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

1. How do we use energy in Michigan? Lead students in a brainstorm of ways we use energy.

List their responses on the board. [Transportation, heating and cooling, manufacturing goods, disposing of wastes, etc.]

Display and discuss the Michigan and United States Total Energy Consumption by Sector, 2009

overhead transparency.

Which sectors consumed the most energy in 2009? [Residential, industrial, and transportation.]

What about transportation? [Some people predict that energy use for transportation will surpass the industrial sector by 2025.] What could cause this

to happen? [Many Michigan families have more cars, drive more often, and are commuting longer distances to work. Others say that rising fuel

costs will persuade people to buy more efficient cars and change their driving habits.]

How does Michigan’s energy consumption by sector compare to that of the United States? [In Michigan, consumption by the residential

sector is slightly higher than in the United States.] Why do you think it is higher? Display and discuss Residential Energy Use Based on National

Averages overhead transparency. [A breakdown of consumption use by the U.S. residential sector shows 43% of the residential energy use goes

toward heating homes. Michigan has cold winters, so we use a lot of energy for heat. Compared to the United States, Michigan’s energy use by

industry is less, even though the state ranks very high in employment by industry.] How can this be? [Because the kind of industry in Michigan

(automobile assembly, pharmaceuticals) uses less energy than, say, refining oil, smelting aluminum, weaving fabric, or making materials for house

construction.]

2. How has the consumption of energy resources changed since your grandparents were children? Discuss student energy use surveys.

How have the means of transportation changed since your grandparents were children? [More families have cars. People walk less frequently.

Air travel is much more common.]

How have the common fuels used for cooking, drying clothes, and heating changed? [In the past, wood and coal were commonly

used for cooking and heating. Clothes were often air-dried on a clothesline. Today, fossil fuels and electricity are commonly used.]

How have the number and types of appliances changed? [The number and types of electricpowered devices and appliances have increased

exponentially with each generation.]

What kinds of transportation, energy sources, or tools did your parents or grandparents use that you do not have or use? [Many possible

answers.]

What have some of the changes in energy use allowed you to do, or do differently, than your parents? [It takes less time to complete

common tasks, such as dish or clothes washing. Television, computers, and cell phones make communication quicker and easier.]

Which items on the survey are things we need and which are things we want? Put N (need) and W (want) by each item on the

survey. Describe how our needs and wants today compare to the needs and wants of past generations. [Answers will vary.]

3. How has Michigan’s energy consumption changed? Conduct an energy consumption simulation. (Optional)

Note: If you have a large class, you may wish to divide the large plastic

tub of peas into three clear plastic tubs and place them in different locations in

the classroom. If you have lower level students, you may wish to conduct the

simulation twice. The first time, increase only the rate of consumption; the second

time, increase only the population size.

Show students a plastic tub of dried peas. The peas represent all the energy resources available in Michigan about 100 years ago (1900).

Explain that the class represents all of the people living in Michigan in 2000 (9,938,444 people). Give each student a clear cup or beaker

and explain they will be placing the energy units used in their cups.

How long will the energy resources last if each resident of Michigan today consumes 1 dried pea energy unit every 10 seconds? [Answers

will vary.]

Divide the number of students in the class by 4. Use this number to represent the number of people living in Michigan in 1900 (2,420,982).

For example, if you have 32 students, choose 8 to represent those who lived in 1900. Tell students the simulation will begin with the

population of 1900 and we will be adding people as Michigan’s population grows.

Begin the simulation by having the 1900 residents of Michigan “consume” the dried peas by placing one pea in their cup approximately

every 10 seconds. Call out “Consume (Insert #) peas!” every 10 seconds. Every 30 seconds, add two student consumers to simulate a population

increase and increase the rate of consumption by each resident by 1 dried pea. Use the table below to guide your simulation.

chart

When all of the students in the class have been added to the population of Michigan, stop the simulation. What is happening to the energy

resources? [They are decreasing.] Will the resources eventually “run out”? Why? [Non-renewable energy is a lot like these

peas—it will eventually run out, and “eventually” comes sooner if we keep adding more people and increasing the amount of

energy used by each person. Try to get students to accept that fact as the major reason for exploring the alternatives described in the

lessons to come.]

4. Display and interpret the overhead transparency of U.S. Estimated Total Energy Consumption, 1900-2010 and Michigan

Estimated Total Energy Consumption, 1960-2010 graphs.

What is the general trend shown on the charts? [Energy consumption has generally increased.]

Is there any variation in the line for U.S. consumption? [Slight decreases in consumption occurred during the early 1930s (the Great

Depression), the late 1970s and early 1980s (energy crisis/Middle East oil embargo, resulting in increases in energy efficiency and energy

conservation).]

Do the residents of Michigan today consume more or less energy than past generations? [More] How much more? [About 13 times

the total amount of energy consumed by all of Michigan’s residents in 1900. Per capita Michigan residents use about three times the

amount used in 1960.].

What are some of the energy uses today that did not exist at the beginning of the century?

[Automobiles were just being developed in 1900. There were no planes. Railroads and ships were the primary means of long distance

travel. Horses were still a common method of transportation. Electricity was just beginning to become common at the turn of the century. Today

we use hundreds of different electrical appliances and purchase many different products that were not available at the turn of the century.]

What are some of the reasons energy use has increased? Display the overhead transparency of Michigan Population, 1900-2010 and

Michigan Estimated Total Energy Consumption, 1960-2010.

[Increasing population (Michigan has about 8 million more residents today than it did in 1900), an increase in industrialization, bigger

homes, and more electrical appliances, but also such factors as low labor and product costs, development of technology such as planes and

cars, and the need to operate in a society that is much more globally connected.]

Point out to students that the products, food and services we purchase all have embodied energy in them, the energy used to create them.

That means we consume energy directly and indirectly. It takes not only raw materials, but also energy to make the products we use and

grow the food we eat. It also takes energy to dispose of the products when we are done using them. Students will learn about the embodied

energy contained in products in Lesson 7.

5. Summary understandings.

Energy has many uses and plays a central role in our society. The technology that has made use of fossil fuels and electricity has allowed our

society to grow, change, do things impossible to do 100 years ago, and provide a less labor intensive life for Michigan and U.S. citizens.

As a result, the demand for and consumption of energy in the United States and in Michigan has dramatically increased over the past 100 years,

despite gains in energy efficiency over the past 30 years. This increase in consumption, while benefiting our society in many ways, leaves

future generations fewer fossil fuel energy resources and creates environmental problems, such as pollution and global warming. How will

we solve this problem and ensure that future generations have adequate energy resources and a healthy environment? The lessons in the rest

of the unit will help you gain the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions about your energy and product choices, and personal actions.

6. Homework.

Pass out My Environmental Diary and read the introduction. Show students how to read an electric meter and calculate the amount of

electricity consumed. (A reference on how to read an electric meter is located on the MEECS Energy Resources CD.) Students should make

entries in their diary for the duration of the unit.

This week students should, with the help of their family, record the ways energy was used each day (for 5 days) and the amount of time it

was used (i.e., watching TV, 2 hours, washing clothes, 3 hours). Next week have students complete the “Week 2” portion of the diary.