Journal week 7

This week we talked a lot about energy and how humans use it. I was able to successfully fill out my personal energy record and really see the amount of energy I consume within a day and year. I calculated my usage of gasoline and realized that I use roughly about 4.09 gallons of gas on an average day. I did run some errands and go to school and work but for the most part I keep the driving to a minimum. My car also gets decent miles per gallon which helps cut down cost and energy usage. I live in an apartment where I have electric heat and power. I go through Puget Sound Energy and they allowed me easy access to my usage status online with graphs and numbers. I learned that on average I use around 21 kilowatts-hours per day, which I could not have come close to guessing prior to this. My roommate and I try to keep the heat down and the lights off unless needed to both conserve energy as well as money. We honestly did already value the saving of energy before learning about these numbers and statistics; this just really helps put it into perspective. I tried to think of the other ways in which I use energy and it occurred to me that there are various types of batteries that allow me to use energy such as the battery in my cell phone, computer, car, iPod and remote control. By the end of the worksheet I had realized that not only did I consume much more energy on a regular basis than I thought but I actually came to see that I use 63,082 kilowatt-hours every single year! This is just an approximate number that came from my energy bill but that doesn’t take into consideration all of the other ways that I use and consume energy like food and consuming products. It’s amazing to think that oil is brought from underground or that there are power plants around my area that create the energy I live off of.
My energy use clearly has many impacts on the environment. I consume many products and materials that come from the earth such as petroleum and water and have learned to depend on these items. Not only do I partake in great consumption but also I also unfortunately contribute to the ongoing output of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere through energy consumption. This clearly has great effects on the environment and is increasingly worsening.
It seems like anything I touch, do or use involves some energy consumption. From turning up the heat in my room to driving a car I directly use materials that create energy. But beyond this are many ways that I use energy that is more indirect and behind the scenes. I know the building of computers takes many machines and technologies as well as material. The simple purchase of a computer, which seems un-linked to energy usage, is anything but irrelevant. Many things that involve production, assembly and manipulation of materials generally means large factories and much carbon dioxide out put. I understand that even the purchase of a loaf of bread has many links to energy with labor, baking, packaging, shipping and sales. The best thing I can do is conserve when able and to consume when necessary.