document resume - ericmillions of years ago, plants rived and died in forests and sw,amps which ......

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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 125 885 v ..SE 020 614 TITLE Energy Conservation, Understanding and Activities for Young People., INSTITUTION Federal Energy Administration, WashingtOn, D.C. REPORT NO FEA-D-75-264 PUB DATE 76. 4 NOTE 24p.; NOt available in hard,copy due_to colored pictures .and paragraph headings and'shaded charts and- graphs; Prepared by Office Of Conservation Education t -AVAILABLE FROM Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing ,Office, Wa'shington, D.C. +20402, (Stock No. 041-018-00991-7, $0.85) EDRS. PRICE BF-$0.,83 Plus Postage. BC Not Available from EDRS. \DESCRIPTORS ,Conservation Education.;.*Elementarl Secondary Education; Energy; *Energy,Conservation; *Environmental Education; .Fuel Consumption; *InstruCtional Materials; *Learning Activities; Natural. Resources; Science Educatiot ABSTRACT, . . . This'Ipublic4ion on energy conservation .is designed as a,, resource material for fhe classroom. It is divided into three chapters concerning a definition of energy, the conservation of energy, and the uses of energy. Far each subtopic witki.n the . chapters, ther.g.is'backgrOund information and suggested project .topics designed for secondary school students.-A brief glosSirY at the end of .the booklet defines 'some of the energy related terms used in the text. A short bibliography and a listing of resource people are included at the end. (HA) 'y 1 , r 34***********4;4*******Ic*******************14*************************** * \/Documents acquired by ERtC include many informal Unpublished * materials not available from other sources. ERIC makes evert effort* Oft to obtain the best copy diailable. Nevertheless, items of marginal * * reproducibility are pften encountered and thrs affeCts the quality * * of the microfiche and haidcoppreproductions ERIC makes available * . * via the'ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS), EDRS is not * respoilsible for the quality of the original document. Reproductions* * 'Suppl4e4 by EDRS are the best thit can be made from the oTiginal., * ?(c******4*********40(**************** ***********************************

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Page 1: DOCUMENT RESUME - ERICMillions of years ago, plants rived and died in forests and sw,amps which ... petroleum, as are.many chemicals, and fertilizers. Natural .Gas. Natural gas is

DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 125 885

v

..SE 020 614

TITLE Energy Conservation, Understanding and Activities forYoung People.,

INSTITUTION Federal Energy Administration, WashingtOn, D.C.

REPORT NO FEA-D-75-264PUB DATE 76.

4

NOTE 24p.; NOt available in hard,copy due_to coloredpictures .and paragraph headings and'shaded charts and-

graphs; Prepared by Office Of ConservationEducation t

-AVAILABLE FROM Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing,Office, Wa'shington, D.C. +20402, (Stock No.041-018-00991-7, $0.85)

EDRS. PRICE BF-$0.,83 Plus Postage. BC Not Available from EDRS.\DESCRIPTORS ,Conservation Education.;.*Elementarl Secondary

Education; Energy; *Energy,Conservation;*Environmental Education; .Fuel Consumption;*InstruCtional Materials; *Learning Activities;Natural. Resources; Science Educatiot

ABSTRACT, . . .

This'Ipublic4ion on energy conservation .is designed

as a,, resource material for fhe classroom. It is divided into threechapters concerning a definition of energy, the conservation ofenergy, and the uses of energy. Far each subtopic witki.n the

.

chapters, ther.g.is'backgrOund information and suggested project.topics designed for secondary school students.-A brief glosSirY atthe end of .the booklet defines 'some of the energy related terms usedin the text. A short bibliography and a listing of resource peopleare included at the end. (HA) 'y

1 ,

r

34***********4;4*******Ic*******************14**************************** \/Documents acquired by ERtC include many informal Unpublished* materials not available from other sources. ERIC makes evert effort*Oft to obtain the best copy diailable. Nevertheless, items of marginal *

* reproducibility are pften encountered and thrs affeCts the quality *

* of the microfiche and haidcoppreproductions ERIC makes available * .

* via the'ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS), EDRS is not* respoilsible for the quality of the original document. Reproductions** 'Suppl4e4 by EDRS are the best thit can be made from the oTiginal., *

?(c******4*********40(**************** ***********************************

Page 2: DOCUMENT RESUME - ERICMillions of years ago, plants rived and died in forests and sw,amps which ... petroleum, as are.many chemicals, and fertilizers. Natural .Gas. Natural gas is

.7/

-. . 4T

U S.DEP RTMEHT OF HEALTHEMU ATION WELFARENIT NAL INSTITUTE OF

EDUCATION

THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO-6DUCED EXACTLY AS ARECEivE0 FROM

THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION OR IGIN-A,TIND IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS

. STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRE-SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF

l ,EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY

r

1 4

Page 3: DOCUMENT RESUME - ERICMillions of years ago, plants rived and died in forests and sw,amps which ... petroleum, as are.many chemicals, and fertilizers. Natural .Gas. Natural gas is

ErirgyUriderstanding and activities for7iung people

For sale by the Superintendent of DocumentsU S Government Printing OfficeWashington. D C 20402 Price 85 centsStock Number 041-018-00091-7

t;

V

Chapter 1

What Is Energy? 2

Where Does Energy Come From? 2

Fossil Fuels 2

Renewable Energy Sources 3

Electricity 5

Hydropower 5,

Nuclear Energy 5

The Future 6 ;

Chapter 2

Energy Conservation 8

Energy Conservation Saves Our Supplies 8

Energy Conservation Protects the EnvirOnment 8

Energy Conservation Saves Money 9

Chapter 3

Uses of Energy 12 I

How is Energy Used at Home? 12

How is Energy Used in Town and City2 13

Energy in the Food Cycle 14

Energy in Transportation- 15

Energy-at School 16

Energy in Recreation 17

A Brief Glossary 19

Things 'to Read 20

Helpful People 21

e.

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Page 5: DOCUMENT RESUME - ERICMillions of years ago, plants rived and died in forests and sw,amps which ... petroleum, as are.many chemicals, and fertilizers. Natural .Gas. Natural gas is

2

What is tnergy?We hear n lot about energy these days.Energy is very important to al:- of usiWeuse it'in mriny forms eadh lay. Wecan't see it.ibut we can see and feelwhat it.rloes. ,

. The word "energy' can have anumber of ditferent meanings, but in

)this bookie

energy will bp used as itis by scntists 'and engineers. It will becloSely associated with two. otherwords whioh have saecial meanings tothe Scientist: "work" and "power.".The sbentist says we do -work"when we push or pull something for'

some distance: "energy" is the.capacity to do Work, that is, the abilityto make.sornething move: arid'.''roweris..the rate at which energy isproduced or used. --

one form, transforrp it to another,transport that from place to place. andthen transform it again-to do workfor Us. For example, coal stores

-Chemical energy: It can be burned tomake-heat energy. Heat can run agenerator to make electrical energy.rie electricity passes over wires toruma motor and the motor can beat.our eggs.

You can see how important e,pergy is.But, is there enou61-) energy to do allthe things all the people an earth want?

The fact is that mOst of the epegy weuse today in the United Stares comesfrom oil. The world has a 30-er40-year supply of oil.left: most of thatis in foreign countries, and its pricehas risen'sharply. What will We do whenwe run out Of oil?

1

When you raise your drm you use An average person in the United Stetes

errergy. The bus,--ffairig down the streetuses assmuch energy as 25 people in

and the plane flying overhead are ------ some other countries, such as China.

using energy. The energy we see in the All of those billions of peoPle,woUld

motion of objects is called like to live as well as we do. Could we..

rnechantcal energy." But energy possibly find enough energy to meetl

. exists in many less obvious forms. Heat alTheir needs?

, is a form of energy, and so is . .electricity. Chemical energy holds.materialslogether, Old the water

-behind a dam or a rock en the top of aliff are forms of potentgl energy,II these foirms of energy are useful

t us because we can stgre energy in .

4

A Projectjo Do: An Energy Chain

Select any ifem you Van see ip yourhome. school..er.street 1.14st ihe kind of-energy associated with it. r/hat

5

energy.makeS it run? Do ranSformenergy from one kitnd to another?Does it store energy? What kind? Whatkinds of energy were used in itsmanufacture? What energy do yotlrotted to.use it?

Write a one-page essay deteribingthe enenv chain associated with theobject you chose.

Where Does Energy Come From? .

Fossil Fuels . _

Millions of years ago, plants rivedand died in forests and sw,amps which

*covered parts of thegarth. Newplants grew and died on top of ethers;and this chain of growth and decayformed a rich, Soft ma.terial that Idoked.like rotted wood. Over millions ofyears,the earth's surface sank, andwater from the oceans rolled over thelayers of rotting plants. The immenS,epressure and weight of the water, plus 'heat and baeteria, changed therotti'ng plarT4s into "fossil fuel"oil, and natural gas.

PetroleumQ

One of the most important fossil fuelsis petkoleum, or crude oil. Oil is

' trapped in porous rock beneath thesurface of the earth. To find it, we mustoften drill thousailds of feet. Drillingrigs can be seeup onland or in ,the odean, wherever oil can be found.Taking oil-from where it is discovered,4

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(b)

-.44111..

(a) Windmills h r\nes a free source of energy(b) Electricity is ()U.( most useful form of energy(c) Water power has;tzeen used for centuries

kis

however, requires a great deal ofhuman and machine energy. Al thepresent time, we don't produceenough oil in our country to fill ourenergy needs and must import one-third of otir oil' from foreign sources.

.Every day we use products madefrom crude oil. Some is used as heatingoil to keep our names, apartments,and office buildings warm. Some is

used as gasoline and motor Oil forour automobiles, trucks, and buses.Keroseneior Jet aircraft, diesel fuel fortrunks and machinery, and asphalt forour roads all come from petroleum.

Oil is also used as a feedstock, orraw material, to make new productsand conveniences. The plasticsindustry uses petroleum to manufac-ture packaging, furniture, end toys.Manmade l'abrics, such as nylon, havebeen developed from petroleum.Even some medicines are derived frompetroleum, as are.many chemicals,and fertilizers.Natural .Gas

Natural gas is the cleanest burningof the fossil fuels. It is usually the mostconvenient fuel to prbduce and use.Natural gas is trapped ,j,n tayets of rockfreqtlehtly found with oil deposits.The United States still hasuntappedreserves of nattiral,g" but themethods. of reVering it are expensive.Sgmetimet We Must drIll such deep.

wells to recover new natural gai thatwe use More. energy than we produce.

In 1973 natural gas accounted for31 percent of the. United States' energyneeds. Natural gas is used for heatingbuildings and water, industrialprocessing, and for cooking. sit mescientists say that there will be nonatural gas left by the year 2000 if wecontinue to use it at our present rate.

Coal

Coatis our Nation's most abundantfossil fuel. It is used to generateelectricity and in industries such as 'steel. Two methods ofijwining coal areused today: strip or surface miningand deep or undergroundmining.Current coal production is almostevenly divided between thesetwo. methods.Surface mining,.used when the coallies close to the surface of the earth,is done by giant shovels that stripaway the eatith on top of the coal seam,and then scoop the coal from the earth

the land is "stripped" away. Most ofthe mining in the West is surfacemining. But In the East, coal ft minedby both surface and under-ground mining.Underground mines are tunneledbeneath the surface of the earth toreach the coal. Our oldest majordeep mining area stretches along the

6

Appalachian Mountains fromPennsylvania to Alabama. .

There are great reserves of coal inthe Western States. Western reserveshave. been developep slowlybecause. Of lack of sindustryoand waterin the areas near the coal and becauseof concern for the environment. Thecosts of land reclamation must now be.considered in the overall costcoal production.Renewable Energy Sources

Geothermal Energy(Geo-Earth; Thermal-Hot).

The problem of, disappearing fossilfuels is being tackled by imaginativepeople who want to use fuels whichare "renewable" fuels whichcannotbe "mged up." Sources of energysuch as water, wind, and the sunare renewable.There are many places where thenatural heat of the earth combines withunderground water to make steam,This steam is harnessed to rungenerators to Prodifce electricity.(Geysers like Old Faithful in Yellow-stone National Peri( gle examplesof steam power.).Natural hot water can be used to heatbuildings as is done in the entirecity of Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland.BorehOles are drilled in the earthnear hotsprjus. Water captured.from

v.,

Page 7: DOCUMENT RESUME - ERICMillions of years ago, plants rived and died in forests and sw,amps which ... petroleum, as are.many chemicals, and fertilizers. Natural .Gas. Natural gas is

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these holes is pumped to stilt-agetanks and pumping stations and thento the consumers.Geothermal heat is clean and muchless expensive to use than that from .

fossil fuels. However, the steamproduced sometimes containsobjectionable gases, and,haSpringwater sometimes contains moredissolved;soild materials thanare considered ike and manageable.Also, much of the earth's heat is buriedso d9,ep.that it islot now useful. Atthelpresent time it does not pay to drill

\ ore than 10,000 feet to get tierth's heat. Seientists and engineers

ar ,workin,g to overcome theseprob errs. Most of the potential forgeoth rmal.energyin this sobntiy liesin Calif pia', Montana, and otherFar Westn and Gulf Coast States.

Solar Energy- 4,

The sun is our major source of,energy.ItsenergYis used in many ways:The sun giveg us energy as light, it Isattorbed and used by plhnts'to ..

manufacture food; and it gives us heat.which We have just started to learnhow to use. The energy provided by thesun is renewable and clean.

The most practical use of solar .* energy today is in direct conversion toheat.'One method widely usedconsists of a flat surface to absorb the

sun's heat. The heat is transferredto air or to a liquid, usually water,which is then circulated to a containerwhere the heat is stored or used.

Within the next few years we may seethe sun's energy used for heating andcooling buildings. Nearly one-iOurthof the energy used in the United Statesis used for heating, cooling, andsupplying hot water fol. buildings..Solar

. energy could greatly help in our effort. to useArss of our nonrenewable fuels.

'Many expefimental homes are already'partially heated by different kindsdf solar systems. These' are beingcarefully studied to show hawthe design of new houses should bechanged to make more effictnt use ofsolar energy. Some schools haverecently seen equi4ped with .

experimental solar heating systems.

A second use of solar energy is the

f.

(a) Railroads provide a very efficient meansof transportation. .

032 Highways have been built for business andpleasure travel.

(p) Jet aircraft provide our fastest but most"energy-intensive" means of travel.

(d) Many products are made from petroleum.(e) Gas meter measures use of natural gas.(j) Coal is our most plentiful fossil fuel..(g) Lighting our cities requires vast amounts

of electricity.

scientists think that we can develop"solar plantations" with special plantsgrown to produce energy. We canget energy from plants by btirning themor by changing them intoother chemicals such as methanol to

'substitute for gasoline.

A Project To Do:A Solar Information ClearinghouseHomes in almost every part of thecountry are already using solar energy.'But many builders do not know how toget solar panels or design solar homes.Start a solar cielringhouse for thelocal library or technical school. Findall the articles you can on solarheating., Ask local architects to help.

, Include the location of nearbysolar-heated homes in your clearing-house. Tell local co ctoirs about,your project and as hem forany information they may have.

solar cell, which absorbs energy from Windthe sun and converts it directly to .14 iThe source of wind power is the sun.electricity. This system provides t

f 'Wind energy is a secondary formof the electricity used on unmanned . of solar energy. Man has harnessedspace flights. ThiS system is still much wind to do his work for centuries.too expensive for home use. In tilefuture, fesearch and mass productionmay cut that bOst enough to provideanother nesource of electricity.Solar energy is also transformed byplants into stored chemical energy in aproceSs called photosynthesis. Some

In our own American West, windmillspumped water, sawed wood`, andgenerated electric power for half a

, century. From 1880 to 1930, over6 million windmills generated electricpower in the West. After that, cheapfuels were found to be better. Now that

t

Page 8: DOCUMENT RESUME - ERICMillions of years ago, plants rived and died in forests and sw,amps which ... petroleum, as are.many chemicals, and fertilizers. Natural .Gas. Natural gas is

fie

fuefis expensive. there will be moreneed fora modern kind of windmill.Winds strong enough to use are foundin the Great Plains and the NortheastStates. We have seen that the Westernpioneers made great use of the windsbn the plains. The wind averages morethari12.miles per hour on the Western'Plains and in the Northeast. It is strongand constant enough to be of realvalue. Practical wind-driven power-plants could pr'obably generate nearly20 percent of our electrical needs bythe year 2000.

Someday, we may have large-scalewind generators to serve millions ofpeople rather than just one house.They could give us clean, cheap power.However, scientists must learn moreabout wind behavior to find out howmuch power can be generated andthe most efficient eqUipment to,use.Much of the Work and the experimentsthat have been done for the aircraftindustry cin the movement and effectsof wind will help in developing windpower. Experimental wind powyrsystems are planned to make enough.electricity to serve about 160 ,

homes, and later as many as 10,000.

ElectricityEleCtricity is a forth of energy caused bythe presence and motier1 of electrons,protons, and other charged particles.

*i can be seen in nature as -.

lightning. It can be felt as a spark When..you rub your feet along some carpetingand then touch another person orobject. Cohimercially, electricity cannow be created from all fossil fuels, .water power,. chemical reactions,nuclear fission, the wind., and the sun.More and more of.our energy needsare being supplied by electricity.Electricity is one of our most usefulforMsof energy. It can light, heat, andcool our horhei, schools, and office'buildings. It is the basis for radio,telephone,. and TV. In addition, Most ofour labor-saving devices depend onelectricity,for power clothes-washersand dryers, dishwashers, water'heaters; ttrese and many more homeappliarteeplace heavy demandson our electriCaf supplies.

A project To Do: Reading the Meter

Electrie meters measure the amountof electricity Used. The measurementi&kilowatt-hours. (1 kilowatt =MOO watts.) This is the amount ofetectriCitY needed to burn 10 100-wattlight bulbs for 1 hour. (10 bulbs x 100watts x 1 hour = =1900 watt-hours, for1 kilowatt-hour,) Most electric meters'have a setiof dials which are read inmultiples of 10. The dial on the far rightindicates tens of'kflowatt-hours; the* .

next one, hundredsi6f kilowatt-houts;the next dial, thoUsands of kilowatt:-

hours, and so on. Readingthe dials canbe tricky because some of the dialsread clockwiset others counter-clockwise. When the pointer is betweentwo numbers, take the lower number.

The illustrations on page 6 showdiffefent sets of meters. Can you readthemTWe've put the answers upsidedown, so you can check yourself.

HYdronowar

One of the earliest forms of energy usedby man was the energy of flowing water.

If you travel around the country, youcan still see early water wheels which.'transformed the energy Of flowingwater into mechanical e ergy to gripdwheat, run textile mills, nd do many

.

other forms of useful work.

Water poWer is ?n iMpOrltant source - --of electrical power. Huge dams werebuilt on our largest rivers to harnessthis form. of energy. Water from thesedarns goes through sets of propellerslike'fartbladea, called turbines.Turbines make huge'magnets whirlpast coils of wire, creating electricity

s. that is sent out for diltribution tohemes, factories; s9hoOls, and cities.

Nuclear Energy ; *All the material around yOU is a veryconcentrated fibrin of energy. ,But wedo not yet know how to easily changethis "mass" inter useful energy,

5

Page 9: DOCUMENT RESUME - ERICMillions of years ago, plants rived and died in forests and sw,amps which ... petroleum, as are.many chemicals, and fertilizers. Natural .Gas. Natural gas is

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Kilowatt-HoursMultiply By 16

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READING= kilowatt-iiours.

sinownemoIN OZV6L

Kilowatt -Hours

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READING = kilowatt-hours.

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The only practical way scientists haveyet found to change massinto energy is by "nuclear fission."Nuclear fission takes place whenthe heart or core of a very big atom is..broken into two or More paps. Even,a very big atom is very small, smallerthan anything 4 person can see evenwith the most powerful microscopes.The atorn'is the smallest part ofmatter that cart still keep its chemicalproperties. It is composed of acenter, the nucleuS, surrOunded by aswarm of electrical particles calledelectrons. If we can hit the cocrect.atomienucleins just right with anotherparticle, called a neutron, we can'mike it explode, giving off energy,radiation, and a shower of otherneutrons. If one of the new neutrons,hits another nucleus, that too can,explode, and we may set up a "chainreaction" of many exploding nuclei,'This chain reaction is difficult toControl; it ishard to keep the reactiongoing, and there arprobleras in gettingjust the right amount of energy' we need.

Engineers have succeeded in design-ing nuclear powerplants to take ad-yantage of the energy stored in theatom: Since 1 pound of nuclear fuelsuch as Urani0m, thorium, or plutoni-um can give off as much energy as 3million pottnds of Wail, It is easyle.see that nuclear power can be an im-portant way to'conserve fossWfuels.

Today', only about 1 percent of ourenergy comes from nuclear power-plants; But, over half the new electricalpowerplants being built or plannedare nuclear powered, Co nuclear fissionwill become more important inhe future.There is another way to get energyfrom the atom, which may somedayprove to be a major source of energy. .That is "nuclear fusion." Whereas'."fission'' is the breaking apart of heavy

"fuSion" is the stickingtogether of very light nuclei, such asthose of hydrogen or helium. Scientistsstill need to,come,up with °a majorbreakthrough before nuclear fusion,can be'harnessed, but many*laboratories 'around the world areworking on nuclear fusion.,

There are serious ,prbblems whichmust be overcome if nuclear paviei isto become an abundant source ofelectricity 4'f /the futuritti Nuclrear poweris relatively expensive:Nuclearpowerplants must be safeguarded fromexplosion, radijation leak, or theft ofmaterial which could be used fornuclear weapons. Qur environmentmust be kept safe fror,the radioactiVewastes generated by these plants,arid from the heat ("thermatpollutioh")Which could upsetthe balance of .

nature in nearby waters. All tfiesafeguards that we rightfully demand'for protection:and 'reliability will add to.the expense of nuclear power, just as

they will insure that sudh energy,converters acp "good neighbors."

The Future-Solar, wind, geothermal And nucleareneigies are resources of -the- future.Today, no more than 3 perdent ofour Nation's energy is supplied bythese sources.

There are many otter potentialsources which also need.more study ,and development. Currently the UnitedStates disposes of million$ of tons oforganic wastes, neither returnin thevaluable organic materials to Pt .soil ..nor cOperting theM to useful energy..SoMe of these taste materials .

be converted to methanol ti substitutefor gasoline, to methane to increaseour supply Of natural gas, of burneddirectly is solids, like wood whiChwas ouOrincipal soucbe of power inthe 1890's. Tidal power, ftielnells, i.locean, currents; ocean thermal differ-entials, -free hydrogen and osmotic.pressures sire other potential energysources being examined as futuresupplies.

In Spite of these potentials, for alongtime yet .oil, natural gas, and coalwill-hay-OW be our major supplies ofenergy; and these are in pangerously,short supply.

Page 10: DOCUMENT RESUME - ERICMillions of years ago, plants rived and died in forests and sw,amps which ... petroleum, as are.many chemicals, and fertilizers. Natural .Gas. Natural gas is

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Page 11: DOCUMENT RESUME - ERICMillions of years ago, plants rived and died in forests and sw,amps which ... petroleum, as are.many chemicals, and fertilizers. Natural .Gas. Natural gas is

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Energy Conservation

Energy. .Conservation SavesOur Resources

For years we have used energy as ifwe would always have as much, as wecould ever need."Scientists andengiheers always seemed able to findnew sources of energy, new ways .

to make it cheaper. and new ways-touse it to make life more pleasant.

Not only has the amount of energyeach person uses grown over theyears, but the number of people usingenergy has also growQr: In 1900 therewere 75 million people in the UnitedStates and each person used 100million BTU's of energy. Today, thereare over 211 million Americans.each using 300 million BTU's of energy.,At this rate, all our energy supplies willsoon be gone. Already we can estimatehow long our foslil fuels will last.

Cbal is by far our largest fossil fuelresource At current rates of use, theUnited States has more than a 500-yearsupply. However. as our availablepetroleum and natural gas reserves areused rm. we can expect coal to beused at even faster rates in the future.Coal may then be substituted for oiland natural gas. If this happens, thenour coal supply may run out muchsrioner than expected

Of course. SOrTiO riONJ oil any! natural

gas may be discovered which couldextend the time before all our fossilfuels are gone. But only by conservingenergy by using less and stretchingout our remaining supplies canwe really.count on having the time weneed to develop new energy sourcesin the form of solar. geothermal, andnuclear power.

A lot of energy is used by industryto process and manufacture the manythings we buy. Generally, productsmade from used or recycled materialstake less energy to make than doproducts made from new materials. Forexample, it takes only about.25percent Of the energy to make steelfrom scrap steel as it does to use ironore: for aluminum, the figure is lessthan 5 percent: for copper, 5 to 10 per-centnd for paper, 60 to 70 percent.

111In the same way, throwaway bottlesand cans represent wasted energy, aswell'as wasted materials. Usually,returnable containers for beveragesneed only one-fourth as muchenergy as one-way bottles,.and cans.

A Project To Do: Recycling

Yet,- can help conserve our suppliesof energy by suppArting your localrecycling center.At home. separate into differentcontainers clear glass. green glass,amber glass. aluminum, and other

I.1

metals. Find the nearest recycling*centers for each material and be sureyour collectioPs are taken there.

Energy Conservation ProtectsThe Environment

The more energy we use, the rilgio wepollute our environment. This h7ppensin a number of ways. The exhaOstfumes from automobile engines are thesource of 60 percent of the air pollutionthroughout thebnited States. Evensmall amounts of these gasescan injure pl&lt life and human health.Sometimes sunlight and weather will.interact with auto exhaust to proddcea condition we call "smog." Smog ishighly irritating and can causeproblems in breathing. It can evencontribute to the deths of personsalready weakened by age or illness.

Production of oil can also endangerthe environment. The nature of thehazard depends on whether the oil is

,drilled on land or offshore. Wellsdrilled onland can have a bad effect onthe air, the water, and the land itself.Pollution of the land and nearby watercan result from oil spills, "blowouts"(uncontrolled oil gushers), and saltywaters that come from the well.

Risks connected with offshore wellsinclude accidental spills and leaksfrom the oil source. Oil can kill oceanplants and animals. or it can spoilthe,flesh of fish and shellfish and make

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(a)Old autos can often be recycled asscrap metal

(b) Synthetic fibers come from petroleum(c) Newsprint to waste paper only takes a few

days. but it can also be recycled

them unfit to eat:Manynationsdepend:on food from thesea. In addition,massive of6hore oil spills can pollutebeaches and marshes, ddstroyingrecreational areas and wildlifenesting.groands.

'We are all familiar with thd "smoke"that is given off by burning coal, oil; orwood: This smoke is a kind of airpollution. Fewer homes todaykhavecoal furnaces than was Clue 20 yearsago. Coal for home heating has beenlargely replaced by oil, electricity, andnatural gas partly because they-are cleaners and also because they aremore convenient. But what this oftentheans is that althoUgh lesg coal isburhed to, heat individual homes.,.greatamounts Must now be burned inpowerplants to generate electricity.

Electric utilities in recent years havespent large sums of money to "cleanup" the smoke caused by burningcoal to produce electricity. Complexequipment can remove particles of"soot" as well as unhealthy gases thatare given off by'burning coal. However,cleaning up coal smoke is veryexpensive and, besides, small amounts

/of soot and gas can still escape upthe stack and contribute to air pollution.

Not only does burning coal cause airpollution, but the process of extractingcoal from the earth can cause waterpollution and result in great darrfage to

c

the land. During surface or stripmining, large areas of forested orfertile land may be destroyed.to,gdtsatthe coal lying underneath. And,in tunnel mines, underground watersources are disturbed, causing waterto seep through the mines, pickingup unwanted acida. This acid minedrainage pollutes the rivers, killingfish and water plants.

While nuclear power stations do notpollute the air, they do producepoisonous radioactive waste materials.This "atomic trash" will remainradioactive and highly dangerous forperiods of 25,000 years or even longer.

`At-present, there is no completely:safe way to dispOse of the radioactivewaste from nuclear powerplants.Instead, the waste is placed in specialcontainers and is "stored" onpermanent basis, guarded and watchedover by the Federal Government.Although no serious pollution of theenvironment from reactor wasteshas occurred, there have been spills,.and leakages Otstored wastes. Theproblem of hai'v fling and storingnuclear wastes will get more serious asmore electric power is genelatedfrom nuclear reactors and more wastesare produced.Another, form of poll'ution is fromwaste heat from powerplants. Toomuch heat introduced into a"stream orriver can kill fish and plants found

1 2

there just as surely as acidmine drainage, untreated sewage,.orchemical wastes. Flectric powerplants,including coal-fired plants and thosethat use nuclear fuel, require large .

amounts of water for cooling purposes;Many utility companies have built';cooling towers'= designed to releasemost of the heat fro'rn the cooling ^

water into the air by-evaporation.Water at lowered temperatures is thenreturned to the river, effectivelyreducing thermal pollution. But coolingtowers are expensive and, in the caseof plants-situated in desert areas (someof the Western States), the water thatis evaporated may be badly neededfor,irrigation.Air and thermal pollution, acid minedrainage, and damaged landscapesthese are some ot the costs of theenergy we use. Expensive equipmentcan help reduce environmentalharm but there is another way, too.By using only the energy we reallyneed'e can, help keep theenvironmeneclean and livable.

Energy*Conservation Saves Money'

Another very important reason forsaving energy is the money you cansave. Savings, of course, areimportant fOr yourself and your family.But savings in the amount you pay, forenergy will help your countnfras well.

During periods of inflation the costs

9

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C 10

of almost all goods and es rise atan abnormal rate. Every finds thathis dollars buy less and this can . 'mean serious hardship for many.Inflation is especially hard on peoplewith lower incomes, and elderlypeople living on fixed incomes, suchas Social Security..

One ofthe reasons ford pricesis an imbalance between the supplyand demand for goods and gervices.When something is scar and desiredby many, prices tend to rise. By usingless energy, we can make the supply ofenergy more nearly mat the demand,and energy prices will tend to remainmore stable. Thus, saving energy canhelp hold down inflation.By using less energy you will also helphold down the amount o energymcotly petroleum that we mustbuy from other countries. You knowthat an individual -cannot afford tospend more than he earns over a long

,period of time. The United Statescannot, in the long run, affordto purchase more from foreigncountries than we earn f the goodswe sell abroa8. 13y helping hold downthe amount of energy ytt e must import,you are helping us maintain' a healthybalance in our trade wit other nations.

A Project To Do: Energy forHere's a project which conserves fueland saves your family money.

1. Find your gas or electric meter(or both). Make sure you know how toread them. (See project on MeterReading in Chapter 1,)

2. Take a reading on Sunday evening,and compare it with the reading thefollowing Sunday evening. How muchenergy did, you use?

3. Make list of everything in thehouse which uses that energy.

4. Now work out a plan with yourfamily on how you can cut down on theuse of that energy for 1 week.Write down your plan and try to geteveryone to agree to follow it.

5. Again measure the amount of gasor electricity used over a week whenyour family was following yourconservation plan. How much did yousave? Could other factors Such ascold or hot weather make a difference?

6. Compareyour honie's energy usewith your friends. Why areTere differences ?'

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12

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II II II II II II II II

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A :Uses of Energy

How Is Energy Used at Home?

A few basic facts shJw how importantit is for Americans to save energyat home. Almost 20 percent of all theenergy consumed in the United Statesis used in our 70 million households.That includes more than halt of all fuelsused for heating buildings and abouta third of all the electricity.More than half of the energy we usein our homes goes into heatingand cooling. Heating water takes about15 percent. Lighting, cooling,refrigeration, and operating appliancesaccount for the rest. What appearsto be small savings in the averagehousehold can add up to sizeablesavings for the Nation if every familyin the country takes part in the effort.In addition, every family that savesenergy at home will be saving money.

Our home heating and air-conditioningsystems use the greatest amount ofenergy of all. Therefore, they provideus with a realopportunity to saveenergy. When outside air leaks intoyour home in the winter, it adds to yourheating bill. It also adds to your gasor electric bill in the swmmer if youhave an air-conditioner. Winter orsummer, it adds to your discomfort.If someone punched a hole 6 incheslong and 5 inches wide through the

wall of your house in the middle ofthe winter, you mould plug it up withanything you could find. If youdidn't, you would have an opening of30 square inches with the winterwinds whistling through it day andnight. A crack Ye-inch wide around anormal-sized outside door has atotal of almost 30 square inches, yetsome homeowners ignore thiswaste. Our project will be to close asmany air leaks as we can. Whythrow away heat?

Projects To Do:

CaulkingCheck all the outside dodrs of.yourhome, including any door intoan unheated attic or garage, to seewhether there are cracks where a doorframe meets the wall. Look along theedges of the frame, both insideand outside the house. For only a fewdollars, your parents can get acaulking gun and a tube of whitecaulking at a hardware store. Fill anycracks with caulking on bothsides of the door. Do the same forwindow frames.

Weather StrippingThere are various kinds of weather,stripping you can use to seal thecracks around windows and aroundthe top and sides of doors. There areother insulating devices that attach

I 1 5

to the bottom'of a door (called "doorbottom" or "sweep") or to the thresholdbelow the door. Some of these alsokeep out dust, light, noise and moistureas well as hot and cold drafts.

Some types of weather strippingcome with adhesive backing; you peelthe paper from the back and stickthe strip to the door or window frameto fill the cracks. Other typescan be installed with small nails.

You will need to look at the way yourdoors and windows are made beforeyou decide what kind of weatherstripping to use.You can get advice onwhat to use and how to apply itfrom your hardware dealer. Weatherstripping packages alsohave Instructions on how to applythe material.

Weather stripping.is not expensive,but it is effective and it quickly paysfor itself in fuel savings.

Quick CheckAfter your caulking and weatherstripping job, check for leaks. Cut astrip of plastic food-wrapping filmabout 8 inches long and 2 inches wide.Wrap one end tightly around a pencil,so that about 6 inches hang free.Using the pencil as a handle (hold ithorizontally), pass the plastic filmaround the cracks of alidoors andwindows. Kgep it about 2'inches away.

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(a) r

(c)

J

(b)

a

(a) Drafty windows waste energy.(b)Lower thermostat to 68 degrees on winter

days to save fuel.(c) Dripping hot water wastes both water

and energy.

If any air is coming in or going outthrough a crack, it will make the plasticripple or wave. Wherever it waves,you still have an air leak.

Other Things To Do:

There are lots of other ways toconserve energy and save moneyaround the house. Here's aquick checklist,Check List .

El Turn off all lights when not needed.

El In winter, turn down your thermostatto 68 degrees in the day and 60degrees at night.

El In summer, make sure the air-conditioning thermostat is not towerthan 78 degrees.

11 Use draperies and shades wisely.In winter keep them open on sunnydays, closed at night; in summer closethem in daytime to deflect the sun.

Cl If your house doesn't have stormwindows, an inexpensive substitutewould be to tape a sheet of clearplastic to the inside of all windowframes. This will provide an efficientbarrier against the cold, and forabout $7 you will reduce your fuelcosts by about 15 percent,and make your home morecomfortable, too.

iKeep a watch for dripping faucets.Learn how to replace the washers in

your faucets. Youlr local hardwaredealer it n prObably you guidance.

'Li If youlirlave a fireplace, look to seeif the damper is closed. It should beopen only when the fireplace isbeing used; otherwise, you will bewasting heat up the chimney.

Don't let the hot water run whileyou are doing the dishes. If you havea dishwasher, make sure it's fullbefore you run it.

,-Wow Is Energy Used in Town and City?

Energy is used in city living in manyways. Electricity, which is used to lightstreets and buildings, and sometimescool or heat stores, is generated byburning oil or coal or natural gas, or tnsome places by using the energystored in the atoms of uranium(nuclear) or the forces of runningwater (hydroelectric).Most office buildings are heated withoil or natural gas. Gaspliine and dieseloil move cars, trucks, buses, andmany trains. Our factories get thepower they need to manufacture theirgoods from coal; natural gas, or oil.Food, aluminum cans, and manyproducts sold in shops require a great,creel of energy to produce andtransport. Others, especially plastics,are made from petroleum itself. Theconsumption of energy does not endwhen something is sold we must

16

also count the resources which areused up in disposing of our trashand refuse.

We Americans use a trelmendousamount of energy more per personthan any country in the world.We have only 6 percent of the world'spopulation, but we account for 35percent of the world's energyconsumption. Even countries with astandard of living about as high t ours(Germany, Denmark, and Sweden,for example) useabout half as muchenergy per person as we do..

A Project To Do: Energy Survey

Much energy is wasted by our townsand cities. Shops may leave doorsopen when they are using energy to,cool their buildings; office lightsmay be left on-overnight; monumentsmay be flood-lighted; restaurants maybe kept too cold with air-conditioning.

You can help Our town or city bykeeping a notebo k cif energy beingwasted and the ac cliVs of theplace wasting it.

With your classmates list all the placesyou have all found wasting energy.After three or more class membershave confirmed each energy waster onthe list, have a class debate to decideif that use of energy is really wasteful.

After the debate and a class vote,write letters to the three addresses

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14

loYt4r7",

An Ameritan300 million BTU/year

A German

150 million BTU/year

A Russian

130 million BTU/year

A Puerto Rican

100 million EiTU/year

A Chilean

40 million'BTU/year

The World Average

35 million BTU/year

A Chinese

;13 million BTU/year

An Indian5 million BTU/year

A Nigerian

1.5 million BTU/year

A Nepalese

0.3 million BTU/year

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considered to be wasting the mostenergy., Explain in your letter thenational need to conserve energy, theclass project you have undertaken, andthe way you think energy is beingwasted. Try to be helpful and suggestways that the same job can be donewith less energy.

Other Things To Do:

r I Set up a display in the town hallor city library showing ways tosave energy.

1 i Ask the local stores to give specialprice discounts o 't terns that saveenergy. For examp

Isell 25-watt

light bulbs for less then 100-wattlight bulbs.ET, Write an article for the local paperon the energy conservation projectyour class is doing.

C 1 Interview everyone in yourneighborhood to find the ways theyare saving energy.

Energy in the Food Cycle

How Is Energy Used inGrowing Things?You eat food to give your body energy.Your body is like a complex chemicalplant turning the chemical energy offood Into the mechanical energy youuse to run, walk, jump and play.YOu need the energy of a glass of milkto ride your bicycle for 20 minutes,

or the energy of an apple to swim for9 minutes. We measure electricalenergy in "kilowatt-hours," but usuallywe measure food energy in "calories."

What did you have for breakfast thismorning? If you had eggs and milk,they probably hadn't traveled farto your table. But everything else hadbeen on a long trip: orange juice fromFlorida or California, grapefruit fromArizona, bacon from Nebraska, cerealfrom Kansas by way of Michiganor Minnesota, coffee from Colombiabr Brazil.To produce the food for our mealany meal requires energy ,planting and harvesting, fertilizer,machinery, irrigation, processing, pack-ing (in paper, glass, steel, aluminum,or plastic), transportation,refrigeration, and cooking. Not muchof that energy goes into your body, butit takes twice as much energy today,for the calories on your plate, as it did15 years ado. And this is not includingthe use of the car to go to thesupermarket to buy food and bring ithome or the refrigerator you usefor storage.

In simpler cultures, each calorie ofenergy invested in food produced 5 to50 calories. Most of the energy inthe food comes from the soil and theair. Some highly civilized societieshave done as well. In sharp contrast,

17

industrial food systems such sours are almost reversed. It n takes10 or 20 calories of energy to p oducejust 1 calorie of food energyOne of our greatest challenges todayis to find ways to stop starvation, feedthe hungry, share our agriculturalabundance with the less fortunateand at the same time reduce thewaste of both food and energy,

A Project To Do: A Compost Pile

Obviously, no one person cansingle-handedly alter the gigantiCandcomplex industrialised food system.But there are things individuals can dowhich can help.

Put together a compost pile. Thiswill recycle organic waStes and at thesame time provide your garden witha constant supply of natural fertilizer.You can save money in growingvegetables and flowers by making yourown fertilizer. You can improve yourenvironment by avoiding pollutionfrom chemical fertilizers and you cansave energy, since the productionof artificial fertilizers takes greatamounts bf energy and chemicalsmade from petroleum.

An outside bomptst pile is best andshould be started in early autumn.

1. Select a shaded spot, if possible,to minimize evaporation. If digging is

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(a) (c)

(b)

(d)

'(a) Food provides energy for the body.(b) Victory gardens help fight the energy

shortage.(c) Irrigation is necessary for agriculture in

many areas.(d) Food production requires vast amounts

of fuel.

dr.

easy, go down as much as 2 or 3 feet.Keep thesoil in, a pile next to thecompost; You'll need it. If thesoil isrocky, use fencing or build a box aboveground to keep the materials fromgetting scattered.2. Mix different kinds of maigriais inlayers 5 or 6 inches of leaves, a thinlayer of garden scrapS and tablescraps, a thin layer of dirt, a thin layerof grass clippings. and so on. Everytime you add a layer, moisten with thehose (but do not soak). Add materialsand dirt every day.

3. Every 6 or 7 weeks turn the pilewith a pitchfork to mix up the materials.The purpose is to aerate. for air isnecessary to help the compost -4

materials to decompose (rot)'. Makesure that the materials which were onthe outside wind up inside, wherethe heat of decoMposition "cooks" themass. Again, moistening with the hose(but not soaking) will help "cook" it.How soon your compost pile willproduce fertilizer depends on the typeof materials, how well you havekept it up, and, of course, the weather.Although it will keep through thewinter, try to set it up so that it hassome time to get going before thesnow sets in.

Other Things To Do:

Start a Vibtory Garden. (A "Victory

Garden" was what a vegetable gardenwas called in wartime, when 'growingyour own food was a patrioticnecessity. A victory over energyshortages is just as important as avictory in wartime.) If you have agarden, use natural manures as wellas compost, and avoid chemicalfertilizers if possible. Also rotate thecrops and plant winter legumes,which fix nitrogen as a green manure.

lUse the rotary hoe twice incultivation. Any and all these stepsbenefit the environment by notpolluting; avoid the use of syntheticpesticides and fertilizers, whichuse petrochersnicals in theirmanufacture, and save money. Why goout and buy synthetics when youthrow away the natural thing?fl Use hand tools in the workshopand hand lawnmowers, pruners, and

,clippers in place of poweredequipment in the yard and gardenwhenever possible.'`]When using gasoline-powered yardequipment, do not allow it to idle forlong periods. Turn it of( when you arenot using it, start it again when readyto resume work.

1Your refrigerator uses energy tostore food. Keep count Of the number,of times the door is opened eachday. See if you can reduce.the number.

i8

Energy in Transportation

How is Energy Used in Transportation?

Passenger autornobiles consume about14 percent of all the energy and about31 pei-cent of all the petroleum used inthe United StatestAmericans own over 100 million carsand drive each of them about 10,000miles per year. Each automobileaverages about 700 gallons of gasolineper year. Does that tell you how muchgasoline we use in the United States?(Don't forget, these figures don'tinclude trucks, boats, airplanes, orother gasoline engines!)

We waste gasoline (and money) bypoor driving habits, poor car care andnfaintenance,.and poor trip planning.If you have your driver's license, thereis much you can do to help. Even theyoung person who doesn't drkie cansave gasoline by walking, riding a bike,and combinitkg errands into fewer trips,rather than askipg parents for a rideeach time something comes up: Iffuel consumption of the average carwere reduced just 15 percent, the,nation's consumption of petroleumwould fall by over 28,000,000 gallonsper day.

A Project to Do: Driving Record

To do this project, you will need toenlist' the help of all the members, ofyour family who drive. Make a chart for

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(a)

(b)

16

(a) Sailing uses an Inexhaustible form of energy.(b)Jogging saves fuel and Is good exercise.(c) Recreation need not consume our precious

energy resources.(d) Bicycles conserve energy and avoid

pollution.

each driver and keep a record of everytrip for a week. If you have a driver'slicense, be sure to include yourself.Record the purpose and mileageofeach trip. The charts might looksomething like -this:

DRIVER

Date Purpose Miles

Sept. 4Sept. 5Sept. 6Sept. 7

DRIVER

Date

Sept. 4Sept. 5 .

Sept. 6` Sept. 7

DRIVER

Date

,Sept. 4Sept. 5

Sept. 6Sept. .7

To work & back 14To work & back, 14To work & back 14To work & back 14

Purpose Miles

Grocery store 4Little League 3practiceGas station 4Piano practice 6

Purpose Miles

Movies 6Basketball 5practiceNone 0Grocery store 4

When the week is over, study thenumber of trips, their purpose and thetotal miles driven. Develop a plan withyour family that will reduce the numberof trips and the miles driven. Get eachdriver to agree to the plan.

Have each driver record all trips for Energy at School1 week, following your plan. Total the How is Energy Used at School?number of trips and miles driven. Nowcompare this with the previous week.How many miles and trips were saved?If your car averages 13 miles pergallon, how much gasoline did yourplan save in 1 week? How muchmoney? How much would it save in ayear?

Other Things to Do:

Walk, take the bus, or ride your bikewhen possible, rather than asking to,bedriven in the car.

Cl When you must ga by auto, combineseveral errands in one trip.

n Alert the drivers in your family toways they can save while driving (forexample, smooth starts, moderatespeeds).

n Help keep a check or=miles pergallon for your family's car. (That's thenumber of miles you geffrom 1 gallonof gas.) Write down the amount ofgasoline added to the tank-at eachfill-up and the odometer reading. Themiles per gallon are obtained bydividing.the miles driven since theprevious fill-up by the gallons added atthe last fill-up.El Check tire pressure at least once amonth. Tires which are low reducefuel economy by as much as 1 mile pergallon.

19

, The sharp rise in fuel costs has put aspecial burden on school systems andother public institutions. When costsgo up, a business can pass the costrises along to the customer in the formof higher prices or rates. But whencosts of necessary supplies such asenergy rise for a public institution suchas a school, which is on a fixed budget,it has to closedown, lay off teachers,or otherwise find the additional money.

Some school administrators,governments, and private foundationssaw this problem several years ago.And they are doing something about it:they are busily improving the operationand maintenance of school facilities.They are modernizing existing schools.And they are planning new, moreefficient schools; with the latdstenergy-saving technologies built intothem. And in a few enlightenedcommunities, the school authorities areinvolving the students. Youth powercan,hel, as shown below.A Project to Do: School Study

Arrange to study the operation andmaintenance of your school, anddiscuss possible improvements withthe principal and the engineer-custodian. Is the furnace systemoperated at peak efficTenc y? At what

t1

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temperature is the thermostat for eachroom set? Are empty rooms heated orair-conditioned? How long has it beensince the furnace was serviced? Doesthe air- circulating system get regularreplacement of filters? How much ofthe total energy consumed is usedbetween 4 p.m. and the next morning?(Read the school meters.) Is that whenmost Of the custodians are at work?Do they shut off indeed, can theyshut off the lights, heating.ventilating, and air-conditioningequtpment in rooms as they finish their,work? If not, could switches be`installed, at loy cost. which.wouldenable them to do so? Could clean-upbe done during the day withoutinterfering with school work? Is naturallight sufficient in the classrooms andhallways? If so, could the electriClightsbe dirnmed?.

Does the maintenance department owna light meter, and if not. shouldn't theybuy one? Borrow a light meter andmeasure the light in each room. TheFederal Energy Administrationrecommends lighting levels of 50footcandles at desks, 30 footcandles inrooms and work areas, and 10fobtcandles in nonworking areas suchas halls and storerooms. Are the lightsleft burning all the time in the cafeteriaand other spaces occupied only part ofthe day?

You can also develop a plan for

changes in the building which willconserve energy. Could the doors andwindows be caulked to avoid heat loss?Could the attic h'ave insulation addedwithout major expense? Should plaSticsheeting be placed over the windows toact as inexpensive storm windows ?

Other Things to Do:

l is there a safe bicycle rack at yourschool? Write a petition to the schoolboard asking that one be installed.

iOrganize an Energy ConservationCorps to bring together all the studentsinterested in saving energy, and pooltheir ideas. Write the EnergyConservation Corps, c/o BoltonInstitute, 1835 K Street, NW,Washington, D.C. 20006, for informationand case histories of activities in otherschools.

During the energy-crisis of the winter of1973-74, the school board in one townin New England considered closing thehigh school for a month to save 15,000gallons of fuel oil. A physics teacherand his class organized an EnergyConservation Corps project which theycalled "Be Thrifty Using Fuel"(B.T.U.F.) and, with the aid of anelectrical contractor, did a heat lossstudy of the school building. This studyshowed that it was unnecessary toclose the school. In fact, by takingsimple steps to eliminate wasted

A

'energy (such as turning down thethermostat and 'calking the doors, forexample), a greakleal of fuel could besaved.

The school superintendent was soimpressed by the study that he followedits recommendations. Instead ofclosing the school for a month to savesome 15,000 gallons of fuel, theadministration keptlit open, usingenergy-saving methods, and saved80,000 gallons. The B.T.U.F. team wasinvited by the superintendent to dosimilar studies of other.. existing schoolbuildings and to make

.recommendations concerningproposed new school buildings.

All over New England, where theEnergy Conservation Corps wasstarted, other Energy ConservationCorps units are busy with practicalprojects. At one junior-senior highschool, the students calculated that.heat loss through the doors andwindows cost $5,334 per year. Yet, foran investment of $300, they bought andinstalled all the caulking compound,weather stripping and plastic sheeting(in place of storm windows) needed toeliminate the heat loss.

Energy in Recreation

How is Energy Used in Recreation?

Even though you may think most of .your time is spent inschool, working

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18

Hiking can actually waste fuel if we travelgreat distances to do it.

around the house, or asleep atriight,you actually have about one-third ofyour4time left for recreation. Thisamounts to almost 3,000 hours peryear.

Outdoor or indoor Sports, camping andhiking, arts and crafts, hobbies,amusements, and travel are probablyamong your interests. Each isdesirable, and a good balancecontributes to the health and happinessof the whole person. But one thing theyall take is ... energy! So long as it isonly human energy, good. But sometypes of recreation use both human,energy and natural energy resources,and you should think twice about them.

Some forms of recreation may notseem to us&much fuel. For example,hiking or mountain climbing mightseem to uSe little fuel. But some peoplefly,or drive great distances to geft to themountain they wish to climb, In suchcases, these sports would be "energyintensive," that is, they would use alarge amount of fuel. Driving to theswimming pool, golf course, or tenniscourt every day all summer might beeven more energy intensive.

In case of.future energy shortages, youmight have to cut down on some of yourrecreational activities. If you could notafford the electrical energy to operateyour television set, could you find asmuch satisfaction in reading a book,/

playing a guitar, or just meditating?COuld you get to know someone elsebetter by taking a hike, playing ball, orthrowing a frisbee?

How you use your leisure time is apersonal matter and basically only youcan decide if you wish to make anychanges in your habits. You should,however, think about it, add up theamount of energy you probablyconsume in recreation, and think aboutwhether you might enjoy more benefits,and use less fuel, by making somechanges.

A Project to Do: Energy ImpactStatementA Federal laW requires the FederalGovernment to do an environmentalimpact statement on any Federal actionwhich has a significant impact on thehuman environment. Make up anenergy impact analysis and statementfor your recreation-leisure activities.

Other Things to Do:

Talk to your parents'about a newkind of vacation this year. Rather thandriving from one motel to another, findone place to spend the whole vacation.Ask a travel agent for ideas for resortswith tennis courts, back-packing,Swimming, nature walks, and otherenergy-conserving activities.Can you4orm a carpool for yourselfand your friends when you must drive

21

to your recreation? Try to.avoid havingseveral oltrs go to the same place whenone will do.

OYour bicycle doesn't use any fuel andis a very healthyform of exercise aswell. Are there bike paths in your town,making it safer and more fun to rideyour bicycle? You may be able to getfree maps of bike paths in yourcommunity through your local highwayoffice.

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A Brief Glossary

BTU/-The British thermal unit, theamount of energy needed to raise thetemperature of 1 pound of water by1 degree Fahrenheit."

.Calorie/The amount of heat needed toraise the temperatute of 1 gram ofwater 1 degree Centigrade. About asmuch heat as is given off by burningone wooden kitchen match.

ChemiCal Energy/Energy stored inmolecules, as in fossil fuels.

Crude Oil/Petroleum in its naturalstate.

Electricity/Energy derived fromelectrOns in motion.

Electron/An elementary particle, witha negative charge, which circles thenucleus of an atom.

Energy/The capacity to perform workor produce motion.

Fossil FuelS/Fuels derived from thefossil remains of organic materials;includes petroleum, natural gas, coal,oil shale, and tar sands.

Genei.ator/A machine for changingmechanical-energy into electricalenergy.

Geothermal Energy/Hdat energy withinthe earth's outer crust. \Hydropower/Energy in stored ormoving water.

Kinetic Energy/Energy possessed byobjects in motion.

Motor/A machine that convertschemical or electrical energy intomechanical energy.

Nuclear Energy/Energy within thenucleus of the atom. It can be releasedby nuclearfission or nuclear fusion.

Potential Energy/Energy that is storedin matter because of its position orbecause of the arrangements of itsparts. Examples include the tension ofa spring, water stored behind a dam,or chemical energy such as thatcontained in fuel.

Power/The rate at which energy isused or generated. Power is commonlymeasured in units such as-horsepoweror kilowatts.

Solar Energy/Energy radiated directlyfrom the sun.

Turbine/A motor which is drivqn by thepressure of water, airi or steam againstthe curved vanes of1a wheel to .

transform heat, chemical energy, orwater pressure into mechanical energy.

Energy Measurements

Barrej (bbl) /1 barrel equalsgallons.

British Thermal Unit (BTU)/The energyrequired to increase the temperature of1 pound of water by 1 degreeFahrenheit.

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Watt/The amount of power availablefrom an electric current of 1 ampere(amp) at a potential of 1 volt: 'Kilowatt (kW)/1,000 watts. Qne kilbwattis the equivalent of about 11/3horsepo'wer.

Kilowatt-hour (kWh)/1,000 watt-hours.A unit of electrical energy equal to theenergy delivered by the flow of 1kilowatt of electrical power for 1 hour.(A 100-watt bulb burning for 10 hourswill use 1 kilowatt-hour of energy, orenough to lift a 150 pound person20,000feet into the air.) One barrel ofoil contains about 500 kWh of energy.

Megawatt (mW)/ 1 millon watts, or1,000 kilOwatts.

Thousand Cubic Feet (Mcf)/1,boo cubicfeet (of natural gas).

Therm/A unit of heat equal to 100,000BTU's.

Energy Units Translated into BTU's

1 kilowatt-hour 3,413 BTU's1 ton of coal 25,000,000 BTU's1 bbl crude oil 5,800,000 BTU's1 gallon of gasoline 125,000 BTU's1 gallon of

No. 2 fuel oil 140,000 BTU's1 cubic fOot

of natural gas 1,031 BTU'1 Mcf natural gas 1,031,000 BTU's1 therm of gas

(or other fuel) 100,000 BTU's1 cord of wood. 20,000,000 BTU's

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Things to ReadAlternative Energy, Mother Earth News,=24, $1.50 (includes Alternative Energyposter), P.O. Box 38, Madison, Ohio44057.

Alternate Sources of Energy:Equipment Directory 4 issues, $5.00,Steve Coffel, Route 4, Box 90, Golden,Colorado`80401.

Citizen Action Guide to EnergyConservation, Citizen's AdvisoryCommittee on Environmental Quality.$1.75 from Superintendent ofDocuments, Government PrintingOffice, Washington, D.C. 20402. (StockNo. 4000-00300. Discount of 25 percenton orders Of 100 or more mailed to thesame address.)

Coping With the Energy Crisis,Consumer Federation of America,Suite 901, 1012 12th Street, NW,Washington, D.C. 20005.

Energy and Ecology, PublicEducation Association, 20 West 40thStreet, New York, New York 10018.

Endrgy, A Special 8-Page'Report, tNational Wildlife Federation, 1412 16thStreet, NW, Washington, D.C. 29036.(Single copies free.)Energy Conservation Experiments YouCan Do ... from Edison, ThomasAlvaEdison Foundation, Cambricige*OfficePlaza, Suite 143, 18280 West Ten MileRoad, Southfield, Michigan 48705. 350.

Energy: The New Era, S. DavidFreeman, Vintage Book,.1974.Paperback $2.45.

Food and Energy, Center for Sciencein the Public Interest, 1779 ChurchStreet, NW, Washington, D.C. 2Q036.$4.00.

Gasoline: More Miles Per Gallon,350, Stock'No. 5000-00072, U.S.Government Printing Office,Washington, D.C. W402.

Lifestyle Index, Center for Science inthePublic Interest, 1779 Church Street,NW, Washington, D.C:' 20036. $1.50.

Pedal Power: Courses for Action for.Commuter Bike Routes, BicycleInstitute of America, 122 East 42dStreet, New York, New York 10017.(Free).

Solar Heater, Mother Earth News.1.4'21, $1.35, P.O. Box 38, Madison, Ohio44057.

The Contrasumeri, Albert J,Fritsch,1974.Praeger Paperbacks, $3.50.

Tips for Energy Savers, FederalEnergy Administration, Washington,D.C. 20461. (Free).

Tips for the Motorist: 30 Good Waysto Make Gas Go Further, FederalEnergy Administration, Washington,D.C. 20461. (Free),

23 * U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1975 0-596-295

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Helpful People

American Association for tile, Advancement of Science

1545 Massachusetts Avenue, NWWashington, D.C. 20005

Ameilcan Conservatiop Assbciation, Inc.30 Rockefeller PlazaNew York, New York 10020

American Petroleum Institute1801 K Street,Washington, D.C. 20006

Center for Science in the Public Inte'rest1779 Church Street, NWWashington, D.C. 23036

Cooperative Extension ServiceCounty (Office usually at County Seat)State Icampus of land-grant university)

Energy Conservation Corpsc/o The Bolton Institute1835 K Street, NWWashington,,, D.C. 20006

Environmental Protection Agency.Public Information Center (PM 215)Room 2106Washington, D.C. 20460

Federal Energy Administration .

Energy Conservation and EnvironmentWashington, D.C. 20461

Federal Ene'rgy AdministrationOffice of Communications andPublic AffairsWashington, D.C. 20461

League of Women. Voters1 730 M Street, NWWashingtop, D.C, 20036

State Energy Officec/of The Governor's Office(your state capital)

Your local' gas and electric companies.

The Conservation Foundation1 71 7 Massachusetts Avenue, NWWashington, D.C. 20036

National Recreation and Park Association1 601 North Kent StreetArlirton, Virginia 22209

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Things to ReadAlternative Energy, Mother Earth News24, $1.50 (iQpludes Alternative Energy

poster), P.O; 1 Box 38, Madison, Ohio44057. 4

Alternate Sources of Energy:Equipment Directory 4 issues, $5.00,Steve Coffel, Route 4, Box 90, Golden,Colorado`80401.Citizen Action Guide to Energy -

Conservation, Citizen's AdvisoryCommittee on Environmental Quality.,$1.75 from Superintendent ofDocuments,n-overnment PrintingOffice , Washington , D . C . 20402 . (StockNo. 4000-00300. Discount of 25 percenton orders o' 100 or more mailed to thesame address.)Coping With the Energy CHOCConsumer Federation of Atherica,StAite9(11, 1012 12th Street, NW,VVeshihgton, D.C. 20005.

Energy and Ecology, PugliaEducation Association, AO Wgst 40thStreet; New York, New York1-0018.

. Energy, A Special 8TPtife'Re)3 ort, t. National Wildlife.FederatiOn, 141 2 16th

Street, NW, Washington, D.C, 29036.(Single copies free.)Enema CRstsettration Experimfnts YouCan Do ...Atom Edison, ThomafrAlvaEdison Foundation, Cambridpe'Off icePlaza, Suite 10; 18280 West Ten MileRid, SotithAielti, Michigan 48705. 350.

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Energy: The New Era, S. DavidFreeman, Vintage Book,,1974.Paperback $245.

Food and Energy, Center for Sciencein the Public Interest, 1779 ChurchStreet, NW, Washington D.C. 2Q036.$4.00.

Gasoline: More Mileser Gallon,350, Stock'No. 5p00-00072, U.S.Government Printing Office,Washington, D.C: 20402.

Lifestyle Index, Center for Science inthe Public interest, 1779 Church Street,NW, Washington, D.C! 20036.1 l 50.

.PedalPower: Courses for Action for,Commuter Bike Routes, BicycleInstitute of America, 122 East 42dStreet; New Yoyk, New York 10017.(Free).

Solii Heater, Mother Earth News421, $1.35, P.O. Box 38, Madison, Ohio44057

The Contrasumere:Albert4FritsCh,1974.Praeger paperbacks, $3.50.

Tips for'Energy. Savers, FederalEnergy Administration, Washington,D.C. 20461. (Free).

Tips for the Motorist: 30 Good WaysMiliteGis Go Further,: Federal

Energy Aidministration,yashington,D.C. 20461. (Free). IP

*ft

\

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Em. ppmwig OFFICE Iwz ro.44-20.

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Helpful People

American Association for theAdvancement of Science145 Massachusetts Avenue, NWWashington, D.C. 20005

American Consenfatiop Association, Inc.30 Rdbiebfeller PlazaNew York, New York 10020

American Petroleum Institute1801 K Street,Washington, Q.C. 20006°

Center for Science in the Public interest1779'Church Street, NWWashington, D.C. 2P036 .

Cooperative Extension Service1

County (Office usuallyiet County. Seat)State campus land-grant university)

r 4

Energy Conservation Corpscto The Boltob Institutelaw K Street, NV/

`Millington, D.C. 20006Environmental Protection Agency .Public Information Center (PM.215)Roonit 2106 .

WaShington, D.E. 20460

Federal EndPgy AdministrationEriet0y Conservation and EnvironmentWesriirigtdnrD.CA0461.

,,Federal en. eristy AdministrationOffice of CoMmunicationt and

AffairsEton, D.C. 20461 .

a.

League of Women Voters1730' M Street, NWWashingtoq, D.C, 20036

State Energy Officecof he Governor's Office(your state capital)

Your local'gas and electric companies.

The Ganservation Foundation1717 Massaphusetts Avenue, NWWashington, D.C. 20036

Nationaf Recreation and Park Association' 1601 North Kent Street

Arlington, Virginia 22209

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