Student Responses

1. There are a few incentives for conserving energy, but the main one is the tax angle. If you have not noticed or done your taxes in 2008 or 2007 for that matter, you now have the option of tax deductions for everything from "green homes" to hybrid cars. These tax incentives are to try and get people to rely less on fossil fuels and for people to get more harmful gases out of the atmosphere. The sales of hybrids have gone up since their release, and there are more and more cars available to buy as hybrids every year. In very a very short amount of time, all vehicles may very well be hybrid, and then everyone may get the tax break, or maybe by then, they will get rid of it, but for now that is the most noticeable of the incentives that I have seen or heard of.

http://www.pbs.org/search/newshour/redir/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/environment/jan-june01/fossil_5-23a.html

2. The State of Virginia offers economic incentives to promote conservation of energy. In 2007, Virginia established a four day sales tax exemption in early October. Residents were able to purchase items such as fluorescent light bulbs, programmable thermostats and household appliances that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) qualified as meeting the requirements under the federal Energy Star program. Virginia also offers property tax exemptions for residential or commercial property which uses solar energy and recycling. I also found that there are low interest loans available when you replace your heating and air conditioning systems with more energy efficient models.

1. I think the issue is a huge concern to most people, but I don’t believe we really know where to begin fixing it. Old Dominion Universit has made some major decisions to start conserving energy. They use the battery operated golf carts instead of regular truck or cars to get around campus, and they also just opened up an algae farm close to campus to generate bio-diesel fuel. They do several different recycling activities a year to just help out around the community, and every freshman that enters ODU has to take a class called NewPage, which educated us on the energy problem around the world, along with global warming and what we can do to help. I think all these ideas that ODU is taking part of is something we should be trying to do ourselves. If everyone does something little, it would make a huge difference.

2. Dominion Virginia Power started an energy saving light bulb program supported by Home Depot. Virginia Power has been offering discounted energy efficient light bulbs. This program has been extremely successful due to the financial incentive placed on the discounted bulbs. Total sales in 3 months alone have exceeded 568,822 light bulbs. That is four times the original goal. Virginia Power now has a three year goal of 5 million bulbs. Virginia Power states that if this goal is attained, consumers will save 284 million dollars and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an equivalent of removing 268,354 vehicles from the road for one year.

3. Norfolk Public Schools has begun thinking about new systems to improve the energy efficiency of the buildings. If these changes are made, not only will the energy costs per year go down but also students will benefit from better air quality and lighting; resulting in a better learning environment. The cost to change to a more energy efficient school will be $31 million and would cover fifty schools. The cost will include more efficient lights, centralized energy monitoring system, seventeen boilers, three geothermal systems, and new ways of conserving water. Overall, the school system would save approximately $5 million a year due to energy conservation. These new changes can save taxpayers in the long run.

Minium, Harry. "Norfolk schools go for green, but officials say they can't afford the debt." Education 02 December 2007 27 January 2008.

There are many things that we can all do at home to save energy and in turn save money. This happens to be a subject that I am extremely passionate about, and I love to be involved with any little thing to try and save our beautiful world. So for this answer I will refer to some things we do in our house to conserve energy. Recycling is probably the simplest thing that you can do in your own home. We have a list on our fridge of all things recyclable in our city, and my son even brings home his recycling from school! When you aren't using small appliances (i.e, toaster, hair dryer, curling iron, etc.) don't just turn them off, unplug them. You'd be surprised how much energy these little things use even when they are turned off. Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs. They cost a little bit more, but one light bulb can last for nine years and can significantly decrease your electric bill. Use cloth diapers. If you have a baby (and a lot of us do) you will go through around 8,000 diapers by the time your child is potty trained, and you will spend around $3,000 to buy them. A good set of cloth diapers will set you back around $300 dollars, and that is all you will spend on diapers period. Not to mention that there will 8,000 less diapers sitting in a landfill rotting away. I know it seems like a huge chore to undertake, but it really isn't. I've used them for a long time now, and all it adds to my schedule is another load of laundry per week. I wash them, and then hang them outside to dry...which leads me to my next point. Hang your clothes outside to dry, instead of using your dryer. And if it is feasible, buy a front loading washer. These use up to fifty-percent less water than your average washer. Plus, you can write them off on your taxes. I am attaching an article on cloth diapering.

Politicians have a great deal of influence, and they could greatly promote the conservation of energy. With all of their influence, politicians can reach many people around the world, and they can educate those people on what precautions need to be taken to keep our environment safe from destruction. The problem with our environment crisis is that people are not educated on the subject, and they do not know what to do to help. Politicians can bring them that information, and they can also show how the world will turn out if people do not start to change their horrible habits that are ruining the environment.