When people think or energy sources, they mostly think of coal, natural gas and oil, these fuels have been the source of energy for a number of years. One problem however is that they are limited in supply and availability.

Estimates have shown that the currently available sources will only meet our current energy demands for about 50 to 70 years or so. In order to find alternative sources of energy the world has decided to pursue renewable energy sources. However even renewable energy sources have their advantages and disadvantages too.

The available renewable energy sources that we have include solar, hydro, wind, geothermal, ocean and biomass. The most common of these advantages is that they are clean energy sources and do not pollute the air. They also do not contribute to global warming or greenhouse effects. Because the sources of such energy are natural the cost of operations are substantially reduced and they require less maintenance on their plants. One common disadvantage is that it is impossible to produce large quantities of electricity than can be done with fossil fuels. Because they are new technologies the costs of initiating them is also high.

Solar energy utilizes the energy from the sun. It has its advantages because these systems can easily fit into existing buildings and do not affect land use. Since the area that these collectors rest in is quite large, a lot more materials are needed. Solar radiation is also controlled by geography too. It is also limited to the daytime as well as non-cloudy days.

Wind energy makes use of the power of the wind in order to create electricity. Though it produces the most jobs it is reliant on strong winds too. Wind turbines tend to be large and though the areas under them can be used for farming, most people think of them as unattractive looking. These turbines are also very noisy to operate and they threaten the population of wild birds too.

Hydroelectric energy makes use of water in order to produce power. It is the most reliable of all energy sources that are renewable. Its disadvantages are that it affects the ecology and causes downstream problems. Decay of vegetation on the riverbed can also cause a buildup of methane which contributes to the greenhouse effects. Dams may also cause an alteration of the natural river flow and affect wildlife in the area as well. Water which is colder and which is lacking in oxygen tends to be released into the water this kills the fish, sudden release of water like this may also result in flooding.

Geothermal energy makes use of the steam from the Earth’s ground in order to generate power. It uses a smaller land area that other types of power plants. They can literally run continuously throughout the year. The disadvantages tend to be that these plants are site specific and it can bring up toxic chemicals and heat from the earth when it tries to obtain the steam. Drilling such geothermal reservoirs can also cost a lot.

Biomass electricity is made from the energies of wood, agricultural and municipal waste. It tends to help save on landfill waste but the transportation is also expensive and tends to affect the diversity of the land. Other than this the process is quite complex and should be much simpler.

Ocean energy has proven to be a clean and abundant energy form. It tends to be expensive and in order to access this energy, you need at least a 40 degree Fahrenheit difference in water temperature throughout the year. Other than this, the construction and putting in place of pipes may damage the ecosystem.

What is the best way we can celebrate Earth Day? Celebrations, planting trees and cleaning up rubbish are all a big part of this day. The environment seems to be on our minds more often but we are still needing to do more on a daily basis. It’s important to have one day where we all take notice.

Perhaps one of the best ways to appreciate the importance of caring for our environment is by taking some time during this day and paying attention to our own corner of the world.

Head Outside

So many of us go from our house to our car to the office to turn around and make the same trip home and may not have the time to really notice our surroundings or even spend any time outside. Can we really appreciate this planet we call home if we have so little connection with nature?

How about this? On Earth Day walk your neighborhood and enjoy spring in it’s full glory.

As you are walking pay attention. Is it garbage day? Just a weekly occurrence but just how much trash is on the curb for the houses or apartment buildings around you? Keep in mind that’s one weeks worth in one small section of the city multiplied by 52 weeks for however many years.

Perhaps it’s such a nice day that it has motivated everyone to do a little spring cleaning or yard work. So many of our outdoor tasks use water. It never seems like we use very much but as you look around do you see ways it could be used more wisely or maybe even a way a job could be done without it.

Do you live near water? For all the beauty that is usually found around bodies of water if we look more closely what do you see? Do you see garbage lying around? Has someone used it to dump junk or toxic stuff? Have Styrofoam cups and other kinds of plastic garbage floated in to shore?

A walk on a even a well maintained trail almost always turns up plastic water bottles or a plastic shopping bag stuck in a tree somewhere. We can’t escape it. City, suburb, country, no matter where we live we can see the effects of man and woman both good and bad on the world around us.

You get the idea. When we live in an area it becomes easy to overlook the problems. We become accustomed to doing things the same or seeing the same things everyday and sometimes we just don’t see them anymore. But with a fresh awareness you may look around and begin thinking how am I contributing to this? What can I do to start to improve things and then do something.

Right now finding the resources to help us make changes are plentiful. This Earth Day, by just bringing our awareness to problems within our own neighborhood we can begin to do our part in making sure our kids will be able to enjoy the wonder and beauty of this small planet.

It starts with us.