Personal Post By Austin

A) Even though an energy plan would be helpful to the environment and even save money in the long run, it will never work. We would have to put in a lot of money in order to make buildings safe. When people see how much money we will have to put towards the project, they will fight it saying we can't afford to put all that money into saving the earth.

B) 1. When I leave a room, I will turn off the lights. 2. When I'm not using an electronic devise, such as a toaster, I will leave it unplugged. 3. I will keep using energy saving light bulbs like I have been. 4. I will open my blinds on sunny days to let the sunshine in, and keep off the lights. 5. On nice feeling days i will leave my windows open and turn off air conditioning and heater. 6. When I buy a home in the future, I will make sure it is insulated well. 7. Once a sink in the house starts to leak, I will make sure it is fixed soon. 8. Put guards at the bottom of doors that lead to the outside.

C) I believe that Energy Star does help the environment, and if it doesn't help it, it at least doesn't hurt it. They say that the U.S. Environmental Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy both say that Energy Star is safe. I have no personal knowledge of Energy Star, but from what I learned they are not that harmful to the environment.

D) Living in Iowa, we get a lot of wind, so i believe wind energy would be the most beneficial to use. Although it requires a lot of land and cost money to set up wind turbines, wind energy is a cheap way to get energy and it is something we will never run out of. It doesn't harm the environment and doesn't use fossil fuels to run.

E) The insulation in the floor and wall are different because they don't preform their job the best. Insulation keeps the heat in the house in the winter, and keep the cool air in in the summer. It tries to keep your house at a constant temperature so that way you don't need to keep the heat or air conditioning on. In some older homes, you will have to install these insulation because some older homes weren't built with these recommended requirements.

F) No, I don't believe mining for coal and oil can be sustainable for many reasons. Oil and coal are parts of Natural Capital and if we drain it all, we will lose our natural capital. Individuals Matter because it takes everyone in the world to commit for us to save the earth and save energy. If we do drain all of our oil and coal then we will have to come up with Solutions and Trade-Offs in order to still function without the oil and coal that would be all gone. 

Cars of the Future?

Cars of the future are not only going to be safe for humans to drive, but will also be safe and even good for the environment.  They will be safe for humans to drive because they will be almost indestructible because of there frame and what they are made out of. They run off of solar energy and off of CO2. They may be more expensive to buy, but without having to keep buying a fuel, it will save you money in the long run.

5 Ways to Improve Energy Efficiency

1. Turn off the lights! Whenever you are leaving a room with nobody else in it make sure all the lights are turned off.

2. Use the sun! Turn off the lights and open the blinds on a sunny day for light! While you are at it, open the windows on nice days instead of using the air conditioning.

3. Shut off appliances that aren't in use, and unplug them from the wall. Many people don't realize that something like a toaster will continue to waste energy for as long as it is plugged in. So make sure to unplug it when you are done.

4. Use energy efficient light bulbs! They may be a little bit more expensive but they last longer and save energy, and the two of those together will save you money in the long run too.

5. Wash clothes in cold water. Believe it or not cold water does clean, and many laundry soap manufacturers now offer soaps specifically made for washing clothes in cold water.

Wind Energy

Pros-

• Renewable Resource- will never run out
• Creates Jobs
• Clean Resource
• Not dependent on fossil fuels

Cons-

• Turbines are expensive to buy and repair
• Large land areas needed
• Alone will not fix energy crisis

 Check out the YouTube video about wind energy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQI-10gRhU0&feature=related

Strip Mining, Open Pit, and Subsurface Mining

Strip Mining-

• Strip Mining is a form of surface mining
• Harms the area around the mine
• Coal and different ores are mined this way

Open-Pit Mining

• Clay, Coal, Diamonds, Gravel and Stone, Granite, Grit Stone, Gypsum , Limestone, Marble, Metal Ores (Copper, Iron, and Gold)
• A form of mining rock and minerals from the earth from a large open pit or borrow
• Commonly known as Quarries     

Subsurface Mining-

• Extremely dangerous
• A much deeper variation of surface mining
• Not much air for miners underground         

Passive Solar System

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5719988954463496308

Passive Solar System catches sunlight and converts it into low temperature heat or water. With no machines necessary. The role of the insulation is to keep warm air in and block out the cold air.

Benefits:
1. No negative impacts on the environment- It is a completely clean energy source that lowers the greenhouse gas levels in the ozone layer.
2. No equipment is needed to buy or maintain- Machines such as cooling and heating systems are not needed. No fears of machines breaking down or needing maintenance. 
3. Money saving- Can decrease monthly energy payments by 13.8% but proper insulation can decrease payments by 46.8%.
4. Saves fossil fuels- Because no fossil fuels are necessary to operate the passive solar system we are conserving them.

Hydroelectric and Active Solar Power

Hydroelectric Power- has large turbine generators that create electricity for heating of the air and water within a building or home. Water moves through the turbine at plants that creates the heat to warm the air and water. See video below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEL7yc8R42k

Active Solar Power-  uses solar collectors to capture energy from the sun and stores the energy as heat. When liquid is passed through the solar collector it creates warm liquid (for showering, laundry, etc.). Air passes through the collector and creates hot air from heating the house or building. See video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OAcv7k8Qc0