Energy Resource - Lesson 1 : Energy Use in Michigan - Then and Now

Annual Energy Review is a portal that allows users to download tables of information showing long-term

trends in many facets of energy production and consumption. Much of the information in this chapter came

from the graphs in the Energy Perspectives, listed under Features, and the tables listed under Energy

Consumption by Sector. Retrieved October 20, 2010 from http://www.eia.gov/emeu/aer/contents.html

Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the U.S. Department of Energy has a very useful website

with an interactive map and links to pages that summarize energy production and consumption for every

state. Students, working individually or in groups, could “adopt” one other state and make a poster

comparing residential, industrial, and transportation energy use in Michigan and that state. For example,

residences, factories, and transportation use roughly equal amounts of energy in Michigan, whereas in

Alabama, industry uses more than twice as much as residences, and in Alaska, transportation uses nearly

four times as much as residences. Students could speculate about the influence of size, climate, and

population density on energy use. Retrieved October 20, 2010 from http://www.eia.doe.gov/state/index.cfm

Energy Star, a web site jointly sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of

Energy, provides information about the Energy Star program, which helps businesses and individuals protect

the environment through superior energy efficiency. Retrieved October 20, 2010, from http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=about.ab_index

Information for Educators on the Alliance to Save Energy’s web site includes tools and resources to help

educators bring energy efficiency into the classroom; pages to help students learn vital real-world skills,

such as how to do a home energy audit; and information about the Green Schools Program and Green

Campus Pilot Program. The Alliance to Save Energy is a non-profit coalition of business, government,

environmental, and consumer leaders that (1) supports energy efficiency as a cost-effective energy resource

under existing market conditions and (2) advocates energy-efficiency policies that minimize costs to society

and individual consumers and lessen greenhouse gas emissions that impact the global climate. Retrieved

October 20, 2010, from http://www.ase.org/topics/education

International Energy Annual from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration

is a comprehensive annual report on world energy production, consumption, and prices broken down by

energy type and country. Also includes world population, gross domestic product, and carbon dioxide

emissions. Retrieved October 20, 2010, from http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/iea/contents.html

Introducing Michigan’s Past, a 33-page booklet from Michigan History magazine that is designed for

teachers introducing fourth-grade students to Michigan history, provides general background for evaluating

energy use in the past compared to today. Michigan History Magazine. (2001). Introducing Michigan’s Past.

Lansing, MI: Michigan Department of State. Retrieved July 10, 2018, from http://www.livingbookscurriculum.com/mm5/pdf/introducing-michigans-past.pdf

Kid’s Stuff from Michigan Historical Museum, a Michigan Department of History, Arts, and

Libraries web site, contains background information about Michigan’s history that can help evaluate

energy use in the past compared to today. Retrieved October 20, 2010, from http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-54463_19268_20778--,00.html

Personal Transportation is a two-page fact sheet from the Center for Sustainable Systems at the

University of Michigan. It presents trends in U.S. vehicle miles traveled, vehicle occupancy, average fuel

economy, and vehicle size; life cycle impacts of a typical passenger car; and recommended solutions and

sustainable alternatives. Center for Sustainable Systems. (2003). CSS Factsheets. Ann Arbor, MI:

University of Michigan. Retrieved July 10, 2018, from http://css.umich.edu/sites/default/files/

Personal_Transportation_Factsheet_CSS01- 07_e2017.pdf

Residential Buildings is a two-page Center for Sustainable Systems fact sheet with trends in

U.S. home size, occupancy, and energy use; life-cycle analysis of a typical Ann Arbor home; and

recommended solutions and sustainable alternatives. Center for Sustainable Systems. (2001).

CSS Factsheets. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan. Retrieved July 10, 2018,

from http://css.umich.edu/sites/default/files/Residential_Buildings_Factsheet_CSS01-08_e2017.pdf

State Activities and Partnerships is a list of sites that deal with energy efficiency in Michigan. As with

the EIA site, students could compare Michigan with another state, perhaps one in the Sunbelt, along either

ocean shore, or in the Great Plains or Desert Southwest. Retrieved October 20, 2010 from

http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/states/state_specific_information/cfm/state=MI

U.S. Energy System is a two-page Center for Sustainable Systems fact sheet with trends in U.S.

energy system supply and demand; environmental impacts, and recommended solutions and sustainable

alternatives. Center for Sustainable Systems. (2001). CSS Factsheets. Ann Arbor, MI: University of

Michigan. Retrieved July 10, 2018, from http://css.umich.edu/sites/default/files/

U.S._Energy_System_Factsheet_CSS03-11_e2017.pdf