Energy Awareness: Generation Y Don’t We Do Something About It?
December 12th, 2009 Posted in Green Living & News
As a member of Generation Y (i.e. 18- to 24-year-olds), I am very aware of the facts surrounding my age bracket. In the last Presidential election, in which more 18- to 24-year-olds turned out than have in the last 40 or so years, only 52% of eligible 18- to 24-year-olds voted. 26.7% of college students smoke cigarettes. 99% of 18- to 24-year-olds are on a social networking site, like Facebook or MySpace. But fewer than half of 18- to 24-year-olds can identify New York and Ohio on a map.
On the positive side, 18- to 24-year-olds are the most environmentally aware generation ever. But despite this knowledge, Gen-Y is also the worst offender in water and energy wasting.
How exactly does Generation Y waste energy and water? Well, with all of our knowledge about the environment, 18- to 24-year-olds don’t know how wasteful different appliances are. In a British survey, 55% of Gen Y Britons didn’t know whether an incandescent light bulb or a dryer uses more energy. I have to admit that I have no idea which wastes more energy (and cannot find out via Google, which means I may never know).
By not knowing how wasteful our appliances are, Gen Y-ers are more likely to waste energy, especially when living in a dorm situation where they aren’t directly responsible for the energy bill.
But Gen Y’s greatest offense comes in the area of water conservation. As a native Californian, I was taught from an early age to turn off the water while brushing my teeth and to take short showers. But not all of my peers were born into a drought-ravaged climate, and as such they can be the worst water wasters. A simple two-minute brushing session during which the water runs continuously wastes 3.17 gallons of water. Multiply that by two (because hopefully you brush your teeth twice a day) times 365 days a year. That means the average 18- to 24-year-old wastes a whopping 2,314.12 gallons annually!
Just by turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth saves almost 2,000 gallons of water a year. Talk about making an individual impact!
Gen Y is still the most environmentally aware age bracket, meaning that in the next 40 years we may be the key to reducing fossil fuel emissions and global warming. But we should start with baby steps, like turning off the faucet, turning off lights when we leave the room, and doing laundry less often/washing in cold water.
What else can Gen Y-ers do to help the environment? Choosing organic products that don’t harm the environment is a great start. Consider an organic Ant and Roach Killer made by EcoSMART, perfect for those nasty apartment roaches but won’t increase your carbon footprint.
