Saving Energy

Yes, today I’m writing about how you can conserve electricity and why you should.

So Why Should I?

Well, there are several reasons to try to conserve energy. First, and probably most important to many people, you can save money by using less energy, and who couldn’t use more money. Second, you hate brownouts and blackouts, right? By conserving energy, you can help prevent these nuisances. Now number three: oil. As I’ve said before the energy produced in an oil power plant helps make OPEC rich at your country’s expense. All fossil fuel power plants also help produce smog. Even if you get your energy from a nuclear power plant instead of fossil fuels, you still want to keep their number to a minimum. Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, need I say more? Next, for the environmentalists, you need resources to build power plants, most of which are taken out of, you guessed it, nature. Finally, power plants take up space. Build less of them and you have more free space for farms, apartments, offices and whatnot.

Turning Things Off

The easiest thing you can do is turn stuff off when you’re not using it.

Light Bulbs

Many people still use the old tungsten filament light bulbs (the round ones with that little thing inside, also called incandescent). They let off a lot of heat, which means you lose all that energy. The more tube-shaped flourescent light bulbs let off very little heat compared to the incandescent ones, meaning they use a lot less energy to do the same thing.

“Energy Star”

You might’ve seen electronics or appliances that have a little logo that says “Energy Star” or something like that. This logo means that that particular item uses less energy to do the same job as others of that kind of appliance. (Don’t worry: it’s efficient, not lazy)

But That’s not All:

That’s right, there’re a lot more ways to save energy out there. There’re probably a lot more places devoted to helping people save energy, like California’s “Flex Your Power” organization. All you have to do is look.

Urban Décor

Take an urban neighborhood and I’m sure most of you will picture a run-down area plagued with graffiti, crime, trash, and maybe even a red light district. I’m here to tell you today that you can improve its appearance.

Is it Even Possible to Improve such a place?

Absolutely, and there’s more than one way to do it. It’s not as expensive as you would think and a nice neighborhood creates civic pride, helping to maintain the neighborhood.

Plants

Plants are probably the easiest way to decorate a neighborhood. Just put some potted plants or trees along the street and water them, take care of them, and you’ll have a good first step to improving your neighborhood.

Parks and Community Centers

Parks, community centers and the like can be a good way to decorate a neighborhood. Yes, get the city to help with a park, basketball court, community center or library. This will make the area look better and give people something to do in their free time, reducing crime.

Murals

Yes, murals. Organize a neighborhood project with the city to paint a cool picture on a wall. A finished mural is an impressive work of art which will attract people and jobs.

Volunteerism

I don’t know about other places, but in California, you have to do a certain amount of volunteer work to graduate from high school and colleges like someone who volunteers. If you’re forced to do the time, you might as well make something of it, right? You can take that time and use it to do something good for yorself and your neighborhood.

Respect

Have respect for other people. Don’t do anything to them or their things and you’ll find everything around you will slowly become better.

The Cops

Don’t worry, they get paid to protect you. You just have to trust them and let them do their job and you’ll be safer.

That is all I have for this post right now. If you have any other ideas, please help out and post them.

The Murky Waters of San Diego Harbor

I say San Diego Harbor, but the problem is much more widespread than that. Granted, the Hudson River is no longer so dirty it burns, but these and many other bodies of water could be much cleaner.

Why Would Anyone Want Cleaner Water?

Cleaner rivers, beaches and harbors have several benefits. First and most obvious, more people want to live by clean bodies of water, driving up property values. Second, it gives the water system’s pumps and water treatment plants an easier time, giving cleaner, cheaper drinking water. Number three: it encourages fish to live in more places, helping the fishing industry because the fish become more plentiful to keep their population density up. People are also able to use bodies of water for recreation more often if the water is clean.

What Can I Do About It?

The easiest thing you can do, don’t throw trash into storm drains, rivers, or the ocean. Next, if you wash your car in your driveway you could help by taking it to a car wash instead. Now, if you own a farm or use pesticides on your garden, you can use less or switch to a more environmentally friendly type. Developing countries are also a big culprit. For example, most of the muck in San Diego’s water floats north from Mexico. You can help reduce this problem by urging your government officials to help developing countries meet cleaner water quality and waste management standards. More than likely, there are other things you can do, but I just can’t think of them right now