Going Green? 12 Ways to Reduce Your Impact on the Food, Water and Energy Nexus
When going green, consider these actions which can help ease tensions within the food/water/energy nexus.
GRACE Communications Foundation
[ Energy Program ]
The GRACE Energy Program promotes clean energy, focusing on renewable energy, distributed generation and energy efficiency, and describes the environmental effects of conventional power generation. We also highlight the way energy use and production impact and are affected by food and water systems. GRACE is a founding partner on the Freeing the Grid campaign which promotes small scale renewable energy generation.
Food/Water/Energy Nexus- Food, water and energy - it may not seem like they are connected but systems that help bring fresh food and energy as well as clean, abundant water to you, are intertwined.
Renewables and Efficiency- Consumers are playing an important role by exercising more involvement in energy decisions through the use of renewable generation systems and use of energy efficiency.
Power Plants Kill Fish- Many people know that power plants are a major source of air pollution and greenhouse gasses, but few are aware that many power plants kill and injure fish and other aquatic life.
Blog Series- The role that natural gas fracking will play in the United States' energy future is rapidly evolving.
Freeing the Grid- Freeing the Grid is a policy guide that grades all 50 states on two key renewable energy programs: net metering and interconnection procedures.
Red Tape and Green Power- In the US, the greatest barriers to the expanded use of small-scale renewable energy stem from financial, political and social hurdles.
Associated Posts
Power Plants Kill Fish - Animation
Many older thermoelectric power plants require tremendous amounts of water for cooling. This animation takes you through the process and illustrates why there are such devastating consequences for fish and other aquatic life.
Freeing the Grid: Foundations for the New Energy Economy
In a new video produced by Brainvise for the Vote Solar Initiative, renewable energy policies that let you spin your electric meter backwards are explained in a simple, engaging manner through sharp animation.
Water and Energy
It takes a significant amount of water to create energy, and a significant amount of energy to move and treat water.
All Pain, No Gain: New York Power Plants Kill Fish Even When Not in Use
Many New York power plants are withdrawing cooling water - and injuring or killing aquatic life - even when they are not generating any electricity.
Bloomberg to Cuomo: We Can Frack Safely
With all eyes on New York State's rumored upcoming moves on shale-gas hydraulic fracturing (fracking), a recent Washington Post op-ed by New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, and fracking pioneer, George Mitchell, weighed in on the possibility of
Drought and the Food, Water and Energy Nexus
We're experiencing the food, water and energy nexus first-hand. The worst drought since 1956 will likely produce significant impacts on food and fuel prices and could cause urban water supplies in some regions of the country to dry up.
Another Cruel, Cruel Summer for Power Plants
Are fish are shutting down power plants in protest? Or is the record-breaking heat and drought causing some big problems for both this summer?
Quick Facts
The transportation sector made up 28 percent of US energy conumption in 2011
20 percent of energy used in homes is for water heating
It takes 520 million MWh of electricity per year to move, treat and heat water in the U.S. this is 13% of the total U.S. electrical consumption.
Natural gas is the largest source of energy produced in the US followed by coal, oil, renewable and nuclear. (As of 2011)
Of all sources of energy consumed in the United States, oil provides the largest share at 36 percent.
Power plants in the US withdraw 143 billion gallons of fresh water every day; more than irrigation and 3 times that's used for public water supplies.
Between 1950 and 2003, the fossil fuel industry raked in 75 percent of federal government energy development incentives.
Producing 2.2 pounds of beef takes enough energy to light a 100 watt bulb for twenty days.
The US consumes 800 million gallons of oil each day.
In February 2012, financial speculation added an extra $.56 per gallon of gasoline at the pump.
Creating a gallon of ethanol consumes about 100 gallons of freshwater. In some regions, ethanol production can take three or more times that amount.
The meat industry generates nearly one-fifth of the man-made greenhouse gas emissions. One more reason to go Meatless Monday!
A frack job used 4.5 million gallons, of which a amount approximately 10 to 40 percent flows back to the surface as toxic water.
About 40 calories of fossil fuel energy go into every calorie of feed lot beef in the US. One more reason to go Meatless Monday!
Organic farms use as much as one-third less fossil fuels than their conventional counterparts, and can sequester carbon!
