Energy Lesson 4 : Non-Renewable Energy Choices and Impacts

American Solar Energy Society, a national organization based in Boulder, Colorado, is dedicated to advancing the use of solar energy for the benefit of U.S. citizens and the global environment. Its website has links to solar information, the National Solar Tour, and conferences. The group publishes Solar Today magazine and a free online newsletter, Sunbeam. Retrieved October 20, 2010, from http://www.ases.org.

American Wind Energy Association is a national trade association that represents wind power plant developers, wind turbine manufacturers, utilities, consultants, insurers, financiers, researchers, and others involved in the wind industry. The group advocates development of wind energy as a reliable, environmentally superior energy alternative in the United States and around the world. Its website provides updates on wind energy developments, policies, and legislation. Retrieved October 20, 2010, from http://www.awea.org.

Clean Energy is a U. S. Environmental Protection Agency site that discusses ways of working with state and local agencies to reduce the environmental impact of activities such as electricity generation. Retrieved October 20, 2010 from http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/index.html.

Clean Energy is the home page for a section that explores various alternatives to fossil fuels, prepared by Union of Concerned Scientists. Retrieved October 20, 2010 from http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/.

Grading the States In 2003, the group UCSUSA published a 52-page report entitled Grading the States, which is still downloadable but somewhat obsolete. Retrieved October 20, 2010 from http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/clean_energy/plugging_in_renewable_energy.pdf.

Energy Quest is the California Energy Commission’s award-winning energy education website, which debuted during National Energy Awareness Month in October 1995. This updated site encourages youth to learn about new ways to produce energy and to use less energy. Retrieved October 20, 2010, from http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/.

Explainer: What is fracking? is a short article about fracking that is geared toward students. The article is easy to understand and describes fracking in three steps. Retrieved September 19, 2016, from https://student.societyforscience.org/article/explainer-what-fracking.

Fracking: What is it and how does it work? is a BBC webpage that describes what fracking is. The webpage provides text and videos. Retrieved September 19, 2016, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/23513694.

Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association is a Michigan-based nonprofit association that seeks to increase the mainstream use of renewable energy technologies and sustainable energy practices. Its website provides links to information about energy efficiency, renewable energy resources, conferences, seminars, photovoltaic technician training, policies, and legislation. Retrieved October 20, 2010, from http://www.glrea.org.

Michigan Energy Office Case Study Series is a website featuring energy case studies in various categories: residential, public buildings, business, non-profit, industrial, transportation, wind, and solar. There are also links to pages with general information for the same categories. The case studies can also be identified on the Michigan.Gov website using the search terms “MDCIS Energy Case Study Series”. The Energy Office is part of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth. Retrieved October 20, 2010, from http://www.michigan.gov/documents/CIS_EO_Inside_case4_40671_7.htm.

Michigan Renewable Energy Program is a web site with links and sources that promote the use of renewable energy in Michigan. The Public Service Commission is part of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth. Retrieved October 20, 2010, from http://www.michigan.gov/mpsc/0,1607,7-159-16393---,00.html.

Midwest Renewable Energy Association is a Wisconsin based nonprofit network for sharing ideas, resources, and information with individuals, businesses, and communities to promote a sustainable future through renewable energy and energy efficiency. Its website has information about its annual Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Fair, ReNew the Earth Institute with demonstrations of renewable energy systems and educational displays, workshops, tours, and newsletter. Retrieved October 20, 2010, from http://www.the-mrea.org.

Myths about Solar Electricity, a downloadable document from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings series, discusses several myths about solar energy, including the belief that solar energy can never meet a significant part of the world’s energy needs. Retrieved October 20, 2010 from http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/32529.pdf.

Renewable Energy Sources is a full-color, 23” x 35” poster showing sources of renewable energy, including biomass, passive and active solar energy, photovoltaics, power towers, hydropower, wind, geothermal, OTEC, waves and tidal energy. The back side supplies background information and suggestions for K-8 student learning activities. Available for $4.00 from the National Energy Foundation. Retrieved October 20, 2010, from https://nef1.org/store/energy-efficiency/renewable-energysources-poster/.

Cleaning Up Coal is an energy lesson on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy website that discusses how various problems associated with burning coal have been solved over the years and how clean coal technologies show promise for cutting back on the release of carbon dioxide by burning coal more efficiently. Retrieved October 21, 2010, from http://fossil.energy.gov/education/energylessons/coal/index.html.

The Energy Story-Chapter 8: Fossil Fuels-Coal, Oil and Natural Gas, on the California Energy Commission’s Energy Quest website, discusses how various fossil fuels form in nature. It also shows the petroleum products refined from a barrel of oil. Retrieved October 21, 2010, from http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter08.html.

The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book is the online version of the third edition (1995) of this popular publication, jointly produced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Environment Canada, which contains a wealth of information and graphics about the Great Lakes and their watershed area. Retrieved October 21, 2010, from http://www.epa.gov/ glnpo/atlas/index.html.

ScienceEducation.gov allows teachers to access science education lesson plans and other information from any federal agency, with a search engine that allows stratification by subject and grade level. As a live portal to a number of governmental agencies, its content will be updated frequently. Retrieved October 20, 2010 from https://www.science.gov/.

The Spirit Lake Community School issued a summary of the costs and benefits of their wind energy turbine, which can be downloaded as a pdf file. Retrieved October20, 2010, from http://apps2.eere.energy.gov/wind/windexchange/filter_detail.asp?itemid=3623.

K-12 Sustainability Education is a website from Western Upper Michigan Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education that compiles sustainability education resources for K-12 educators. These resources include lesson plans and links to outside resources such as Michigan Green Schools. Retrieved September 19, 2016, from http://wupcenter.mtu.edu/sustainability/resources.html.

U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is the home page for a site that has pages dealing with a number of energy topics, from biomass to solar and wind. Retrieved October 20, 2010 from http://www.eere.energy.gov/.

Readying Michigan to Make Good Energy Decisions, is a page on the Michigan Agency for Energy website, that has links to renewable energy publications and materials. Retrieved September 19, 2016, from http://www.michigan.gov/energy/0,4580,7-230-72200_68204---,00.html.

What is Fracking is an interactive website that goes in to detail about fracking and its impacts. The website covers a wide range of topics including water additives, public health, and economic impacts among others. Retrieved September 19, 2016, from www.what-is-fracking.com.

Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering is a college-level textbook introducing concepts of biological, chemical, and physical processes necessary to solve increasingly complex environmental engineering problems. Mihelcic, J., Auer, M., Hand, D., Honrath, R., Perlinger, J., Urban, N., & Penn, M. (1999). Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Merc Concern: Mercury Awareness for Michigan Citizens is a four-page brochure from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. It discusses what mercury is, how human activities release it into the environment, how it accumulates in fish, its implications for human health, and what people can do to help solve the problem. Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. (2000). Merc Concern: Mercury Awareness for Michigan Citizens. Lansing, MI: State of Michigan. Retrieved October 21, 2010, from https://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/deq-ead-p2-mercury-mercbroc_447512_7.pdf.

Mercury in Your Home, School and Lake, part of the Environmental Education for Kids website sponsored by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, discusses sources and dangers of mercury in homes, schools, and the environment; how it accumulates in fish; and how people can reduce mercury pollution. Retrieved October 21, 2010, from http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/earth/mercury.htm.

Poor Richard’s Energy Almanac, in the Energy Library section of the California Energy Commission’s Energy Quest website, puts an energy-savings spin on sayings from Benjamin Franklin and compares energy-related issues in his time to modern life. Retrieved October 21, 2010, from http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/library/ben/index.html.