The document discusses energy conservation and different sources of energy. It notes that people originally relied on the sun, their own bodies, or animals for energy but now heavily depend on fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. However, these are non-renewable resources that contribute to issues like global warming. The document then outlines various renewable energy sources like hydroelectric, wind, solar, geothermal and biomass as alternatives. It emphasizes the importance of energy conservation through individual actions like using appliances efficiently and transportation alternatives to limit energy use and environmental impact.

1. Energy Conservation

2. • “We do not inherit the
earth from our
parents, we borrow it
from our children” –
Chief Seattle

3. • Energy use has
changed a great deal
since people relied
solely on the sun,
their own strong
bodies or beasts of
burden as energy
resources.

4. • Long ago, people
learned how to use
water power to turn
paddle wheels and
wind power for
transportation and
irrigation.

5. • People learned to use
the chemical energy
stored in materials
like wood to cook and
heat their homes.

6. • But machines and
technologies
introduced during the
Industrial Revolution
of the late 18th
century required the
use of other energy
resources, especially
fossil fuels.

7. • Fossil fuels like coal,
oil and natural gas
are considered to be
nonrenewable energy
resources.

8. • Our fossil fuel
reserves formed over
millions of years from
decaying plants and
animals.
• As we use them up,
they will not be
replenished in our
lifetimes.

9. • With the modern world
depending upon coal, oil
and gas for a majority of
its energy needs and the
prediction that the world
will nearly double its need
for energy resources in
several decades, it is
important to conserve
energy and to investigate
alternate energy
resources

10. • There are many
renewable energy
sources that are
alternatives to fossil fuels,
but some are not without
controversy.
• For instance, nuclear
power is used to generate
about 25 percent of the
world’s electricity, but it
has inherent risks,
especially in the disposal
of radioactive waste.

11. • Hydroelectric plants use running water to generate
electricity, however they may flood nearby lands and can
disrupt the normal flow of water, both of which
negatively affect the environment.

12. • Wind power is
increasingly being
used as a clean
source of renewable
energy.
• Turbines harvest wind
on wind farms and
generate electricity.

13. • Solar power is a promising, renewable energy
resource than can be turned into electricity, and
it is used in many toys and even home heating.

14. • Many other alternative
energy sources like
geothermal power, which
draws upon the earth’s
natural heat, and
biomass, which produces
an alternative to gasoline,
are being considered in
the movement away from
fossil fuel dependence.

15. • In our everyday lives, we can also work to conserve energy.
– Insulating, turning off lights and only using appliances like dishwashers
when they are full are just some of the ways people can limit energy
use in their homes.
– Also, carpooling, bicycling, and taking public transportation are effective
energy-saving ideas.

16. • The earth’s
inhabitants must take
a serious look at
energy resources, use
and conservation.

18. How To Use This Lesson
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19. Learning Objectives
• To take part in a simple debate about
topical issues.
• To realise that people and other living
things have needs, and that we have
responsibilities to meet them.
• To know what improves and harms our
local, natural and built environments,
and about some of the ways people
look after them.

21. The sun warms us and gives us light
during the day.

22. At night, and during the colder
months, we need light and warmth
from other sources…

23. …. and we also need heat for cooking.

24. Since early times, people have lit fires ….
…. but fires make smoke, and are not
convenient in modern homes.

25. Clue 1 Clue 2

26. The electricity
which we use
is mostly made
by burning coal
or gas in power
stations.

27. And our central heating boilers usually
burn gas or oil.

28. The trouble is, this
makes lots of
‘greenhouse’ gases
which scientists
believe are warming
up the Earth and the
air around it.

29. The ice in the arctic is melting, and the
polar bears’ habitat is shrinking.

30. In some hot countries, there is less rain,
and rivers are drying up.

31. In places the land is becoming so dry that
the farmers can no longer grow crops.

32. So what can YOU
do to stop global
warming?

33. You can turn off the lights when you
don’t need them!

34. Suggest that the grown ups who do the
shopping buy energy saving light bulbs.

35. Ask an adult to turn the heating down a
notch …
and set the clock so that it is on for less time.

36. Remind everyone to keep the doors and
windows shut when the heating is on, to
keep the warmth in.

37. You wear clothes to keep in your body heat.
Find out if your
home is
insulated to
keep the
warmth from
escaping
through the
roof.

38. Ask the people who put the kettle on to fill it
only with the amount of water that is needed.
That way it will take less energy to bring it
to the boil.

39. Remind the people who do the cooking to put
lids on the saucepans to keep the heat in while
the food is cooking?

40. Switch off! Don’t leave it on standby!
If you can see a light
like this when the TV is
off, it is using almost
as much energy as if it
was on!

44. Glossary
• convenient – handy, suitable
• Source - starting place
• Habitat - home, surroundings
• Thermostat – a switch which turns
something off when it reaches a given
temperature.
• Insulation – material which isolates
things from the outside air
temperature.

45. Activities to complete this lesson include:
• ‘best insulators’
experiment
• on/off switch
activity
• energy survey
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