World Energy Conservation Day is celebrated on the 14th of December every year to create awareness and help society reduce the amount of power it consumes. Energy is essential to sustain our lives on the planet. But unfortunately, the source that is making the earth habitable for us is making earth inhabitable itself. The energy we consume is extracted in the majority by burning fossil fuels, which causes global warming by producing harmful gases directly into the atmosphere and depleting the ozone layer.
Why Energy Conservation must be our priority?
Energy Conservation is necessary. Non-renewable fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum account for three-quarters of the world’s energy supplies. At the existing reserve to production ratio, fuels are expected to last an average of about 45-65 years and coal of 200 years. To this day, no other energy supply has proven to be as readily available and economical as fossil fuels.
In addition to bolstering our fuel conservation, water conservation is equally important. The water supply sector uses large amounts of energy to pump, treat and deliver the water used every day. Also, water is used in all stages of generating energy: extracting, processing, refining, and transporting fuel to power generation plants. Understanding this relationship highlights the importance of conserving water and practicing energy efficiency. For every litre saved, energy is also saved.
Also, to combat climate emergencies and help preserve our environment, it is important to reduce the amount of food that is wasted. Around one-third of all food produced globally goes to waste each year, amounting to 1.3 billion tons of wasted food. Reducing this amount of food sent to the dump can result in saving both energy and water, and it can be recycled to produce energy that can be put to better use.
At each level, be it commercial, industrial, or residential, responsible attitudes and necessary wastage of energy are reflected as high-cost savings in our utility bills. One can save money by utilizing less energy, increasing property value by using sustainable materials, and protecting the environment through simple energy-saving measures.
Today on World Energy Conservation Day, let us all take the initiative to reduce the utilization of energy from our end, promote an energy-conscious lifestyle, and happy earth globally.
Steps to Promote Energy Conservation
- Being frugal. Energy conservation can be as simple as turning off lights or appliances when you do not need them. Regularly check your devices and keep them shut when not in use. Like in winters you can skip your 24*7 refrigerators and help the earth in a better manner.
- Do tasks manually on occasion. Reduce the usage of energy-intensive appliances and perform household tasks manually, like washing dishes by hand.
- Ditch the car and cycle or walk to work, wherever possible.
- Replace your traditional incandescent light bulbs with Halogen Incandescent bulbs, Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs), and Light-Emitting Diode bulbs (LEDs). These bulbs use an average of 75% less electricity and last 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.
- Water heating is one of the highest energy costs in a typical family home. Solar water heaters can be used as an energy-saving option for water heating throughout the Caribbean.
- Upgrade to energy efficient home appliances.
By consuming less energy and using appliances operating on renewable energy sources like solar, wind, geothermal, and ocean energy, you will contribute to saving the environment, and save energy for the future.
