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The Good with the Bad
What do eating a large delicious meal, taking out a loan to buy a car, and staying up all night to finish a paper have in common? They're all things that produce a good result or make us happy, but also have some negative consequences (gaining weight, going into debt, and being tired respectively). Everything in life has negative and positive consequences. Energy conservation is no different. In this lesson, we will learn more about the intended and unintended consequences of energy conservation.
Intended Consequences of Energy Conservation
In light of air pollution, the overuse of fossil fuels, and other issues efforts to conserve energy have been ramped up in the last few decades. Energy conservation can refer to reducing the amount of energy used or finding alternatives to traditional energy sources. There are several ways to conserve energy.
Recycling
Recycling involves making new products out of already existing material. This method of energy conservation works by taking already formed material and processing it into something new. It takes much more energy to create material from scratch than to make it from recycled material. For example, it takes 30% less energy to make recycled glass than to make brand new glass.
Reducing Energy Use in Homes
We can conserve energy in our homes by unplugging and turning off lights and appliances when they are not in use. Obviously, there are some exceptions. Please don't go unplugging your refrigerator! However, many appliances like coffee makers and cell phone chargers can be unplugged when you're not using them. Homeowners can also better insulate their homes to reduce heat usage. Energy can also be conserved by buying appliances that are designed to be energy efficient. Both of these strategies save consumers money on their electric bills, so it's a win-win situation. Using less power overall reduces the pollution from power plants. When we use less energy in our homes, the power plants need to burn less fossil fuels. Burning less fossil fuels reduces pollution and helps conserve natural resources.
Save the Animals
As mentioned above, when consumers use less energy, less fossil fuels need to be burned. When the demand for fossil fuels is reduced, there is less drilling for oil and extraction of resources from nature. Less extraction from the environment results in less damage to habitats and ecosystems. When there are less fossil fuels used, there is also a reduction in oil spills in the oceans and in toxic waste produced from power plants. All of these factors benefit animals and the environment because they are disturbed less.
In this section we will discuss three specific energy conservation efforts and their unintended consequences.
Wind Power
Wind Power involves the use of large turbines (blades) that turn wind into useful energy. Wind turbines can take up large areas of land. While that land can often be shared due to the largest part of the turbines being in the air, flying birds and bats can be killed by spinning turbines. It seems pretty logical to place wind turbines near oceans since shore areas are often windy. However, the turbines can disrupt the habitats due to the space they take up and the danger they pose to flying animals. Another issue is that wind turbines can be annoying to the people who live near them. Some people have reported issues with sound and vibration from the turbines.