Conserve Energy: Why and How?

When I speak to people about energy conservation I often get one of three responses:

1. Is it really an issue? Why should we conserve energy, I don’t think global warming is an issue.
2. I know I should be doing more but I’m not sure what to do or where we should put our efforts next.
3. We practice energy conservation techniques and would love to connect with you about what you do, we could always learn more.

So to start with, whether or not you believe in global warming, everyone knows that there is a finite amount of fossil fuels that the earth has to work with. The faster we use them up, the harder we make it on the people who come behind us. Imagine for a moment that you are at a large wedding reception. The food is being served buffet style and there are these huge containers of all kinds of food. There is enough food for the 500 guests present.

Now imagine that the people in line take way more than they are going to eat and as they are going through the line they randomly throw large spoonfuls of food on the floor or on neighboring tables. By the time the 400th guest is going through the line the pickings are pretty slim and there is a huge mess to be cleaned up. That is one way to look at wasting our natural resources.

“How” to conserve energy gets more challenging as there are so many considerations around budget, return on investment, daily living comfort, inspiring other members of your household to buy-in, and making daily conscious choices. Today, more than ever, there are simple and inexpensive things you can do that will make a big difference on your bottom line. The greatest challenge is that many people don’t track their bottom line so they have no idea how much energy they are currently using. Aren’t you glad the utilities do? Here are a couple simple steps to implement:

1. Know where your starting place for the various seasons of the year has been in the past (not for cost of your bill but actual uses of individual units of energy).
2. Meet as a household unit and determine what people would be willing to support trying to see if it makes a difference. Encourage everyone to do at least one thing and it doesn’t need to be the same thing for everyone. (See some suggestions below).
3. Attend an energy conservation training or look on-line for energy conservation techniques. You may want to do this before your household meeting. Try to involve as many members of your household as you can.
4. Track your results and celebrate the difference you have made.
5. Repeat steps to add another way to conserve energy.
Possibilities for energy conservation:
• Turn down the thermostat (or for A/C, turn it up).
• Turn down the thermostat on the hot water tank.
• Insulate the hot water lines.
• Take four minute showers (or turn off the water in between getting wet/soaping/and rinsing).
• Install a low-flow shower head.
• Unplug electronics when not in use, especially charging stations and laptops.
• Increase recycling efforts (recycling typically takes less energy than creating that product from raw materials).
• Invest in alternative lightbulbs. I am excited about LEDs becoming more popular and seeing their cost come down in the future.
• Shop at your local farmer’s market.

There are so many more possibilities to look into. One resource that is in my backyard is a storefront called “Energy Outlet” in Ypsilanti’s Depot Town on Cross St. They are open most days 11-6 and have a variety of energy conservation devices as well as offering lots of inexpensive classes. Their website is: http://www.cec-mi.org/ and they have all kinds of information on classes, tax incentives, and other programs.

Together we can all make a difference. Thank you for doing your part to make sure that there is enough for future generations. By the way, if anyone is looking for holiday gift ideas for me…the Energy Outlet has a very cool solar computer bag that you can recharge your laptop with the bag that would be a lovely gift

Donna Copeland is an Independent Shaklee Distributor who enjoys sharing her journey and lessons learned to make the world a better place. One of her reasons for choosing Shaklee as her company is the green-ness of Shaklee’s corporate mission and values. You can choose to support companies that are truly green and vote with your dollars. Find out more about Shaklee at: www.DonnaCopeland.MyShaklee.com