This semester, I embarked on the journey of getting an Occupational Endorsement in Sustainable Energy from the University of Fairbanks. The program and most of the classes are headed by Mark Masteller, a colleague and energy expert, but maybe more importantly, a person who has an impassioned vision about what a sustainable future for all looks like and the knowledge to help mobilize the masses to get there.
The first class I took from Mark – Introduction to Sustainable Energy – was a comprehensive overview that included current energy use and impacts (climate change), green buildings, renewable energy, and energy policy, just to name a few topics that we delved into. As an energy educator, some of these topics were very familiar to me, while others presented brand new information. However, this class solidified any knowledge that I’ve gained in the past year in my position at REAP and gave me a new sense of confidence in conveying information to both students and teachers alike.
The culminating project was to do a “self-energy audit” to determine and document the energy we have used and paid for in the last year, broken down into four general categories: electricity, space heating, transportation, and domestic hot water. I made many assumptions and used several methods to determine usage for each category. I looked at electric and natural gas bills for my household, bank statements showing gas station fuel ups and plane ticket receipts, and used online tools and calculators to determine things like average fuel cost for the last year and average flow rates of faucets and shower heads.
| Category | Annual Total | Monthly Avg. |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity (kWh) | 1,594 | 133 |
| Domestic Hot Water (gallons) | 11,016 | 869 |
| Space Heat (ccf) | 190 | 16 |
| Transport Fuel (gallon) | 1,036 | 86 |
Do these numbers mean nothing to you? That’s okay, because despite being in the energy world, they didn’t mean a whole lot to me either. How do I know if these are good or bad results? Can I say I’m practicing what I preach in the way of energy conservation and efficiency?
First, I can compare to averages. According to the EIA, in 2018 the average annual electricity consumption for a U.S. residential customer was 10,972 kWh, an average of about 914 kWh a month. With the average American household having 2.6 people, that equates to 4,220 kWh per person per year. Well, compared to that, I’m looking pretty conservative and efficient on the electricity front. But that’s not the whole story. After all, the United States is notorious for its excessive use of resources, so possibly comparing oneself to an over-consuming nation does not warrant wearing an energy badge of honor. When we zoom out to the rest of the world, the picture looks a little different:
So, I’m living more like the Spanish circa 2010. I can feel pretty good about this I think (and I do). But I still don’t know if this is something to write home about. After all, electricity use is only a small portion of my entire energy consumption. To determine how small exactly, I need to convert my usage in each category into the universal language of British Thermal Units (BTUs).
| Category | Energy Source | Annual Total | BTU Equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity(kWh) | Natural gas | 1,594 | 5,435,542 |
| Domestic Hot Water(ccf) | Natural gas | 11,016 | 14,918,400 |
| Space Heat(ccf) | Natural gas | 190 | 19,649,467 |
| Transport Fuel(gallons) | Gasoline, jet fuel | 1,037 | 120,488,100 |
Now I can easily compare across. My electricity consumption for the last year is only about 3.5% of my total energy expenditure – it’s transportation fuel that is the biggest piece of my energy use pie, by a long shot. This is partly because there is a lot more energy contained in one gallon of gasoline or jet fuel than in one kilowatt-hour of electricity. So do I win any awards for this category? Not likely.
Another way of looking at this is by calculating my ecological footprint, using this really handy tool from the Global Footprint Network.
An ecological footprint is the biologically productive area required to provide everything you consume, including the land required to absorb personal carbon dioxide emissions. This tool also conveniently tells you how many Earths we would need if everyone lived like you.
And there it is: our old friend Transportation (aka Mobility), swooping in to take the lead. Now let me reframe my habits: I drive pretty much everywhere I go, the fuel economy of my car is average at best, the word ‘carpool’ rarely exists in my vocabulary, and by the end of this year I will have flown to the other side of the country and back a whopping 5 times. To say I could improve in this category is an understatement.
Knowing that air travel is likely a big contributor to my footprint and overall greenhouse gas emissions, I went back and did an experiment to see what my results would be had I not flown at all in the last year. Here’s what I came up with:
Essentially, by forfeiting air travel, I slashed my carbon footprint by about 60% and saved the world a whole lot of resources. Now I can see why Greta Thunberg is electing to travel by sailboat instead of plane.
At REAP, we often frame our teaching in the context of energy literacy, which is, according to the Department of Energy, an understanding of the nature and role of energy in the world and daily lives accompanied by the ability to apply this understanding to answer questions and solve problems. Our goal is to increase the energy literacy of all Alaskans, thereby increasing human capacity to make informed decisions about energy. I think through this endeavor of quantifying my own energy use, I myself have become a much more energy literate person. Because if we don’t understand how we use energy, how can we start to solve the problems that surround and encompass our energy use?
Further, it’s easy enough to look at climate change as some distant problem that will ultimately be solved by a bunch of genius scientists in white lab coats, rendering us completely useless and simply along for the ride in the interim. While I may get complacent from time to time, I vehemently push against that notion. Our actions absolutely have an impact, and we can absolutely be a part of the solution.
How we become a part of the solution however, can be a very personal decision and won’t look the same across the board. Telling an Alaskan that they shouldn’t get on a plane to visit their family in the lower 48 or travel to Anchorage for doctor visits, for example, likely won’t go over well. And does being conscious of our energy choices have to come at an expense of quality of life? I don’t think so, but I also don’t think I have to travel across the country 5 times a year to be happy. I think I could reasonably cut that in half or more, and look into other ways to be more efficient in my travel, like choosing to bike to work instead of drive more often. There’s so many angles to go about saving energy and living more sustainably – from purchasing carbon offsets for travel (which REAP has recently decided to do), to investing in efficiency measures to save electricity and heat in your home. These individual choices are powerful and should not be underestimated, because collectively they can lead to systemic, positive change.
So how many earths does it take to sustain an energy educator for a year? Too many, but that’s not the end of the story – it’s just the beginning.
Interested in learning more about how to save energy, or ways to be part of the climate change solution? Take a look at some of the following resources I find useful or inspiring: