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Reduce, Recycle, Reuse: A Plan for Conservation
Preserving our natural and finite nonrenewable resources and discovering, developing, and employing alternative energy resource systems, requires more political action and implementation of stringent public policies. Lessening our dependence on oil and transitioning to the use of alternative resources will take time, money, and effort. Accordingly, the public policies I suggest will aim to reduce the total amount of energy consumption and waste instead of advocating an immediate adoption of alternative energy resources. Current issues surrounding the energy debate work politically to divide humanity rather than focusing on what a variety of individuals and businesses from both ends of the spectrum can do together to deter our problems. The energy dilemma is largely misinterpreted as being only an environmental issue. More realistically, it is more of a political, social, and economic issue.
Our dependence on oil comes from its great history, convenience, and cost. Douglas Reynolds argues, “[o]il fuels create[d] transportation possibilities never before dreamed of such as trucks, cars, and airplanes, which in turn created greater industrial specialization and greater economic mobility (Reynolds 167).” He claims that oil allows the use of internal combustion engines, which permits vehicles to be smaller and more versatile leading to a greater intensity of power per pound in an engine (166). Oil is easy to use and easy to store (163). Oil is a high-grade resource, which requires less capital and labor than low-grade resources to obtain energy making it a relatively cheap reserve. Low-grade resources, such as solar energy, are environmental saviors and promises of the future yet will provide economic hardships if employed in their current state of progress and technology. That is why focusing more on the total world reduction of energy consumption proves to be a feasible and efficient means to prevent further nonrenewable energy exhaustion and allow alternative resources to be better developed and funded. Although the world oil supply may be efficient for the next 25-100 years, we must make progressive changes and enforce environmentally constructive policies to avoid the pandemonium that will ensue when our precious resource finally depletes.
According to Michael Steinman, conserving and regulating energy use by utilizing public policies will do two major things. First, policies will encourage individual Americans to reduce the amount of energy he or she uses and wastes. Secondly, it will buy time to better develop alternative energy systems to be used as water and space heating devices and to fuel automobiles with biomass materials or direct solar energy (Steinman 148). “Complete policy analysis of solar energy demands clarification and incorporation of social values,” argues Steinman (147). Political thinkers realize that “solar energy would die on the vine without high level political, technological, and financial support so they formed a Solar Lobby to…promote solar energy (Bradford 22).” Further developing solar energy systems and policies are not the only way we can help ease our current and future energy predicament. The Government should intervene and enforce national policies regarding the use and consumption of energy.
In addition to encouraging the public to gain more local energy independence by the use of alternative energy systems, public policies should require:
• The use of more efficient utilities by individual consumers (specifically only products with Energy Guide and Energy Star labels)
• The use of fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs in homes and office spaces; stricter rules on business lighting in order to avoid "over-illumination", which in the U.S. alone wastes 700 million barrels of oil per year (DOE website)
• Mandatory recycling of printer ink cartridges, which will use less energy to refill and reuse than to remake (Doe website)
• Cities to provide more incentives and laws requiring all residential and commercial environments to recycle every recyclable item by providing more curb-side pick up services and more readily available urban and rural recycling centers
• All homes to be audited annually for energy efficiency
• More funds granted to the Department of Energy in order to support, develop and maintain Integrated Biorefineries and research surrounding alternative energy means.
Alternative energy systems provide a promising future. Bermann and O’Connor argue that “[i]n addition to the environmental benefits of clean energy, solar water heaters cut a families utility bill by 20% or more, depending on the climate and on whether water had been heated previously with electricity, propane, or natural gas (12 Bermann and O’Connor).” The benefits clearly meet all needs by cutting costs and environmental pollution. Solar water heaters are not a new phenomenon. According to the research done by Bermann and O’Connor, solar water heaters existed over a century ago and were used in communal bathhouses (14). So why has solar energy become our “orphan?” Solar energy was widely adopted in the 1970’s but when oil became more affordable the motivation was lost. Oil remains the most easily accessible resource thus leaving behind solar energy use and adoption. By focusing on the conservation methods below we will eventually be able to develop solar energy systems that are as accessible, convenient and affordable as oil. However, in order for that to happen we need to substantially decrease our current dependence on fossil fuels.
According to the Department of Energy’s official website, the Federal Trade Commission requires Energy Guide labels on most home appliances. These labels provide an estimate of the product's energy consumption and efficiency. They also compare the energy consumption of competitive appliances. In addition, Energy Star labels appear on the appliances and home electronics that meet specific criteria established by the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Consumers will find the Energy Star labels included on most home electronics and appliances. Consistent with the Department of Energy’s research, the Home Depot, who has been named Energy Star partner of the year two years in a row, proclaims that if just one in ten homes replaced their appliances with Energy Star qualified models; the amount of pollution introduced into the air would be reduced by 600 million pounds. The Home depot carries refrigerators, Dishwasher, Clothes Washer, Dehumidifier or Room A/C. Encouraging consumers to purchase only products that meet such strict efficiency will lead to a competitive market dedicated to making more efficient and practical products. Another policy that will eventually lead to the same commercial reaction concerns artificial lighting. With ENERGY STAR you can Change a Light and Change the World. “If every U.S. household changed their five most frequently used light fixtures (or the bulbs in them) to ENERGY STAR qualified lighting, it would keep more than one trillion pounds of greenhouse gases out of the air. This would also save a total of $6 billion in energy or approximately the annual output of 21 power plants. It's easy, just look for the ENERGY STAR label on fixtures, ceiling fans and bulbs.”
Researchers for the Department of Energy find that artificial lighting consumes almost 15% of a household's electricity use but the utilization of new lighting technologies can reduce lighting energy use in homes by 50%–75%.
You can use the chart below to compare the different types of lighting.

Lighting Comparison Chart (DOE)
Lighting Type Efficacy Lifetime Color Rendition Index Temperature
(lumens/watt) (hours) (K)
Incandescent
Standard "A" bulb 10–17 750–2500 98–100 2700–2800
Tungsten halogen 12–22 2000–4000 98–100 2900–3200
Reflector 12–19 2000–3000 98–100 2800
Fluorescent
Straight tube 30–110 7000–24,000 50–90 2700–6500
Compact fluorescent lamp 50–70 10,000 65–88 2700–6500
Circline 40–50 12,000
High-Intensity Discharge
Mercury vapor 25–60 16,000–24,000 50 3200–7000
Metal halide 70–115 5000–20,000 70 3700
High-pressure sodium 50–140 16,000–24,000 25 2100
Low-Pressure Sodium 60–150 12,000–18,000 -44

On the official website, Home Depot guarantees the following on their Energy Star Lighting products:
• Extended Life–In order to earn the ENERGY STAR, fixtures must last at least 10,000 hours. That means on average, you won't have to change a bulb for about seven years.
• Light Distribution– ENERGY STAR fixtures spread light more efficiently and evenly than standard fixtures.
• Better Warranties– ENERGY STAR fixtures carry a 2-year warranty. That's double the standard.
• Safety– ENERGY STAR fixtures operate at a lower temperature; yet provide the same amount of light. This reduces the risk of fire, especially when compared to halogen lighting.
Benefits of Fluorescent bulbs:
• Saves $308 over life of bulb
• Lasts 13 times longer than traditional incandescent bulb
• Same appearance as incandescent bulb
• Fits most fixtures an incandescent bulb will fit
• Eco Options approved product
• Use 66% less energy than standard bulbs
• Last up to ten times longer than standard bulbs
• Save about $25 in energy costs over the life of the bulb
• Operate at lower temperatures, which are safer and help cut cooling costs
If every U.S. household replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb (CFL), it would prevent the same amount of pollution, as would removing one million cars from the road. The bulbs are only $7.99 each. The 23-watt spiral uses 75% less energy than a 100-watt incandescent equivalent and lasts 13 times longer (Home Depot Website).
As one can deduce from the aforementioned explanations and light bulb comparisons, fluorescent lights only use 25%-35% of the energy that standard incandescent lights use. In addition, fluorescent lights also put out the same illumination and last 7,000-24,000 hours, which is ten times longer than incandescent lighting. Improvements in technology have resulted in fluorescent lamps with color temperature and color rendition that are comparable to incandescent lamps. However, just utilizing the available means of fluorescence is not enough. Businesses need to avoid using unnecessary amounts of artificial lighting, both occupied and unoccupied spaces.
“Over-illumination” is a term invented by the Department of Energy to describe the amount of wasted energy from excessive artificial lighting. Over-illumination is the act of using disproportionate and unnecessary amounts of light to perform certain tasks. This happens quite often in businesses. According to the Department Of Energy’s official website, “unneeded overnight lighting of office buildings, forsaking available natural light, underutilization of occupancy sensors, and under-using discretionary light controls” are all forms of wasteful “over-illumination.” We must only use the energy we really need and no more. This key idea is also apparent in the following energy-efficiency policy suggestions.
Mandatory annual home and business auditing will help curb some of the excess energy use in both private and public sectors. Technology has improved the efficiency of most appliances, however, lifestyle changes have increased our use of resources. According to the Department of Energy, “the average size of homes built in the United States has increased significantly, from 1500 ft² in 1970 to 2300 ft² in 2005.” This striking increase in living space requires more energy to operate more heating and cooling systems, more lighting, more electronics, and appliances. According to the Department of Energy, certain appliances such as a waterbed, hot tub, or pre-1990 refrigerator use significant amounts of electricity and should be avoided. Our increase in material assets as well as our excessive waste of energy has helped propel us into our current energy crisis. Fortunately, there are solutions to this growing problem.
The best environmental advice is always: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Many small items in our lives can be reduced, reused, and then recycled. For example, many companies provide information on how to recycle your old printer ink cartridges right on the cartridge itself. In fact, some companies offer free shipping for recycling old ink cartridges. Four resourceful companies, which provide recycling services of old ink cartridges, are as follows:
1. Laser-Tone International, at (800) EARTH-58.
2. Eco-Office, at www.eco-office.com
3. Environmental Laser, at (800) 442-8391
4. International Cartridge Recycling Association, at (202) 857-1154
In addition to recycling ink cartridges, every day items such as aluminum, glass, and paper can be easily recycled. Recycling prevents useful material resources from being wasted, reduces the consumption of crude materials and reduces energy usage, which leads to greenhouse gas emissions. All environmental issues are intrinsically linked. The lack of enforced legislation on recycling leads to many environmental, social, and political issues.
For example, aluminum can be recycled indefinitely. This means, that if every piece of aluminum were recycled then we would not ever have to produce new aluminum from virgin materials. Aluminum, unlike paper that requires small amounts of wood fibers to complete the recycling, can be reused without excess energy. The International Aluminum Institute explains that the bauxite/aluminum mines in Brazil and Scandinavia will be put to rest, which will eliminate the displacement of indigenous people. In addition, researchers at International Aluminum Institute argue that recycling aluminum saves 95% of the energy cost of processing new aluminum because the melting temperature is reduced from 900 °C to 600 °C. It is by far the most efficient material to recycle.” Paper and glass can also be recycled, greatly reducing the amount of energy used to produce more.
In order to make recycling more accessible, the Government needs to develop more efficient curbside recycling systems as well as more available recycling centers. In addition to recycling every day items, we also need policies that will enforce reusing and recycling organic waste. Large-scale composting plants are needed to turn our massive amounts of organic waste (household food waste, agricultural waste, human and animal waste) into environmentally sound biogas used to heat homes and offices more efficiently. Using our waste to create a sustainable energy supply for the world economy is a very progressive, practical, and attainable goal.
The Department of Energy has big plans for using biomass or organic waste to produce liquid fuels but more support and funding is necessary. The U.S. Department of Energy created a Biomass Program in order to further develop technology needed to convert biomass to valuable fuels. Utilizing biomass will not only reduce our dependence on foreign oil but also eliminate our use of nonrenewable resources. Biomass uses include ethanol, biodiesel, biomass power, and industrial process energy.
We need a complete overhaul of policies regarding energy resources. Although it is difficult to adjust to major shifts in policies in America, it is absolutely crucial that progressive steps be made in order to preserve our resources. Until these policies are enforced we will continue to rapidly deplete our nonrenewable resources. Optional participation will not suffice. We must collectively work to reduce the total amount of energy used as to allow adequate time to develop better alternative energy systems. The time for change is now.


Works Cited



Electronic Sources:

Department of Energy


Home Depot


World-Aluminum.org





Books:

Berman, Daniel M and John T. O’Connor. Who owns the Sun: People, Politics, and the Struggle for a Solar Economy.Vermont: Green, 1996.

Bradford, Travis. Solar Revolution. Massachusetts: MIT, 2006.

Reynolds, Douglas B. Scarcity and Growth, Considering Oil and Energy: An Alternative Neo-Classical View. Wales: E.Mellen, 2002.

Steinman, Michael. Energy and Environmental Issues. Massachusetts: Lexington, 1979.

Doe