Hi there! 

We will help you figure out how you can do for the environment, and for a secure future for our Earth.

Remember, the sea is also made of drops, meaning that if everyone adds just a little bit to improve their environment, it will have a huge impact together!

Something always happens in our environment. Think about what’s going on around you when you come to school!

What is energy? 

Let's see!

When you wake up in the morning, go out to the bathroom, turn on the lights, you can see the water flowing from the open tap. You open the window, blowing out in the wind and carry the leaves. You go to school, people come and go around you, cars rush, birds fly. Even now, as you read this little study, you need energy to visualize, but there are also energy-intensive processes taking place within you, such as when you have to run physical education classes.

The driving force behind all this is energy. Energy creates change in our environment and in the entire universe. You need energy to be able to move, to understand the curriculum, to be able to talk. We need energy to be warm and bright in our home so we can travel or listen to some music together.

What do we use energy for?

Our daily lives cannot be imagined without energy. For washing, cleaning, lighting, cooking and using our household appliances, we need electricity as well as gas.

In a household, the majority of energy consumption is provided by heating. The production of heating energy, on the other hand, contributes greatly to environmental pollution.

RENEWABLE and NON-RENEWABLE!

Where does the energy come from?

Energy is obtained from energy carriers. And we find these in nature, which we transform through complex processes so that we can use them in our daily lives.

There are basically two types of energy source: non-renewable and renewable!

Energy sources

Energy sources that are used continuously over time are called non-renewable sources. These are the energy sources that evolved millions of years ago, like coal, oil or natural gas. These are collectively referred to as fossil fuels. They got this name because they came from plant and animal remains, in other words fossils.

For example, when we travel by car, we use converted oil, i.e. gasoline, and gasoline is not produced again, so sooner or later the world’s oil reserves will run out.

Or in many apartments we heat with natural gas, the stocks of which are also finite. Non-renewable energy sources also include nuclear energy, as it is produced from an ore, uranium ore.

On the other hand, energy sources that do not decrease during utilization and can be used to produce energy even after hundreds of years are called renewables. For example, the Sun will shine in the same way in the future, whether we use our energy now or not.

Renewable energy sources include wind energy as the wind will always blow, water energy as the rivers will always rush towards the sea.

We can even harness the energy of radioactive processes in the depths of the earth in the form of geothermal energy. Today, we are also able to generate energy from waste. Waste is also continuously generated, so it is also a renewable energy source.

We can also extract energy by utilizing the remains of plants and animals, which is collectively called biomass.

If we look more closely, we see that solar energy and wind energy, energy derived from biomass, come directly or indirectly from Solar Energy.

Energy in our environment

Wherever we go, whether in the apartment, at school, on the street, we use energy everywhere, sometimes it doesn’t even seem like everything uses energy.

In order for things to move, to work, they need energy, even living things need energy to grow.

Once we know what energy is and know what it is used for, the question arises as to how energy still reaches our homes, schools, factories, that is, whether mined coal or extracted oil becomes usable, possibly the energy of the Sun, water, or the interior of the Earth?

The solution is SIMPLE.

The original (raw) materials are transformed in so-called power plants through complicated processes, or made available in homes with the help of some equipment, and the energy source thus transformed is delivered to the houses and factories through various pipelines. You can see such wires everywhere in your environment.

 For example, the power lines visible along the roads, the ones that carry electricity to the apartment, school, and other places.

1. Energy at home

Let’s walk through the rooms of our apartment imaginatively and take a look at which object uses energy and also see what kind of energy it uses.

TV - electricity

Remote control - battery

Hi-fi equipment - electric power

Computer - electric power

Wall clock - galvanic cell or battery

Fan - electric power

Chandelier - electric energy

Lamp - electric energy

Radiator - hot water heated by natural gas, electricity, heat from the Sun or the Earth

Cell phone  - battery

Fireplace - firewood.

Wondering what devices use energy in the bathroom?

Tap hot water - heats natural gas or electricity

Hot water in the shower - it is heated by natural gas, electricity, the heat of the Sun or the Earth

Lamp - electric energy

Hair dryer - electric energy

Razor - electric power

Washing machine - electric power

Centrifuge - electric energy

Let's also look at the kitchen:

stove - natural gas or electricity

microwave oven - electric power

refrigerator - electricity

lamp - electric energy

boiler - natural gas or electricity

kettle - electric energy

robotics - electric power

toaster - electric energy

2. Energy in school

Just like at home, we use energy at school. Let's look at what type of energy!

corridor lighting - electrical energy

classroom lighting - electrical energy

radiators - natural gas or renewable energy

calculator battery or solar energy

computer – electricity

3. Energy on the streets

We use energy not only at home and at school, but also on the streets. Let's look at some objects that use energy:

traffic lights - electricity,

cars - petrol, diesel, gas,

electric bicycle - battery

Think about what kind of objects and tools you find that still use energy!

Energy waste - save energy!

Why do we need to save energy?

Whatever object uses energy, some of the energy sources will sooner or later run out on Earth, and the energy will cost money. For example, if you sit in the warmth in the classroom in the winter, the school pays a lot of money. If your computer goes home all day, your parents will pay.

If we find the sources where energy is wasted, we can save a lot of money and energy. Saving energy is not just important to save money. This is because the more energy we use, the more carbon dioxide is released into the air, which is produced when the fuel is burned. This contributes to global warming, which can lead to floods, famine and significant destruction of wildlife.

If our energy-using equipment is running continuously even when we are not using it, then we are talking about a waste of energy.

How can we do against waste?

As surprising as it may be, YOU can do against it!

Only one movement!

An average television uses two-fifths of the power in standby mode.

If you press the “stand by” button after watching TV, your family can save not only energy, but even 25 €  a year.

Do not leave electrical appliances in standby mode, use the main switch and switch them off!

Unplugging devices when not in use

It is unnecessary to leave the phone charger (and any other charger) in the wall socket when not in use. 95 percent of the energy they use is wasted if it is constantly in the socket.

Take a shower instead of a bath!

It takes a quarter of the energy to shower than it does to bathe. With the low water flow shower rose, you can save extra energy while providing the same comfort as its larger diameter siblings.

You can save a lot of energy when cooking. While cooking, do not extend the flames to the bottom of the pan and cover the food or see if your mom follows this rule! Cooking food in a saucepan can save up to 70 percent of the energy spent on traditional cooking.

Use only as much water as you need!

It is not necessary to boil more water than you need to make a cup of coffee or a cup of tea. If every person boiled one liter less excess water a day, the energy saved would be enough to light a third of Europe’s streets.

 Close the tap!

How many glasses of water do you need to brush your teeth?

One, maybe two glasses? This is approx. 4 deciliters. If you brush your teeth under running water, you can waste up to 8 liters of water.

If you don’t like the cup, just open the tap for rinsing, you’ll only use roughly 1 liter. Repair the dripping taps as well, they also waste a lot of water!

Lighting - do not use it when unnecessary!

If you don't need electricity, turn it off! You can save money and energy by not having a chandelier using 5 light bulbs in the room, but a reading lamp. You can save even more by turning it off when there is no one in the room. By the way, energy-saving light bulbs should not be switched on/off frequently!

Recharge!

Walkman, Discman, mp3, mp4 player, digital camera, wireless mouse for your computer, flashlight and everything you need to run on battery. Use rechargeable batteries for these! Cheaper, more durable, stronger, and doesn’t produce as much hazardous waste!

 Less garbage!

Disposable products should be avoided! Use your own shopping bag instead of nylon bags! Collect waste selectively! Several kilograms of advertising newspapers a week, plastic bottles and glass have a better place in the bins placed for this purpose and then in recycling than in landfills.

• Food that does not require refrigeration (eg unopened canned food) does not need to be stored in the refrigerator.
• Do not put hot food in the refrigerator, as it requires extra energy to cool it.
• Do not open the refrigerator door as often as possible and only for a short time.
• In the event of a longer absence, switch off the household appliances completely!

Summary

In the last few minutes, you’ve learned what energy is and how much we use it for everything that we couldn’t even exist without energy.

You’ve also learned that some of the energy sources we use extensively can run out over time, and using them can do a lot of damage to the Earth through pollution or global warming.

However, there are renewable energy sources that are available to us almost indefinitely, and with their increased use, the Earth can remain healthy. And most importantly, you can do it yourself, either at home or at school, all you need is a little attention!

The EnergyTrap team wishes you good luck in solving the quiz game!