Harrison Archer

Geoffrey Bateman

Writ

2/28/11

Preserving Life as We Know It

A problem that has been growing and growing each and every day in America is global warming and the worsening of our environment. We constantly pollute and damage our air and earth by the lifestyles that we live. Eighty percent of the world’s forests have disappeared; the United States has five percent of the world’s population and thirty percent of its waste. (1) This is a direct result of the world’s negligence to global warming. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours. The amount of paper and wood we throw away per year, it would be enough to heat fifty million houses for twenty years. (2) What are we scared of? We have every opportunity to better our community and ourselves. We have a chance to give back to something that has given us everything.

There are so many measures that should be taken a lot more seriously so that we can help ourselves. I feel like people have so much going on in their personal lives that they don't even have time to think about what really matters, and what will some day affect us all. Wind turbines, solar energy, hydroelectric energy, are all different methods of saving our earth. In Colorado, gas prices have recently been in the news because of the rising price. This, I think, would do wonders for our economy. Just think, cut half the people on the road in half, which means half of the gas being used, and half of the polluted air, would be a step in the direction for our economy, and for our environment. People need to realize how much is at stake right now in regards to the future of our earth, because before we know it, we could loose it all. The campus of the University of Denver can be the first place we really start to turn things around. This campus is in a place that is susceptible to change; the general demographic is one of optimism, especially with regards to this topic. Everyone who lives in Denver, or in Colorado has a special love for the mountains and the beautiful things we see everyday. So, I think DU and Denver is a great stepping-stone to bigger and better things regarding our environment. Last year Denver received and A- on the annual College Sustainability Report Card. This year, we should shoot for an A+, so we know we are dong everything we can to help ourselves. Most people have decided to take the easy way out and say it won’t affect them, or they have more important things to do. But, in reality it’s so practical and easy for everyone to take an extra thirty seconds or expend a tiny bit more energy so future generations can enjoy everything that we enjoyed. I’ve done my homework and at this point I know what it takes to succeed.

Solar Energy is one of the most efficient, environmentally friendly ways to use and conserve energy. Although it is extremely expensive, I think this country, and the world needs to make an investment in something that can last for a lifetime and can preserve life as we know it. Solar energy takes heat from the sun and turns it into renewable energy. We should milk our resources for everything that they are worth. Energy and electricity bills are some of the most costly expenses households have to pay. Solar panels and solar energy is a one payment, good for a lifetime investment that not only will help save our earth, but will save our economy. Solar energy is the energy of the future. But, since everyone is so obsessed with technological advances, why aren’t more people investing in solar energy? We need to take advantage of everything that we can in order to enjoy life. We need to take advantage of things that are natural and limitless, and use them so that we can help ourselves. Colorado is a city that sits at a higher elevation. Solar energy in Colorado could be extremely beneficial because of the altitude and because of flatness of eastern Colorado. In an article written by the Denver post, it says that western voters favor the environment. Voters in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Montana and Wyoming all said that they support substituting alternative energy sources like wind and solar power for coal.(3)

Wind power is another alternative way to generate energy by using something that will always be available. In the past couple of years, wind power has started to make a lot of headway, doubling their electricity production each year. In Denmark, twenty percent of stationary electricity has been produced by wind power. While Denmark leads the world with twenty percent, Ireland is not far behind, wielding a fourteen percent production rate. Since 2009, more than eighty countries have started commercially using wind power. This is one of farthest along alternative energy sources, but we must keep building upon it because every wind turbine, wind pump, and wind pump can make a difference. Wind farms are not completely accepted because their lack of a visual appeal, which I think is insane. At the same time, it is the last problematic of any other kind of alternative energy source. The United States is in the top ten countries of wind power production, but being one of, if not the most powerful countries in the world, we should aspire to be at the top of that list. The United States needs to set the pace in order to get other countries on board and try to tackle this current environmental issue. China is among the most powerful countries in the world, but in recent years they have neglected to try make advances in their environmental efforts, and just concentrate on their economic growth. In China, only one percent of the population inhales what is categorized as safe air. In Colorado, especially eastern Colorado because its very flat and could use wind farms.

Hydroelectric energy is the most widely used renewable alternative energy source there is. The theory for the use of hydropower is quite simple. Large amounts of water are pumped into a turbine, which generates power into a powerhouse that has power lines connected to it, which then supplies our home with electricity.(4) We should have some type of hydro power mechanism in every large body of water that has a drop in elevation. It’s doing things like this that will save our earth. We are a country and a state(Colorado) that can set an example for everyone else. There are three things that we can use to better ourselves: there are things that have happened, things that we know, and things we can change. So, lets forget what has happened in the past, lets use what we know now, and change the selfish we live our lives.

There are so many small, easy things we can do on the DU campus that will make a world of a difference. Carpooling when driving to the mountains, taking shorter showers, recycling, and taking the light rail down town instead of driving. These are all feasible things that we as students and as contributing members of society can do to help ourselves. “Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.”(John Muir)