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Environmental Conservation

Energy Conservation
Jessica Goode
Axia College of University of Phoenix

We all use energy each and every day. We use energy for entertainment, cooking, transportation, lighting, heating, cooling, manufacturing, as well as many other things. According to the Webster Dictionary (2009), energy is defined as just being active. If that is truly the case, then anytime we are doing anything we are being active and using up energy. Shouldn't we try to conserve more energy if that is the case? According to the Business Dictionary (2007), energy conservation is the reduction in the consumption of natural resources by any individual, society, organization, or the economy as a whole. It is the elimination of waste being put back into the Earth and using our resources rationally. There are many ways that we can help to conserve energy thus helping the environment and helping ourselves at the same time. There are two types of energy resources: renewable resources and non-renewable resources.
A renewable energy source is one that can never be exhausted; it is constantly replenished (California Energy Commission, 2006). Renewable energy sources consist of solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, and biomass energy sources. Solar energy comes from the sun, wind energy comes from wind turbines, hydropower energy comes from water, geothermal energy is energy created from heat inside the Earth, and biomass energy is energy created from firewood, animal manure, crop residues and waste (Department of Environmental Protection, 2009).
A non-renewable source is one that can not be replenished in a short period of time (California Energy Commission, 2006). Non-renewable sources are also known as fossil fuels. These fossil fuels are "thought to have been formed from the buried remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago" (Department of Environmental Protection, 2009). Fossil fuels consist of oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy. According to the Energy...