Energy Conservation Final Paper - Candace N. Terrell Energy...

Candace N. Terrell
Energy Conservation
SCI 275
Rochelle Troyano
May 9, 2010
It would be hard to imagine a life without the use of energy. So many of the products that
we use on a daily basis are powered because of electricity, which in turn is generated because of
energy. American’s use a mixture of different energy sources to cool and heat our homes, offices
and means of transportation. We also use energy sources to illuminate and power these same
places. Oil has provided the United States with less than 50% of energy needs and supplies
almost 97 percent of the energy used for transportation (Dale and Kluga, 1992). There are two
sources of energy that we depend on: renewable and nonrenewable energy. Renewable energy is

Candace Terrell- Energy Conservation
energy which comes from natural sources which is constantly renewed. Some examples of
renewable energy is wind, water, sun, vegetation, and geothermal. Nonrenewable energy comes
from natural resources that are unable to be replenished like, fossil fuels i.e. oil, gas, and coal.
Also, a large percentage of electric power that is located in the United States primarily comes
from nuclear power plants. Current plants that operate possess a significantly large amount of
waste disposal problems which in turn mean that there are currently no plans of building any
additional nuclear power plants. A mass amount of electricity is generated because of the
burning of nonrenewable energy sources. Due to this massive problem, the conservation of
energy is a process we need to take more seriously. Being able to conserve energy will ensure the
use of nonrenewable sources for our future generations.
Nonrenewable energy or more specifically, fossil fuels, is a huge contributor to the
greenhouse effect. When fossil fuels are burned, the gases they give off contaminate our air and
water supplies. When carbon dioxide is produced, it gets trapped into the atmosphere and sort of
acts like a thin, invisible blanket that contributes to global warming. Global warming affects the
weather dramatically and possibly is a threat to human health, rising sea levels and the growth of
some vegetation. If the growth of vegetation is compromised, then the life of certain animals is
too compromised which could result in extinction. If every family took the extra time and effort,
the global issues that we currently have could start to dwindle and improve the environment. In
the United States, the average family can generate around 10,000 pounds of air pollutants every