Why should I be concerned with the world's resources?
The world we live in today is much different than the world our grandparents, and to some extent even our parents, lived in. According to the HCF (Hinkle Charitable Foundation), in 2007 51% of electricity produced in the United States came from coal, which creates large quantities of carbon dioxide and other harmful pollutants, such as sulfur oxide in addition to acid rain. These chemicals and occurrences are major contributors to the environmental problems we now face.
In addition to the energy crisis, lack of water conservation poses another danger to the earth. While the earth is 75% water, 97% of that is undrinkable and unusable and 2% is trapped in ice, leaving us with approximately 1% of the earth’s water for our use. How do we begin to fix this energy crisis and make the best of the water we have? Energy conservation kits and water conservation kits are a great place to start.
Where is a good place to start solving the problems we face?
Energy Conservation Kits
Energy conservation kits are filled with inexpensive products, such as CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights, foam gaskets, and an energy monitor to get you on the right track to reducing your utility bills and energy usage. For example, by switching 20 incandescent bulbs with energy efficient CFLs) you can help do away with over 12 tons of CO2.
Also, placing foam gaskets from the energy conservation kits in front of electrical outlets and wall switches you can stop unwanted air from coming and leaving the home, decreasing the heating and cooling bills. Using an energy monitor to keep track of the amount of energy you use is also a great way to decrease usage.
Water Conservation Kits
Are you aware that 95% of all water than enters the home ends ups down a drain? According to the FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN), about two thirds of the earth could be faced with water shortages within 20 years. By using faucet aerators, toilet water savers, and the showerhead found in water conservation kits you can make the best use of the water we have.
For example, a 1.75gpm showerhead uses only 9 gallons per 5-minute shower as opposed to an 8gpm showerhead which uses almost 40 gallons of water for the same amount of time. The technology of aerators and low-flow showerhead is such that more water seems to be used than really is. While facing these water and energy catastrophes of our time can be frustrating, having water conservation kits and energy conservation kits makes the solution much easier.
It's not too late to start taking the necessary steps towards saving the natural resources we have. Using an energy conservation kit or a water conservation kit is definitely a great place to start.