Impacts of Energy Consumption free essay sample

Coming home from a long day at school, I tell myself, â€Å"Damn, I’m tired! † On top of that, it’s blazing hot outside, so I set my thermostat to the lowest possible temperature so that my apartment can cool down quickly. After I adjust the temperature, I go to the bathroom and then leave the lights on from laziness. Finally, I turn on the television to watch something until I fall fast asleep. The end of the month comes along and I walk to my mailbox to check for any bills and next thing you know I have a staggering bill from Georgia Power! It’s nothing that I should be surprised about because I have ridiculous habits when it comes to leaving things on and setting my thermostat. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only person with an energy-consuming problem. I know that millions of people do the same things I do. We will write a custom essay sample on Impacts of Energy Consumption or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Reducing my energy consumption is a challenge that I want to take on to better myself and the environment, which is a change for the good that i have great interest in. I looked at my energy bill for the past month and I did some calculations money wise. When looked over some energy facts on the Energy Star site, it made me realize something. According to Energy Star, the government agency that helps us all save money on energy and protect the environment at the same time, the air conditioning unit consists of approximately 50% of your monthly electric bill (â€Å"Save Energy at Home†). Last month, my bill came up to $70. 71, which is high for me because I don’t really run anything in my apartment but T. V, lights, internet, and my laptop. I barely use my stove or microwave because I’m one of those college students who eats out all the time because I can’t cook. Half of $70 is $35. On top of that, the unit can possibly use more than fifty percent if you don’t maintain it properly. Sealing and insulating ducts can improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling system by as much as 20 percent and sometimes much more (â€Å"Save Energy at Home†). That being said, it would use less energy and cost less. Energy Star also says that leaving things plugged in even when they are not using it, can consume energy. It does indeed show a difference if you practice leaving things that you don’t use unplugged (â€Å"Save Energy at Home†). It saved me around 50 kWh which doesn’t seem like much but it’s something. Next, since an HVAC unit can possibly take over your energy costs, we should all know how to reduce our consumption when it comes to the HVAC unit itself. Installing a programmable thermostat can help your HVAC system become more energy efficient (â€Å"Energy Saving Tips†). I was reading a article from the ConsumerMan section of MSNBC and came across an article stating that installing a programmable thermostat can cut your energy costs by 20% (Weisbaum). These systems that we cherish so much can also be sources of emission into the environment we inhabit. It is said that HVAC systems can be contaminant emission sources (Batterman). Have you ever left some food laying around and come to realize that it starting growing mold? The EPA conducted a few studies that shown that the HVAC systems are the causes of biological growth, and moisture of which molds use to multiply and grow (Batterman). Therefore, it would probably be a good idea to use programmable thermostats to lower costs and emissions into the indoor environment. These thermostats can minimize the emissions when we are not at home or sleep. Aside from the costs of using the infamous HVAC units that we all cherish so much, the environmental changes is something that goes on unnoticed to people including myself. I think that it’s something that we should consider because of a number of reasons. Energy generation impacts our environment in a way that we don’t see. Most of the energy that we use is produced by power plants that use non-renewable resources such as natural gas, oil, and coil, all of which are considered as fossil fuels. â€Å"Fossil Fuels†) Fossil Fuels account for 83% of the Unites States energy consumption (â€Å"Fossil Fuels†). All of these fuels can release harmful things like carbon dioxide, which is a dangerous greenhouse gas (â€Å"Fossil Fuels†). Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere by agricultural practices and by the burning of fossil fuels (Michaels 5). According to many people and scientists, they believe that this is what may be causing global warming. Another energy generating method is Nuclear power plants. This, in my opinion, is the most harmful way to produce energy. When nuclear plants are producing energy, they are rapidly changing the temperature, which also increases evaporation. This then increases rainfall, which can affect agriculture with a lack of good soil (â€Å"Fossil Fuels†). The environmental concern of nuclear energy production comes from the disposal of nuclear waste. Spillage and leakage of nuclear radiation into the environment can cause people to develop cancer if they inhale these gases (â€Å"Fossil Fuels†). That being said, I feel as if when I use too much energy at home and in other places, I cause the releases of these harmful gases my elf. Environmental Impact of Power Generation explains that 39% percent of the energy generated today is used to make more energy (Hester 15). So this book argues that consumption is, in fact, an important factor of a consumer’s environmental footprint. All forms of electric generation can have some type of environmental impact in the world (Hester 17). For example, hydr oelectric power plants may not have any impact on the air, but to construct these dams can significantly affect our natural river systems as well as the wildlife that inhabits these rivers (Wittwers 25). What about coal? When coal is used to generate power, things like carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides are released into the atmosphere (Rowland 35). The Environmental Protection Agency requires that the burners of these particular plants have control devices aimed at reducing the amount of emissions that are released. I looked up carbon dioxide in the dictionary just to have an idea of why exactly is it related to global warming. It is said that it is a greenhouse gas that affects the earth’s radiated balance, which also means that it is directly related to global warming. Another way to think about the greenhouse effect is to consider that according to physics the radiation we receive from the Sun must be equally balanced by the heat Earth radiates out to space. If we were to give back less energy than we receive, our planet would soon be too hot for life. † (â€Å"The Greenhouse Effect†) According to the research that I conducted, it is like a chain reaction. We use too much energy at home, the power plants produce more energy for our high demands, and next thing you know we humans are causing global warming. For the past couple of months, I have been getting significantly high electricity bills and I wanted to know exactly what it is that i have been doing to get such high bills when the only things i constantly run in my two bedroom apartment is: one television, a wireless router, a MacBook, and of-course, my HVAC unit. I learned that the problems are exactly what I just said, â€Å"I constantly run. † Not only that, according to online source, your HVAC unit consumes the most electricity in any household that contains one. I decided to do a project to see what I can do to help lower my energy costs as well as have a lesser impact on the environment. I looked over my Georgia Power bill and I apparently consumed 532 kWh costing me $70. 71, and 640 kWh the month before costing me a whopping $82. 69. That’s a lot for one person with only a TV and a computer running. So my goal was to lower those numbers as much as i can by the next billing cycle. Throughout all the research that was conducted, I decided to do exactly what my sources suggested. I set my thermostat to 77 degrees and left it there. I unplugged all of my electrical devices that were not in use and only plugged them in when I was ready to use them. The next billing cycle was up and I got my bill. For the cycle of March- April, I consumed a nice minimum of 364 kWh costing me only a small $52. 55 for that billing cycle. I was excited because my research project had turned out to be a success. Since the last bill, I saved 168 kWh. That was almost gave me $20 dollars in savings. In conclusion, I honestly feel guilty. Before all of this, I left my light on when I wasn’t using them, left my television on when I wasn’t watching it, and I even leave my office active when I wasn’t in my office. When I say active, I mean my printer stays on at all times as well my desktop and monitor. I just never turn off my computer. It almost seems as if I’m harming the environment with my bad habits especially because I have a habit of leaving on my air conditioning because I either like my apartment freezing cold or blazing hot, depending on the weather and how I feel. The sources that I have introduced have plenty of reasons why people should strive to reduce our energy consumption so we can less impact the environment, ozone layer, and our utility bills.

Cuba by Liz Lochhead Essays

Cuba by Liz Lochhead Essays Cuba by Liz Lochhead Essay Cuba by Liz Lochhead Essay Essay Topic: Literature One of the moments I find most successful dramatically is the moment when Barbara Proctor, during a Poetry lesson, starts crying when she is told to read aloud the last stanza of the poem La Belle Dame sans Merci. The poem has such a powerful impact on her that she cannot contain her fear and anxiety about the situation the world is going through. La Belle Dame sans Merci seems to affect Barbara more than anything else in the story. This may be because of several reasons but, above all, the fact is that the poem deals with a delicate issue: death. This may be the powerful connection which deeply affects her, death and the nuclear threat. One of the poems possible interpretations is that there is a knight who falls in love with a fairy but, against his hope that the woman loves him too, he is betrayed by her, causing his death. Placed in Barbaras context, this may be thought as if Barbara really hopes that there is not going to be a war, but in the end her hopes are senseless and the war actually takes place; this is what might make her feel terribly scared and unable to control her fear. Another interpretation of the story might be that the knight, lost in thoughts about the mysterious lady, forgets to live the real world and sees nothing in his life but the fairy, who finally disappears from his life, or perhaps, he disappears from the world, consumed by his desire to live a fantasy life. This can be connected to Barbaras settings since probably she cannot see anything ahead of her only the war, and what consequences it might bring. This is showed previously on the play; when Barbara says if there is a next week, which is evidence that she cannot see the world in the distant future, without a war; her whole life seems to hang by the possibility of a nuclear war. The poem appears to make Barbara understand what death really is, as she can see a concrete example, though imaginary. One last interpretation of the story might be that the knight falls in love with somebody he cannot understand at all: in language strange she said and which he is unfamiliar with: took me to her elfin grot. Barbaras situation seems to be the opposite of this: she is afraid of something that he fully understands and is familiar with the consequences it might bring. It seems like the poem makes her realise how serious is the worlds situation, and how she might not get out alive. I find this moment very effective because it is an excellent way to place Barbaras inevitable outbreak in a way that the reader can understand what she is feeling at the moment, because it compares a fantastic tale and a solid reality which have one topic in common. If Barbara had started crying when, for instance, she was alone with Bernadette, it would not have the same effect, as the reader may not value her sudden fear. The fact that Barbara manages to express her fear to the whole class is also very shocking and effective at the same time, because she is able to break the ice and talk without worrying about what others may say, as it seems that they all feel the same, even the teacher looks as if he is scared. The peak of this shocking moment is when Barbara partially recovers and puts into words her fear: Im frightened. Im frightened there is going to be a war. The reader can imagine what the atmosphere of the class is: complete silence, paralysed students. It is very effective the fact that all the students are expecting to hear the teachers opinion, as all the previous teachers do not take sides in the situation, but give them a neutral point of view. The authors choice of including this particular poem is suitable for the storys plot and for the setting of the Cuban missile crisis. It places the real conflict in an imaginary situation and, although the tale can be interpreted in several ways, it is very much related to death, something which concerns Barbara, her classmates and the teacher, who does not seem to know what to do.

Financial accounting Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Financial accounting - Research Proposal Example Asset Liabilities Equity Income Expenses. UNDERLYING ASSUMPTIONS Two core assumptions applied while making financial statements are: 1. Accrual Basis: Accrual basis of accounting record the revenues when realized and incur expense when they occur. All the income and expenses are recorded in the accounting record when they actually occur not at the time when cash has flown in or out of the business activity. Therefore in accrual base accounting all the records are reported in the financial statements in the period to which they relate to. Example: Following example adopted from Gibson, Charles H., 1998. Financial Statement Analysis: Using Financial Accounting Information, 7th Ed. South Western. Slight numerical values have been altered. Suppose: 1. Manufacturing concern sold merchandise for $15,000 on credit this year. This merchandise cost $900 when purchased last year. 2. It purchases inventory this year in the amount of $20,000 on credit. 3. Paid to suppliers f merchandise $13,000 this year. 4. Collects cash sales $7,000. Accrual Basis Cash Basis Sales $ 15,000 COGS $ 9,000 Income $ 6,000 Receipts (inflow) $ 7,000 Payment (outflow) $ 13,000 Loss ($ 6,000) It is seen that accrual basis shows a profitable position where else cash basis indicates a loss. Cash basis doesn't indicate the time period for the recognition of revenue and occurrence of cost. It shows the cash inflows and outflows. For this purpose separate statement is prepared whish shows the cash position and named as Statement of Cash flow. When using accrual basis of accounting,...The end users of the financial statements can be customers, investors, suppliers, government agencies, student body, economist or general public. The International Accounting Standard Board, a privately owned body based in London presented a document in July 1989 which became framework for the preparation & presentation of financial statements. On this framework all the IAS are based and determine the financial statement preparation and the information they contain. Accrual basis of accounting record the revenues when realized and incur expense when they occur. All the income and expenses are recorded in the accounting record when they actually occur not at the time when cash has flown in or out of the business activity. Therefore in accrual base accounting all the records are reported in the financial statements in the period to which they relate to. It is seen that accrual basis shows a profitable position where else cash basis indicates a loss. Cash basis doesn't indicate the time period for the recognition of revenue and occurrence of cost. It shows the cash inflows and outflows. For this purpose separate statement is prepared whish shows the cash position and named as Statement of Cash flow. Going concern assumption believes that business entities will remain in business for indefinite period of time. That the operations will continue in the future years.