Section 1, Topic 3

Section 1 (At Home ways to Reduce your Environmental Impact) - Topic 2 (How to Save a lot of Energy)

Hello, Save our Beautiful Planet members!

Welcome to our 3rd discussion topic: How to Save a lot of Energy.

So, as we start off all discussion topics, what impact does this have on the environment? It actually depends on where you live. Let's take Texas, USA for an example. Texas has a large population - 2nd largest state in population (and size) - meaning that a lot of energy is needed for the citizens. Unfortunately, non eco-friendly ways to get energy tend to have more power than eco-friendly ways to get energy. Which is why Texas is home to oil and natural gas. (Source from: https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=TX#tabs-3).

Even though it's very sunny is Texas, there isn't as many solar paneled houses as you'd expect. (I think the reason why might have to do with politics. Yes, even renewable energy has to do with politics. Left leaning people tend to be more into renewable energy. Texas tends to be more right leaning, which is probably the reason for less solar panels).

Natural gas: Natural gas doesn't emit as much carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas that leads to global warming), as coal and oil power plants, but it's production does leak methane, and greenhouse gas that has a 72x more global warming potential. (However, it dissipates quicker than co2). To learn more about methane and co2, go to: https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/methane-vs-carbon-dioxide-a-greenhouse-gas-showdown/

Oil: Production of oil causes chemicals to be released in the environment. Also, oil accidents happen frequently and oil is spilled into the environment, which damages wildlife. If you look up 'oil spills' on your browser - (or on Ecosia! The next Weekly Discussion is about that) - You can see pictures of birds suffering with oil and water all over their bodies. When animals accidently consume oil (like eating another animal covered in oil), they get poisoned. Go to: https://www.noaa.gov/explainers/oil-spills-major-marine-ecosystem-threat to learn more about how oil spills are bad for the environment. (Information about oil from: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/oil-and-petroleum-products/oil-and-the-environment.php)

Okay, now enough of me explaining about Texas's energy sources. Let's move onto Washington. It's ranked 13 in population. (Source: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/us-states-by-population.html), meaning that it does need a good amount of energy, but not as much like Texas. And unlike Texas, it isn't sunny. (But recently, Washington is suffering from droughts, heat waves, and a lot of sun due to global warming. But normally it's rainy). 

Since Washington is coastal, it relies on a lot of hydroelectric power. (Source: https://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=WA#tabs-1)

Hydroelectric: Powered by water, these dams don't emit Co2. However, sometimes hydroelectric dams cause floods and also trap fish. But recently, salmon runs were made so that salmon can pass safely during their journey from the river to the sea. Or from the sea to the river. (Source: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/hydropower/hydropower-and-the-environment.php)

So, my point is, after over 400 words (Just so you know, I used word to find out how many words I used. I didn't count), being used to explain Texas and Washington's energy, that certain places have less of an environmental impact when it comes to electricity. Washington's energy sources are better in terms of the environment. 

Anyway, wherever you live, you want to save energy because of the environment, and money. The easiest way to save electricity is to not leave the lights on when you're not using them. However, there is another way to save a lot of electricity: unplugging plugs. Yes, even when the microwave isn't being used, it's still using up energy. Same with lamps. Even if the lamp is turned off, it's still using energy as long as it's connected to the outlet. 

The more we save energy, the less environmental impact we have, meaning a greener planet. 

Thank you for reading. Don't forget to come back next week for an article about an search engine that uses it's money to help plant trees! (I'll leave you in suspense for now, and you shall remain is suspense for a week). 

@earthmelon12345" target="_blank">-@earthmelon12345

(Oh, and also, there was a glitch while writing this article, so if any text seems slightly bigger than other text, so sorry!)