About Me

My name is Beth Doriani, and I haven’t brushed my teeth yet this morning. I have, however, turned on six lights, two faucets, and a fan, flushed the toilet, checked the weather online, and printed a paper for my next class. My problem, although one may disagree, is not my lack of personal hygiene (I’ll get around to the teeth, I promise), it is my addiction to energy. Before I complete one of the basic necessities of daily living, I have used electricity in each part this morning’s routine. I suspect much of the modern world shares my addiciton, and for our malody there is no foreseeable solution. Is it possible to conserve this energy by living in the dark? bringing back outhouses to eliminate indoor plumbing? simply not completing my homework assignments? No, even if these were possible, they are not preferable ways of life. Electricity is a vital to life and the world is better because we use it. However, as an American, I am dismayed at statistics that show our consumption of energy, and feel that there must be something we can do to curb our exorbitant use of natural resources. As a college freshman, I cannot personally change the way American’s think about energy. Many believe – if they do not believe it they live like they do – the world’s resources are at our personal dispossal and therefore we can use as much as we want. This is simply not true. There is a limit to the natural sources of energy on the planet. Although I am claiming Americans are most culpable for this mindset, it is a global issue. The energy Americans use does not only come from American soil but is imported from all over the world. I will use this blog to document my progress in becoming an energy conscious citizen. It is my goal to use my new found knowlege – knowledge I will post and share right here – to implement changes in my own life to save more energy. Right now, I have energy saving lights bulbs in my dorm room and I turn even those off when I do not need them or I leave my room. I know the changes are small, but if everyone did it, think of the oil, the coal, the money that could be saved.