This week's lesson for the course was focused on energy consumption. As such, I was asked to perform a series of activities to assist me in attempt to make a reasonable reflection of my energy and fuel consumption habits. Activities included a.) recording every time that I used electricity, b.) recording the meter reading of my electric meter, c.) recording the company's name and stating how the company generates energy, d.) recording my total gas mileage for the day, e.) determining the annual gas mileage of my vehicle, f.) determining the total carbon output of my vehicle, and g.) reflecting upon the results of my findings.
a.) Electricity Usage
(http://grtu.net/data/images/Article_images/electricity22.jpg)
- Air-Conditioning: 24 Hours
- Hot Water Heater: 40 Minutes (8:00 am and 7:00 pm)
- Dishwasher: 90 minutes (8:30 am)
- Blowdryer: 20 minutes ( 8: 35 am)
- Hair Straightener: 10 minutes (8:55 am)
- Washing Machine: 120 Minutes (9:00 am and another load at 10:45 am)
- Dryer: 180 Minutes (10:00 am and again at 12:00 pm)
- Toaster: 5 minutes (9:20 am)
- Coffee Machine: 15 minutes (9: 15 am)
- Toaster: 5 minutes (9:20 am)
- Computer Laptop on and Charging: 24 hours
- Cell Phone Charger: 5 hours (7:30 pm)
- Oven: 20 Minutes (7:45 pm)
- Microwave: 10 Minutes (7:50 pm and 8:10 pm)
b.) Meter Reading: 97 KW.
(http://www.energy.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0016/20392/Meter-Reading-Image1.gif)
c.) Company Name: Florida Power and Light (FPL)
"In 2007, FPL had more than 25,000 megawatts of resources to serve customers and a diverse fuel mix to help ensure reliable service and moderate prices. Our current mix of energy sources is 52 percent natural gas, 19 percent nuclear, 15 percent purchased power, 8 percent oil and 6 percent coal"
(http://www.fpl.com/environment/plant/power_plant_projects.shtml)
d.) Total mileage for the day: 45 miles round trip to attend classes at FGCU, with zero people in the car with me.
e.) Annual gas mileage of my vehicle: 9,833 miles per year.
(http://red-deer.aderk.ca/pictures/2004-VW-Jetta-for-Sale1-red-deer-mnqv4.jpg)
f.) Total carbon output of my vehicle:
(http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/2008car1tablef.jsp?si=true)
g.) Reflection: Do I make sustainable choices? Do I try to conserve energy and fuel as much as possible? The answer to these questions as I like to believe, are yes. Yes, I honestly think that I do make sustainable choices. I say this because, for one, I chose to purchase a vehicle that isn't considered a gas guzzler--and I keep my driving to a minimum. Although as I live in a very spread out area and it's difficult to walk or bike anywhere, I still don't drive very often at all. I go to places where I must throughout the week (which includes school, grocery stores, etc.), and carpool with family or friends during weekend outings. I also turn off lights whenever I leave rooms, only do about 2 loads of laundry per week, and if I lived alone, I would never use air-conditioning because I simply hate being cold! Overall, I find that most of my daily consumption habits are fairly sustainable in comparison to a lot of other people's habits. Sure, I'm aware that I'm not the most sustainable human being on the planet as such, but I understand that there is room for improvement and am willing to adapt sustainable methods into my daily routines.
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