Reducing electric consumption in a digital age

Marissa Ingle/Western Herald

By Nora Strehl
Western Herald

Davis Turner’s house is normally dark, except for a lamp lighting the bedroom. The television is on, but the screen black as his cell phone sits plugged into the wall as ‘battery charged’ flashes on its screen. His Xbox 360 is on standby, ready to be picked up where he left off.

“Sometimes I just forget [to shut everything off],” said Turner, a senior at Western Michigan University.

Devices abound throughout the home, all of which are reliant on electricity.

“It’s not like I do it on purpose, I guess I just don’t really think about it.”

This misuse of electricity is something that often can be found in a college living environment, and because of this, students have acquired the reputation of being energy inefficient.

“When you are trying to get somewhere, the last thing you want to do is run back upstairs to shut off the lights,” Turner said.

“You turn it off, and have to fumble around in the dark to find your way back downstairs.”

While this might be the case for some, there are just as many students who are conscious of their energy consumption.

“Every time I leave the house, I make sure all the lights are off,” said Spencer Johnson, a junior at WMU.

“Sometimes I’ll even come back into the house to make sure I’ve gotten all of them.”

As different as the two students’ attitudes toward energy awareness are, there was one thing that they both were in total agreement on; there is not one electronic device that they are willing to live without.

Their responses were almost identical. An iPod, a laptop computer, and a cell phone, while on campus. In addition to their stereo, a Wii and a television at home.
Although these everyday activities seem problem free, there is harm when using electricity in this manner.

To give some insight into how this lack of electrical awareness is harmful to the environment, according to WMU’s Sustainability Web site one desktop computer left on all day for a year can result in more than 1,500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions released into the atmosphere, which would take the equivalent of 100 to 500 trees to make up for.

However, computers aren’t the only devices contributing to CO2 pollution, since practically every electronic device is a contributor. Especially if the source energy comes from fossil fuel.

Generating 37.1 billion kilowatts of power per year to 1.8 million households, Terry DeDoes, a spokesman for Consumer’s Energy, has seen energy consumption at its worst.

“The average consumer uses eight percent more electricity now then they did about 10 years previously,” said DeDoes.

“When left plugged in, iPods, computers, gaming systems, and cell phones are constantly generating power.”

Then, of course, there are electronic appliances that are never unplugged and are producing energy all day. These appliances, always plugged-in, are not typically seen as energy inefficient; but they too are continuously generating power.

Being energy efficient is defined as using electricity and natural gas more effectively and, based on the Michigan Clean, Renewable and Energy Efficiency Act of 2008, all distributors of electricity must establish renewable energy programs.

As the largest supplier of renewable energy in the state of Michigan, Consumer’s Energy plans on doubling that amount by 10 percent, by 2015.

“Through our environmental approach, [Saving Solutions], we expect to see a huge reduction of emissions,” DeDoes said.

Savings Solutions is an energy efficient program, which was created to help people save energy and money. Through this program, Consumer’s Energy expects to save 18.5 million tons of carbon dioxide, 71,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, and 21,000 tons of nitrous oxide.

“This is just from our six year plan – and that is not even taking into account the increased use of renewable energy.”

In the meantime, DeDoes said there are practical ways to keep the cost of energy down.

“You can save a lot of money by using a fluorescent light bulb,” DeDoes said.

“They use 75 percent less energy, and they last longer.”

Much of the energy a household consumes comes from its appliances.

“The average family does about 400 loads of laundry a year,” DeDoes added. “By purchasing an energy efficient washer and dryer, like a new Energy Star, the savings are about 135 dollars a year.

“You could do an additional 133 loads, and use the same energy as the old model.”

With all of this information, at the majority of WMU student’s fingertips, what is stopping them from educating themselves and making a conscious decision to cut back on their personal energy consumption?

“We have done a lot of things to improve efficiency [on campus], but we have very little influence on a student’s behavior,” said Harold Glasser, Ph.D., associate professor of environmental studies and chair of the President’s University-Wide Sustainability Committee.

“What is it that makes students want to continue to sustain? How do we get them to care?” Glasser said.

Chris Caprara, a senior at WMU with a major in environmental studies and geography, believes that energy efficiency is becoming more important to college students, but there is still progress to be made.

Caprara was one of four WMU student presenters at The Greening of the Campus VIII conference, hosted by Ball State University and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (ASHE) in Indianapolis.

“Just as with any other age group, some students have been taught to, or personally taken an interest in energy efficiency, while some have been brought up with the mentality that it’s just not important.” Caprara said.

“Our job, as an institution of higher education, is to show them that it is important, and even more importantly, show them that it is important to us.”

But the question still remains, what will it take?

“The best way to get college students to care about energy efficiency, is to teach them the benefits of it,” he added.

“Therefore, step one is to provide students with the knowledge they need to make energy efficient choices and follow up by rewarding their efforts.”

Graphic by Kyle Green