SPONSORED BY CLIF BAR
“We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using Nature’s inexhaustible sources of energy — sun, wind and tide. I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.” ~Thomas Edison (1931)
No matter how quiet we get, there’s always a buzz that surrounds us. We hear it in our homes, schools, offices, and even on quiet dimly-lit streets. It’s the hum of energy at work to create light, heat, and movement in our world. Almost every action you take — from the moment you wake up until you close your eyes at night — requires energy. That light from your computer screen that’s allowing you to read this challenge? That’s right. Energy.
The buzz is only getting louder. With the global population on the rise and so many newly industrialized economies, the demand for energy is skyrocketing. But where will it all come from?
Three fossil fuels – petroleum, natural gas, and coal – have dominated the energy sector for more than 100 years. None of those sources are renewable. In fact, they emit tons of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, polluting our cities and our atmosphere. Through destructive mining practices such as fracking, massive oil spills, and careless discarding of waste, the fossil fuel industry has damaged many ecosystems beyond repair. It has driven climate change to full-blown catastrophe and harmed communities in the most underdeveloped corners of the earth.
How can we keep depleting non-renewable resources when the world is only becoming more energy-dependent? The answer is simple – We can’t.
There is an alternative, however. While we still rely heavily on coal, oil and gas due to inefficient and unjust fossil fuel subsidies, technology for renewable energy from sources like wind and sun is ever expanding, causing rapid growth and investment in clean power. These are resources that aren’t running out anytime soon, and they could allow future generations to meet their energy needs.
Why has it taken so long for renewables to gain traction? Well, the fossil fuel industry has long had control over politics due to profits and strong lobbying efforts. Luckily, there are plenty of companies committed to a clean energy future. Today’s partner, CLIF Bar, is dedicated to reducing emissions and offsetting their carbon footprint through a comprehensive climate action plan in order to protect the places we play. In fact, CLIF Bar is actually climate neutral and in 2007 they offset their historical carbon footprint back to their company’s start in 1992.
The United States government associates jobs with fossil fuels, making many Americans feel that if we lose fossil fuels we also lose jobs. However, solar energy actually employs more people than coal, oil, and gas combined! What’s more, clean energy is growing faster each year because renewable energy is positive energy. In addition to creating jobs, renewable energy creates a diverse energy supply, improves public health, and puts us on the road to energy independence. How’s that for buzz?
Transitioning to a clean energy future starts with understanding your own consumption and then taking steps to reduce it. Sometimes we use energy without even realizing it! Phantom energy, or “vampire power,” refers to the energy that is used and wasted by electronics and appliances when they are plugged in, even if they are turned off.
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The race for green energy is on. Big tech companies like Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon have all invested in clean energy to reduce their carbon footprint. After President Trump pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg pledged to lead a group of mayors, governors and CEOs in cutting emissions according to the Paris Accord. Schools are taking action by divesting from fossil fuels, constructing Energy Star buildings, and bringing renewables to campuses. Technology has significantly advanced the ways in which we can harvest energy, and there are a wide variety of alternatives that many people aren’t even aware of. Did you know that we can now generate energy from waves and algae?
Upload your responses in a PDF document. Be sure to include a screenshot of your social media post. Please include your name (or team name), username, email address, and school.
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Due on 10/20 at 6am PT. We will award up to 50 bonus points based on quality of work.
From feeding the student population to heating and cooling the residence halls, school campuses use A LOT of energy. With more and more people working to reduce the footprint of institutions, schools are a great opportunity to propel the movement to a 100% clean energy future.
It’s easy to dismiss the magnitude of your school’s footprint when students are so removed from the system. Most people don’t think about the enormous amount of energy required to run a campus. Today we want you to act as if you are a journalist for your school newspaper, reporting on the energy consumption of your campus.
We will post two outstanding pieces on our partner’s platform, Global Lead, a channel that promotes education, advocacy and activism to encourage and create positive social and environmental changes.
Upload your responses in a PDF document. Be sure to include a screenshot of your social media post. Please include your name (or team name), username, email address, and school.
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As you know by now, energy and climate change are complex issues. It can be hard to know where to start unpacking these topics — especially in regular conversation. One great way to tell the story is through film, because film can help make next steps seem more possible. The new documentary Time to Choose by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Charles Ferguson, not only explains the scope of climate change, but also offers actions to fix this global threat. It is the first major film to offer compelling stories of the innovators, leaders and average people fighting on the front lines for a cleaner, more sustainable world.
Now it’s your opportunity to bring your friends, faculty, and other members of your campus community together to engage in a conversation about our climate crisis and especially the solutions that we can all partake in.
Upload a PDF with photos/captions or a video that tells the story of your screening – the room, the guests, the discussion following, reflections by you. Create a post on a social media platform sharing a visual or link to the film trailer and something that inspired you.
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