Non-Renewable Sources
How much of a carbon footprint are you leaving on your environment? As living "green" grows in popularity, so does our knowledge of how our choices impact our Earth. Nowadays products have been labeled with, "eco-friendly" or "green", but what does that really mean? Sure, we may be using an "eco-friendly" television set, but does it matter when we're still using non-renewable sources to keep the tele running?
Non-renewable sources typically means a resource that cannot be replenished within the lifespan of humans. A great example of a non-renewable source is fossil fuel, which consists of coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Despite how hard we try, it's near-impossible to replenish a coal mine to its original state, and it would take millions if not billions of years for such resources to develop.
So what are these non-renewable sources used for? You need not look further from your own computer screen! Coal can be used to generate electricity, as well as provide warming or heating for systems. BBQs, an American tradition, have often used coal although now we often use propane, which is a derivative of natural gas or petroleum (not much of a change there!). Natural gas has been used to fire our stoves, heat our boilers, dry our clothes and heat our homes. Petroleum, on the other hand, is refined primarily as jet fuels and the gasoline that power our vehicles. You can also find petroleum in your beauty products, such as in petroleum jelly and lotions.
Although it's difficult to eliminate all non-renewable sources from your lifestyle, you can start by replacing your everyday products. Many lip balms, for example, are made from oils instead of petroleum. You can easily check the back of most products and search for ingredients that are non-renewable. When you plan for your next BBQ, opt for burning wood for that smoky woodfire grill taste. If you are picking up groceries from the supermarket 1 block away, take 10 minutes to not only walk there, but to get some quality exercise as well! Take public transportation as often as you can, and reduce your carbon footprint and your impact on our precious environment!
Non-renewable sources typically means a resource that cannot be replenished within the lifespan of humans. A great example of a non-renewable source is fossil fuel, which consists of coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Despite how hard we try, it's near-impossible to replenish a coal mine to its original state, and it would take millions if not billions of years for such resources to develop.
So what are these non-renewable sources used for? You need not look further from your own computer screen! Coal can be used to generate electricity, as well as provide warming or heating for systems. BBQs, an American tradition, have often used coal although now we often use propane, which is a derivative of natural gas or petroleum (not much of a change there!). Natural gas has been used to fire our stoves, heat our boilers, dry our clothes and heat our homes. Petroleum, on the other hand, is refined primarily as jet fuels and the gasoline that power our vehicles. You can also find petroleum in your beauty products, such as in petroleum jelly and lotions.
Although it's difficult to eliminate all non-renewable sources from your lifestyle, you can start by replacing your everyday products. Many lip balms, for example, are made from oils instead of petroleum. You can easily check the back of most products and search for ingredients that are non-renewable. When you plan for your next BBQ, opt for burning wood for that smoky woodfire grill taste. If you are picking up groceries from the supermarket 1 block away, take 10 minutes to not only walk there, but to get some quality exercise as well! Take public transportation as often as you can, and reduce your carbon footprint and your impact on our precious environment!
posted by Janice at 8:32 AM
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