Back to Fast Facts and Quick Actions homepage

Energy

• Fast Facts
• Quick Actions
• More Information

Fast Facts about Energy

• Each day Americans use more than 20 million barrels of oil. Oil provides about 40% of the energy Americans consume and 99% of our transportation fuels. (Energy Information Administration, United States Department of Energy)
• We currently have the technology to get most of our energy from renewable and non-polluting energy sources, such as hydroelectric and solar power. Shell International predicts that renewable energy will supply 60% of world energy by 2060. Making this shift would create millions of jobs, help the economy, and make the United States less dependent on foreign energy suppliers. Best of all, using renewable energy would help reverse the trend of global warming and keep our environment clean. (American Solar Energy Society)
• Energy production and use account for nearly 80% of air pollution. (Alliance to Save Energy)
• Annually, outdoor air pollution is responsible for three million deaths worldwide; 70,000 of those deaths occur in the United States . (World Health Organization)
• The United States is the world's largest emitter of man-made greenhouse gases, accounting for almost 20% of the world's man-made greenhouse emissions. (www.fueleconomy.gov)

Quick Actions to Save Energy

• Join Campaign Earth's Monthly Challenge Program
  The Monthly Challenge Program provides people with one new thing to implement into their lives each month, slowly guiding them along a path toward sustainability. It is designed to accommodate even the busiest of schedules by creating a "one step at a time" approach.
• Replace the light bulbs in your house
  You will save energy and money by installing compact fluorescent bulbs that last for 10,000 hours and save 75% more energy than regular bulbs. If every U.S. household replaced four incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, we’d save as much energy as removing seven million cars from the road. You can shop for compact fluorescent bulbs through the Energy Federation’s product catalog.  
• Answer your energy questions and spur creativity for solutions
  Energy Quest is an energy education website of the California Energy Commission. Visit this site to learn more about the history of energy use and many other interesting energy facts.
• Calculate how much pollution you create 
  Visit AirHead's emissions calculator to calculate exactly how much greenhouse gas you are putting into the air each month and find out how you can limit your pollution! Then you'll be able to educate others about what they can do.
• Sweat the big stuff
  It’s the big stuff, like cars, refrigerators, and lawn mowers that use the most energy and cause the most harm to the environment. When you, or someone you know, is in the market to buy “the big stuff,” visit the U.S. Department of Energy to research the most energy-efficient equipment available.
• Be an Informed car consumer
  Motor vehicles guzzle a lot of fossil fuels, thereby diminishing our natural resources and polluting our environment. Hybrid vehicles have lower emissions and offer an alternative to conventional vehicles. To learn more about hybrid vehicles, visit fueleconomy.gov. Or, use the EPA's Green Vehicle Guide to measure the environmental performance of the car you currently own, or a car you are looking to buy.

Want More Information?

• Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT)
  CAIT, a project of the World Resources Institute, is an information and analysis tool on global climate change. CAIT provides a comprehensive and comparable database of greenhouse gas emissions data and other climate-relevant indicators. Try out this cool technology project!
• Facing the Future resources
  • Additional Energy Resources
• Union Of Concerned Scientists
  This group of citizens and scientists uses scientific data to work for sustainable and earth-friendly policies. They study and lobby on issues including renewable energy options, the impacts of climate change, and the risks of genetically engineered crops.
• Greenstar
  Greenstar puts solar-powered buildings in poor rural communities around the world. Each building provides computers with Internet connections, as well as a water purification system, electricity, telemedicine, and a community center. Greenstar also works with local people to produce traditional arts, poetry, song, stories, and crafts to sell on the web, providing much needed income.
• Veggie Van
  This organization's mission is to transform America into an energy-independent nation by actively promoting biodiesel, an alternative energy source.