Defining Renewable Energy, Green Technology, And The Need For It

What is renewable energy?

Renewable energy, also referred to as clean energy, is simply energy that comes from a sources that is not depleted when used, such as solar panels, wind powered generators, and hydroelectric (water powered) generators. These types of power sources do not consume any kind of fuel, and therefor do not produce any kinds of exhaust.

Renewable energy also describes non electric forms of energy such as wood heat, the light from a torch, water running downhill creating gravity powered water pressure for homes or communities.

What is environmental sustainability?

While the specific definition of environmental sustainability varies, depending on which group you’re talking to, the basic idea remains the same; to use the earths natural resources in a way that ensures that they will remain plentiful for generations to come, so that our children, and their children’s grandchildren, have the same quality of living that we do, or better.

What is green technology?

Green technology is basically any technology that is designed to help conserve natural resources. Examples of green tech would be a solar panel, an electric car, and a geo-thermal heating system.

Eco-Communities

As we advance in our understanding of our environment here on earth, so also do we advance in our technological capabilities and as a result we are quickly developing new green technologies and energy sources as well as sustainable building and farming practices.
Another example for environmental sustainability at a societal level are the “eco-villages”, “eco-municipalities”.
An eco-village is a small community of up to around 150 residents that share goals and values related to sustainable living and according to Global Ecovillage Network, there are approximately 420 eco-villages in the world today.
Eco-municipalities and eco-cities have a similar nature, but larger.
According to the International Eco-Cities Initiative, there are nearly 200 significant eco-city projects at various stages of development around the world today.

Whats in it for me?

If taking care of our only home and ensuring a healthy future for our children and future generations isn’t enough motivation, there are financial benefits as well.
With the constantly rising costs of fuel and electricity living a green lifestyle will make a pretty big difference in your yearly electricity, heating, and fuel costs.

For residents of British Columbia the average cost of electricity is around $124 per 1000kWh (kilowatt hours), and the average consumption for a 1500-2000 square foot house ends up being around 1000kWh per month but that can fluctuate dramatically in winter months depending on your method of heating.
In my own experience, using electric heat in the winter for a 2000 square foot house in British Columbia usually ends up costing nearly $300/month.

Using wood fired heating appliances or a geo-thermal heating system, and energy efficient appliances, lights, and water fixtures can reduce hydro costs dramatically.
Driving a smaller, more fuel fuel efficient or hybrid/electric vehicle can reduce yearly fuel costs by thousands.
The average fuel cost for an eight cylinder half ton pickup is between $2000-$3000 per year, depending on the year of the truck, while the average cost for a cross-over type vehicle tends to be closer to $1500-$2000 per year, assuming each vehicle is driven about 20,000k per year. (https://carcosts.caa.ca/)

Many renewable energy sources are portable and easily transported and so can be used for camping and traveling and with our constantly advancing technologies, green tech is becoming more affordable and available to consumers with smaller budgets.

There is every reason to replace our old tech with new clean and green tech and it is quickly becoming widely available to everyone so get started, its worth it!

This Post Was Taken From My Environmental Sustainability Blog