Energy Readings

How America is Losing up to 40% of its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill

·      The numbers say it all. The amount of food the world wastes is surprising but then again, not so surprising. I think it’s the reality we have come to live in. of course Americans didn’t know the ramifications of their actions when food became an international industry, nor did they intend to be responsible for waste the resources needed for this type of food production. Unfortunately, it is ultimately our responsibility to change the direction of this problem.

Top 10 Energy Pigs in the Plug

·      I had no idea that plug loads accounted for 15% of all residential electricity consumptions and 20% of all commercial consumption. I think it would be good to educate people on this issue, especially in the context of our current economy. I don’t know if this is just me, but my main problem with continually plugging and unplugging devices such as microwaves and T.V.s is that you have to reset the device's information every time. (I may just be technologically inept though!)

Americans Waste $130 Billion a Year on Energy

·      I think that though it’s great we have made some progress to lowering energy waste, a big part of the problem is just making sure people understand the consequences of their energy consumption. Like Gunther notes, it’s not as exciting as “electric cars...or solar panels”, but it's equally if not more important. I myself had a hard time understanding the units of measurement in this report, just because I am not familiar with the science behind it. I think it’s important to help people really understand their consumption and inspire people to do something. As with any issue, if enough people got upset, their lawmakers would be more inclined to appease their constituency’s desires. They key to making that happen is by getting people to care.