Earth Day Reminds Us It Is Never Too Early To Start Teaching Kids About Energy Conservation

It's April 22nd...Happy Earth Day! On this special day we should start teaching our youth about energy conservation and being eco-friendly around the house. When it comes to reducing energy use, you should try to include your whole family. While kids may not fully understand the importance of energy reduction, it's important to get them involved when they're young to ensure they grow up with an environmentally-friendly mindset. With that in mind, let's take a look at a few ways you can teach your children eco-friendly values.

Educate your kids. In order to help kids appreciate energy conservation, they have to understand it first. By having a discussion with your child about energy, you'll be able to help them understand where energy and electricity come from. You should consider telling them about your local energy company and explaining how energy is received from the local energy company. Additionally, there are online resources and books to help explain the concept in a fun, easy way.

Plan activities that don't use electricity. Consider dedicating a certain time, whether it be an hour a day or an entire day out of the week, to do activities that don't use electricity or energy. Exploring outdoors is a great way to do this because oftentimes you don't require energy to do stuff outside. Planning these activities can be a great way to bring the whole family together without sitting in front of a screen.

Use energy-efficient transportation. When possible, you should encourage your family to be creative when it comes to transportation. It's important for kids to know that there are other modes of transportation that will help you reduce energy use. With that in mind, you should consider biking or walking when possible.

Keep your children involved. If you're making lifestyle changes to help increase energy savings, share these behaviors with the whole family. Whether it's taking shorter showers or ensuring all the lights are off when you leave a room, the whole family should be participating. Additionally, if you're doing projects around the house, make sure to include your children. By explaining to them what you're working on and how it's going to help you save energy, you'll be helping them further understand the importance of saving energy.

Start a garden together in the early Spring. Not only do gardens naturally help the environment, but they can also instill a sense of responsibility in your children. Additionally, they'll be able to learn about different types of plants and natural resources. You can choose to grow produce, flowers, or even plant some trees. In fact, trees are a great addition to your property. When trees provide shade, reductions in energy use can save up to 2.4 tons of CO2 emissions annually. Also, each tree can absorb about 25 pounds of CO2 from the air each year on their own.

No matter what age your child is, it's never too early to start teaching them how to save energy and minimize their impact on the environment. Whether it's talking to them about your local energy company or growing plants, there are plenty of ways to educate your children about the importance of reducing energy use.  Let's make this Earth Day the time to start educating our youth about what they can do to help save our planet!

Fun Earth Day Facts
DID YOU KNOW:

• Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 each year.
• Earth Day was created to promote awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s environment.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was created partially because of the success and public support created by Earth Day.
• Most Schools, town and organizations have fun activities planned every for Earth Day to help children realize the importance of taking care if our environment.
• Over 190 Countries throughout the world celebrate Earth Day.

How to Have a Greener Earth Day

Earth Day has become one of the most widely celebrated environmental events across the globe. It's a time to focus more on the awareness and appreciation of Earth's environment. It's celebrated by over 190 countries each year. It was originally celebrated at Spring Equinox around 21 March every day but now the United Nations has designated the 22nd April as International Mother Earth Day. Earth Day Network coordinates this annual day across the globe.

Earth Day is all about appreciating the uniqueness of our planet Earth with its incredible biodiversity. On this day various national and international activities are conducted to understand the biodiversity and how should we protect our nature – plants, animals and the environment. Many people think it's about just planting a tree or helping to clean up your neighborhood park, but it's the simple things over time that really give the greatest impact. Saving energy right in your own home without spending much money is a great way to make a big impact on Mother Earth, but also your wallet. Here's a few ways you can do your part inside the home right away!

1. Monitor Your Energy Use

When attempting to save energy, this should be step one. Your local energy utility company likely has a website or app that can be used to monitor how much electricity is being used during the current billing period, and how that number changes from month to month. Obviously, there are factors like regional climate, the seasons, and the number of people within the household that affect these numbers. However, these numbers can likely be lowered by a substantial number.

2. Consider Changing Your Light Bulbs

Obviously, the easiest way to reduce energy costs related to lighting is to get into the habit of turning the lights off when you leave a room. However, there are ways to take saving money on lighting to the next level.

There are several different types of light bulbs out there that can save a lot of energy. Obviously, many consumers will be concerned about how these new light bulbs might affect their daily lives. Contact your electric company (Or your local hardware store), and they will likely be able to recommend a certain brand or type of bulb that other consumers in your area use. According to research, the use of halogen incandescent, CFL, and LED bulbs can reduce save you anywhere from 33% to 80% on energy costs related to lighting.

3. Consider Renewable Energy

When most people think of renewable energy, they picture huge solar panels, tall windmills, and waterwheels. However, there are renewable energy options that can fit your home and lifestyle. For example, there are homes across the country that have fireplaces or wood burning stoves that go unused. More than 150 years ago, 90% of the nation's energy needs were exclusively supplied by wood. If you have a wood burning stove that you are not sure about, you might consider having it inspected and using it during the winter. Switching to wood power for heat instead of a typical furnace can cut way down on your energy usage.

Another one of the renewable energy sources that can be used in the home is solar energy. This option might take a bit more research on your part (To see how affordable it is), but there are solar power roof shingles available.

4. Cut Down on Energy Waste

Many consumers across the country waste way more energy than they can imagine. Energy escapes through drafty windows, non-insulated ceilings, and open doors. One way to save on energy costs is to insulate your ceiling. According to research, up to 20% or even 30% can be saved on heating and cooling bills just by insulating your home's ceiling. Also, this can reduce carbon emissions by 140 to 2100 pounds per year. Month to month, it is easy to see how that money can add up. Also, general insulation and properly sealed air leaks in the home can reduce heating and cooling bills up to another 20%. Contact your electric company for more specific numbers relating to your area.

5. Energy Conservation Rewards

Your electric company may be offering money that you do not even know about. Many companies offer their customers rewards for using less energy, particularly during high-traffic hours of the day. You might be able to earn these rewards by following some of the above tips as well. Reducing the strain on the electric company (and the environment) can mean cash in your pocket. Contact your residential energy provider for details on what might be offered in your area.

6. Planting Trees

Trees play a huge part in the overall ecosystem. Aside from beautifying an area, Trees, like other green plants, use photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into sugar, cellulose and other carbon-containing carbohydrates that they use for food and growth. Trees are unique in their ability to lock up large amounts of carbon in their wood, and continue to add carbon as they grow. And then trees release oxygen when they use energy from sunlight to make glucose from carbon dioxide and water.

 7. Arrange a Clean Up Party

Helping the environment also means helping yourself and your relationships, gather your friends up and start an initiative to clean up a local park. It'll help beautify the local neighborhood, build those strong bonds amongst people, and make a real impact on the environment overall.

Do you have plans for your Earth Day Celebration? We'd love to hear about your plans and see pictures of your Earth Day Celebration!