It's important to recognize the impact humans have on the environment. In this segment of Let's Go Enviro, hear from Greystone Power representative, Drew Hook, as he recounts the various ways we can reduce our carbon footprint and become more conscious consumers. 

Segment B: Conservation of Energy

Segment B: Conservation of Energy

Take a minute to think about all the energy you may have used just today. Turning on a light, charging a phone, using a microwave or a refrigerator--all these things calculated together are what make up your individual carbon footprint. It is important to recognize the impact humans have on the environment. In this segment of Let's Go Enviro, hear from Greystone Power representative, Drew Hook, as he recounts the various ways we can reduce our carbon footprint and become more conscious consumers. 

Science

SEV3.b

Construct an argument based on data about the risks and benefits of renewable and nonrenewable energy sources.

Explain how electricity consumption differs between housing types and regions of the U.S.

Discuss ways to become more energy efficient by analyzing your carbon footprint.

audit: a systematic review or assessment of something

carbon-neutral: a state of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions; can be achieved by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal or by eliminating emissions from society

clean energy: energy generated from recyclable sources without emitting greenhouse gases

energy: usable power (such as heat or electricity)

energy efficiency: the process of reducing the amount of energy required to provide products and services

hydroelectric energy: a renewable source of energy that generates power by using a dam or diversion structure to alter the natural flow of a river or other body of water

Industrial Revolution: the process of change from an agrarian and handicraft economy to one dominated by industry and machine manufacturing

watt: the International System of Units' (SI) standard unit of power (energy per unit time), the equivalent of one joule per second; used to specify the rate at which electromagnetic energy is radiated, absorbed, or dissipated

methane: an odorless, colorless, flammable gas that is used primarily as fuel to make heat and light and can be formed by the decay of natural materials 

natural resource: materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain

nonrenewable energy: comes from sources that will run out or will not be replenished in our lifetimes—or even in many, many lifetimes

fossil fuels: coal, petroleum, and natural gas

nuclear energy: the energy in the nucleus, or core, of an atom; nuclear energy can be used to create electricity, but it must first be released from the atom

power grid: an interconnected network for electricity delivery from producers to consumers

renewable energy: resources that continue to exist despite being consumed or can replenish themselves over a period of time even as they are used

solar energy: any type of energy generated by the sun

sustainability: a societal goal that broadly aims for humans to safely co-exist on Earth over a long time

turbine: a machine that transforms rotational energy from a fluid that is picked up by a rotor system into usable work or energy

wind energy: the process by which the wind is used to generate mechanical power or electricity