magazines to reproduce recycle paper, we can save the consumption of paper, and consequently it will help stop deforestation in tropical forests. We should also try to buy things that are made from recycled materials.
Secondly, conserving energy will also help protect our environment. Nowadays, we overly consume precious energy or natural resources. Moreover, burning fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and gas, produces a large amount of carbon dioxide, which leads to the global warming.
Planting trees to offset the effects of the carbon dioxide emissions created in the production of the energy and other products one consumes is another alternative. It isn’t necessary to do this oneself. Around the world there are organizations that are gearing up to do this on behalf of the many millions of concerned consumers. So for instance a power company could estimate the greenhouse gases emitted to produce a kilowatt-hour of electricity and then allow its customers an opportunity to pay to offset these emissions and become “carbon neutral”. Other ways of conserving energy would include cutting back on waste thereby saving on the energy that would be spent on replacement of the wasted item – Recycle and reuse whenever possible. In order to reduce energy consumption, each of us is required to make many efforts like turning off lights, adjusting thermostat or walking instead of driving as often as possible. If only we could educate people so that they realize their small contribution will collectively create great benefits for the environment. Saving on water consumption – A huge amount of energy is spent on purifying water for consumption so cutting back on water waste will help considerably. Ensuring you have efficient insulation and that cooling and heating appliances are cleaned and primed to work efficiently.
Having discussed above, it is felt that, in order to improve the environment, it is very essential for the government to educate people. In fact, we tend to be ignorant of the environment problems these days. Unless we know how serious the problems are and what we have to do to protect the environment, the improvement will never been achieved.
Of course, protecting the environment is also a responsibility of government and business houses. In order to influence government, we could write letters to newspapers or politicians expressing our desires for the government to do more to protect the environment. We could also write directly to business houses with suggestions on how they could reduce pollution or waste. We might also write letters thanking those who are making efforts to protect the environment.
ROLE OF CHILDREN IN PROTECTING ENVIRONMENT:
Children in rural and urban areas can play an important role in preventing environment pollution very effectively. There is great satisfaction in doing it ourselves.
Children in villages can persuade their parents to :
Use smokeless stoves or install biogas plants; Provide smoke outlets and ventilation in the kitchen; Tie livestock outside the house and reduce their number Feed livestock in their sheds without letting them out for grazing; Plant trees around the house, on field bunds and along roadsides; Develop field bunds across the slope to retain more water and prevent the soil being washed away. Plough the field across the slope; Keep tanks, canals and other water sources clean; Use the sewage water for growing trees; Keep the surroundings of the house and well clean; Prepare compost by using garbage, dung and other wastes;
Select a suitable site for the toilet, away from water sources and houses. It can also be connected to the biogas plant;
Use agro-chemicals carefully and try to avoid them. Plant products may be preferred wherever effective to protect crops;
Protect wildlife like frogs, snakes, mongoose, birds, etc. which
Urban children can do a lot to reduce environment pollution. Plant tress in school and home premises. Even if you are staying in a flat, plants and creepers can be raises in pots and wooden boxes, in the balcony; Protect the trees planted along roadsides; Keep public areas clean and avoid littering; Plant trees along roadsides, near bus stops, around playgrounds, and in parks to provide shade; Avoid dumping garbage on the street. Dispose them in a garbage dump; you can also make a compost pit to convert garbage into manure; Waste paper, plastic, glass and metal pieces can be recycled this would reduce the pollution and conserve our resources; Avoid using plastic materials such as plates and carry bags which cannot be used again. Moreover, when plastic is thrown away, it does not degrade but remains in the soil, polluting the surroundings; Do not make noise in public places; every likes quiet surroundings; Request your family members to use automobiles only when necessary; walking or cycling can be a pleasure when the distance is short; If someone is causing pollution in your area, inform the authorities through your teachers or parents.
Finally, there are many ways for us to protect the environment, not only on a global level but on a personal level. Saving the environment for future generations is something we must all be trying to do. We belong to earth; the earth does not belong to us. Let us act now and persuade others to join us. This will ensure safety for our future generations.
Dr.R.SRINIVASAN is a Post graduate in commerce and Management. He received his doctoral degree from Alagappa University in 1997. He is now Working as an ASSOCIATE PROFESSORin Post graduate and Research Department of Corporate Secretaryship at Bharathidasan Government College for Women (Autonomous), Pondicherry University, Puducherry.He currently teaches Accounting ,financial management and Research Methodology Subjects. Before Joining BGCW, he was teaching in SNR College, Coimbatore, Sindhi college, Chennai& T.S.Narayanasamy College, Chennai for eight years. He was with the industry for a short term at Salzar Electronics Pvt. Ltd, Coimbatore. He has about 20 years of teaching experience and having research experience of 15 years. His interests are in Accounting and finance, Capital Market, Quantitative Methods. He underwent the Faculty Development Programme at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad during 2000-01. He has presented 20 papers in national and international conferences and has published twenty papers in the areas of Finance and Human resource Management in National Journals. Co-authored a book titled, ‘Investors Protection, published by Raj Publications, New Delhi He has delivered lectures in contemporary finance topics at Pondicherry University. He is involved in consultancy projects for Godrej Saralee, Chennai in the areas of Statistical Applications. He has supervised a number of research projects in the area of corporate finance and Human Resource Management. He is the Board of examiner in corporate Secretaryship and Management for the past two decades.
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Increasing Sick Days Linked to Smog and Air Pollution, ‘Adopt The Sky’ Online Project Allows Everyone to Support Stronger Epa Air Pollution Contols And Reduce Health Risks
Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) June 28, 2007
Americans are breathing dirty air. As court-ordered deadlines approach for the federal government to decide on strengthening protections against air pollution, people from across the country will voice their opinion to the Environmental Protection Agency that clean air protections are important for our health, our environment, and our future through a new online project called “Adopt the Sky”(http://www.adoptthesky.org).
Earthjustice, a non-profit public interest law firm, is launching “Adopt the Sky,” using the latest in Flash technology to entertain, engage and promote clean air and better health. Air pollution is choking communities from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, and this website gives people a chance to tell those in charge why clean air is important to them.
“EPA has heard from environmental and public health groups, and now it’s time they start hearing from everyone forced to breath dirty air,” said Alexandra Allred, a Texas activist and mom whose son, Tommy, has severe asthma. “We deserve clean air. Adopt the Sky is a way that we can tell EPA to clean up their act.”
People visiting http://www.adoptthesky.org are greeted with images of smoggy, dirty sky coupled with startling facts about asthma: 4.5 million children in the U.S. have it. Visitors can then navigate around a big blue sky, viewing personalized messages from people all over the country who have signed the petition demanding cleaner air. Georgia M. from New Hampshire writes, “EPA, the science is in. Don’t fall short. Adopt the most protective standards.” Michael W. from San Francisco says, “I have asthma and it’s getting harder to breathe.” Other petition signers simply list the names of their children and grandchildren.
Visitors are then prompted to “Adopt the Sky,” signing their names to an assigned virtual square-mile of sky over some of the dirtiest regions of the country. The user will see floating air molecules that represent those who have already signed the clean air petition. When people roll over the molecules, a name, home state location, adopted state location and user-generated comment or message related to preserving clean air are revealed.
Clean air advocates can navigate from state to state, revealing the numbers of adults and children with asthma. “The goal here is to help visitors really visualize the impact that dirty air has on our health and our environment, and to give them a sense that there is something we can all do together to let EPA know that weak protections against dirty air are not acceptable,” said Georgia McIntosh, Director of Marketing at Earthjustice. “Smog pollution doesn’t know state or county boundaries. We’re all affected by it and need to tell EPA and government regulators that it’s time they moved toward stronger protections.”
Later this summer, EPA is going to hold public hearings on whether to strengthen health standards for ozone, or smog. At the hearings, Earthjustice representatives, along with other environmental and public health groups like the American Lung Association and Public Interest Research Group will present the signatures gathered from Americans across the country who want clean air and stronger protections to EPA officials.
For more information (and a higher resolution screen grab) , contact Jared Saylor, Earthjustice (202) 667-4500, and visit http://www.adoptthesky.org.
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