It's a lot to handle.
Most of us, due to the enormity of the problem, tend to change our lightbulbs and then mentally clock out. Someone else is fixing it, we think, or renewable energy is going to swoop in and save the day. And while there is truth in both these statements, the energy problem is going to be extremely difficult— if not impossible— to solve at our current rate of consumption.
So what's the most important thing an individual can do?
Consume less.
It can be difficult, and it's not very sexy, but dialing down our consumption is a crucial part of creating a world in which everyone can coexist. We owe it to the earth and to our fellow human beings to consider our energy habits in light of what the planet can handle: if everyone on the planet consumed energy and resources like Americans, we'd need four additional earths to support the lifestyle.
Consumption appears in many different ways. There's operational energy, the energy used in running electricity, gas, water, and so on. But there's also embodied energy: the total amount of energy used to create a product. So a lightbulb doesn't just use energy when it's lit up; it holds the embodied energy of the entire manufacturing process, from mining the raw materials to assembling and shipping them.
Thinking about embodied energy can make things much more complicated, so if you're new to this idea, don't stress out about it; just be aware that almost every consumer good— from water and food to electronics and household goods— has a long and infinitely tangled supply chain. The less we use, the better.
Here are some ideas for what that looks like in practice.
BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE:
(I combined these two levels because most of these suggestions can be practiced or applied in varying degrees. Pick what feels right for you.)
Try a "Buy Nothing New" challenge. For a certain length of time (a week if the idea sounds insane, a month or longer if not), don't buy anything other than food and consumables. The details are up to you (Will you buy anything secondhand? Do restaurant meals count as "food" or as "unnecessary"?), but figure out the ground rules and give it a try. All material goods have embodied energy, so the longer you can go without buying something new, the better! During this time, if you need something other than food or consumables, first ask if you can use something you have, and if not, whether you can borrow it, make it, find it for free, or buy it at a thrift store. Also pay special attention to complex devices such as phones; the embodied energy in their manufacturing is truly staggering, so by putting off replacing your phone for as long as possible, you're likely saving more energy than you would by changing all the lightbulbs in your neighborhood.
Eat less conventionally-raised meat, dairy, and eggs. In terms of baby steps, this is actually one of the biggest things you can do to consume less energy. Conventionally-farmed meat has a staggering amount of embodied energy; in fact, if everyone in the US ate vegan just three meals (not days, meals) per week, some people estimate it would have the same energy impact as taking 7.6 million cars off the roads. (See this post for vegetarian meal ideas.) You can also focus on finding sources of sustainably-raised animal products; Eat Wild is a good place to start, as is your local farmers market.
Do an energy audit of your house. Energy.gov has a good basic checklist, talking about leaks, insulation, electricity use, and more. (Changing your lightbulbs or installing "draft dodgers" under doors are both good first steps!)
Ease off on climate control. Keeping your house colder in the winter and warmer in the summer is not just better for your budget and your immune system (you don't get shocked by a forty-degree temperature difference every time you step outside), but it also saves a lot of energy. Try changing the thermostat to two degrees cooler/warmer to start with and see if you adjust. And of course, if the weather is nice, be sure to open the windows!
Drive less. Everyone knows that cars guzzle energy, so this is a good leverage point for optimizing your energy use. Think about the last ten places you drove to and consider if all of them were necessary. Were any of them caused by not planning ahead (going to the store to grab one item, doing two trips to the same area for two errands that could've been done together)? Were any of them accessible by walking, biking, or public transit? Is there an option of ridesharing/carpooling for any of the places you drive? Simply being mindful of your driving— and planning ahead— can help you save gallons of precious gas every week.
Notice any water or food waste happening in your home. Purifying water for human consumption is extremely energy intense (especially anywhere arid); food embodies the energy of both the land required to grow it and the pesticides, herbicides, fossil-fuel derived fertilizers, and other inputs; and so on. Check for water leaks, don't leave the faucet running when you're not using it, do inventory of your fridge every couple days to spot food before it goes bad, eat leftovers, and be sure that you're not buying more food than you can eat.
Figure out where your energy comes from. What is the primary source of energy in your state— oil, coal, natural gas, geothermal, solar, hydroelectric, wind? What kind of environmental impact does this source of energy have? Are there any renewable energy initiatives in your state? (For instance, in Missouri, you can register and pay a small premium to have a percentage of your energy bill "come from" a new solar project being built at the St. Louis airport. Your state might have something similar.)
Learn more about carbon footprints. Although not a direct indicator of energy use, a carbon footprint is the impact that your energy use has on the planet. The Nature Conservancy has an in-depth interactive guide to help you get a ballpark estimate of how big your carbon footprint is— it's well worth the time to consider.
ADVANCED:
Spread the word. When you are passionate about a topic, it's important to spread the word. Whether it's helping people get energy audits, offering to help people access lower-impact food, sharing infographics about energy use, or volunteering with a nonprofit, there are many ways to get involved. (I highly recommend reading "No Impact Man" by Colin Beavan.)
Stop eating factory-farmed animal products. You can do this either by going vegan or (my preference) finding sources of sustainably-raised meat, eggs, fish, and dairy. Eat Wild is an excellent source of information about sustainable animal husbandry in your state. A properly-raised cow is actually a net benefit to the environment because it runs on solar power (by eating grass), enriches the soil with its manure, and helps encourage healthy grasslands. And if you're ready for a step up from that…
Eat a diet of only local, low-energy food. Animal products are obvious candidates to cut out, but other kinds of foods have high energy tolls as well: any food grown in an unnatural climate (water-hungry almonds in arid California; tomatoes raised in hothouses), foods that degrade or destroy biodiversity ("grass-fed" cattle raised in clear-cut rainforest areas; anything with palm oil in it), and so on. One of the best ways to shrink your energy footprint is to get most or all of your food from local sources, where you can talk to the farmers and see how their farming practices are helping or hurting the land.
Swear off long-distance travel for a while. Traveling long distances, whether by plane or by car, uses a ton of energy, so if you're serious about cutting your energy use, this can be a significant place to start. Take a vacation closer to home (perhaps within biking distance) or have a staycation.
Go off-grid. Do you have the means to set up solar panels, a windmill, or some other off-grid source of energy? The more we can decentralize our power sources, the less we have to rely on huge infrastructure.
Get rid of your car. Buying an electric car is also an option, but of course the best thing once again is to consume less. If you can design your life so that walking, biking, public transit and the occasional ride-share service can fill all your needs, this is one of the most impactful ways to lighten your energy load on the planet.
Which of these challenges would you like to take on this month? What would you add to the list?
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Previous posts in this series:
Getting Started
Celebrate Biodiversity (April)
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