Transcript
ENERGY CONSERVATION AWARENESS IN THE BAHAMAS 13
(This is an example of a Title Page)
(Note: This is an EDITED version of an actual Investigative Paper that was submitted some time ago. It is put here only to give an idea of how you can approach a survey-type investigation. You will find much guidance in Handout H15.)
Energy Conservation Awareness In The Bahamas
Mary Doe
School of Mathematics, Physics and Technology, University of The Bahamas
PHYS 301: Energy, Society and The Environment
Mr. A. Farley
March 23, 2020
Abstract
This paper is an investigation into Energy Conservation here in the Bahamas. This aim of this paper is to determine whether Bahamians view energy conservation important. The views and opinions of the Bahamian residents are explored more specifically the views of local Nassauvians. This paper begins with a brief discussion on energy, defining renewable and nonrenewable sources of energy and the overall importance of energy conservation. This paper will discuss three reasons why it is important to conserve energy. Additionally, to satisfy the requirements of the paper and obtain views from local residents, the writer conducted a survey from March 15th to March 29th 2010. The survey was comprised of one hundred persons both male and female ages ranging from 18-60. In this paper, the writer clearly outlines the thoughts and feelings expressed from the participants in the survey. At the end of the paper, the writer gives a summary of the views of the participants concerning the importance of energy conservation and suggests a few measures that can be taken to further educate Bahamians about the importance of conserving our energy resources.
(The above is an example of the Abstract Page. The Abstract is a concise summary of the key points of your research. (Do not indent.) Your abstract should contain in brief your research topic, participants, methods, results, and conclusions. You may also include possible implications of your research and future work you see connected with your findings. Your abstract should be a single paragraph, double-spaced, as should be the rest of your paper. Your abstract should typically be no more than 250 words.)
(The following is an example of an Introduction)
Introduction
Energy can be defined as “the ability to do work.” In this sense, examples of work include moving something, lifting something, warming something, or lighting something. It is difficult to imagine spending an entire day without using energy. Energy can be used in a variety of ways including lighting an island, power machinery, cooking food, playing music and operating televisions. Electricity is generated from both renewable and nonrenewable energy sources. Renewable sources of energy can be defined as sources that are constantly renewed or restored and include wind (wind power), water (hydropower), sun (solar), vegetation (biomass) and internal heat of the earth (geothermal). Nonrenewable sources of energy are natural resources that cannot be replenished such as fossil fuels including oil, gas and coal. In principle, fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal are renewable but only on a geological time scale – hundreds of million years. Energy conservation is important for many reasons; however this paper will focus on the following reasons; to conserve the current supply of fossil fuels and to slow down the rate of global warming.
To begin, fossil fuels were formed millions of years ago from dead (decomposed) plants and animals After a long period of time, layers of rock, mud, and sand covered the dead plants and animals thousands of feet under the earth. etc etc………………………..
According to Bent, R.D., et al (2002) “World population is now at 6 billion and growing at the rate of about 1.5 percent a year, adding around 80 million people to the earth annually” (page 2). (Notice the use of an in-text citation from Bent) Therefore, if this growth rate were to continue for another fifty years, the world’s population would reach 13 billion in the year 2060. Scientist predicts that the current supply of fossil fuel will ‘run out’ in 2050. One might ask “what exactly does this mean?” etc ….etc ….. the supply will be diminished long before 2050. Subsequently, future generations will have to find alternative sources of energy.
Another reason why it is important to conserve energy is to slow down the rate of global warming. Global warming refers to the increase in the earth’s temperature. It is caused by a substantial increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere caused by burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. There is evidence that global warming is taking place now. etc ….etc …..
Another way that humans are believed to be the cause of global warming is by deforestation, cutting down trees and forest to in an effort to create new infrastructure. By cutting down these trees, less carbon dioxide greenhouse gas is taken out of the atmosphere which results in increased carbon dioxide levels, and therefore increased temperatures. Since the industrial age, according to West (2009) (Notice the use of an in-text citation from West. However, West should also have been included in the References section.) the atmospheric concentration of Co? has increased by 31% and atmospheric methane by 151%. These results clearly show that human activities since the industrial age resulted in increased methane and Co? levels, contributing to global warming. One might ask “what is the importance of ‘slowing down’ the global warming process?” With global warming comes not only the rise in atmospheric temperature and sea levels but also unpredictable weather patterns and the occurrence of extreme climate events such as storms, floods, and droughts will increase. Hurricane Katrina, the disastrous Tsunami in 2004that hit the Pacific coast, and the earthquake in Haiti (2010) are examples of this. In all of these examples, countless lives were lost and countries devastated. The effects of all of these occurrences were felt all around the world. Therefore, if the global warming rate can be slowed down this would avoid many of innocent lives being lost and countries devastated because of erratic weather movements.
Method
(The student omitted this very important section of the report. The following details of the method should have been included here without, of course, giving out information from which participants could be personally identified :
Clarification of the demographic breakdown of the number of participants (e.g. by gender, narrower age ranges (not just a broad 18-60 age range), education.) A table of this breakdown might have been useful here.
Reference to the survey instrument to be used and stating that it can be found in the Appendix section of the report.
Clarification of how the survey instrument was used and time frame in which the completed questionnaire was to be returned to you (e.g. was it distributed on-line – if so, how were the participants selected and exactly what were the instructions given to them; was it distributed by hand to each individual and exactly what was told to each; how were they assured of the anonimity of their responses; how did you make sure that the questions were understood ….. and so on)
The idea here is that someone who wishes to check the accuracy of your results will know exactly how to go about the survey you did.
Survey Results
Table 1 summarizes the responses of the participants in the survey. (You should also have indicated the number that did not respond at all to the survey questionnaire and their demographics. So the questionnaire could have included a few questions on the demographic information of each participants e.g. gender, age range, highest education: primary, high school or university)
Table 1
Local New Providence residents Survey Responses
Question Yes %
Yes No %
No
Do you know the definition of energy conservation? 73
27
Do you practice energy conservation in your home? 58
42
Do you educate your children about energy conservation? 39
61
Are you aware of the importance of energy conservation? 21
79
Do you believe that Bahamian government is taking steps toward becoming energy efficient? 16
84
Did you participate in the Earth hour this year which was held on March 27, at 8:30 pm? 1
99
Do you turn off water heater when not in use? 27
73
Do you turn off lights when not in use? 32
68
Are air conditioning turned off when not in use? 55
45
Are your faucets free from leaks? 85
15
Are all electronics turned off when not in use? 37
63
Are appliances turned off when not in use? 27
73
Are refrigerator doors kept closed? 100
0
Do you wash clothes in cold water and in full loads? 44
56
Do you line dry your clothes instead of using a clothes dryer? 16
84
Note. Survey, personal communication, March 15-March 29, 2010. (It is not clear what is meant by this sentence. This statement needs to have been clarified.)
Discussion of Results
Like in many parts of the world, here in the Bahamas energy conservation is a very controversial issue. The writer wanted to find out if Bahamians are aware of the current energy crisis and if they view this crisis as important. The writer conducted a survey locally here in New Providence. The survey began by finding out if Bahamians actually knew the definition of energy conservation. To the writer surprise, most of the participants knew the gist of energy conservation. Not surprisingly however, many of the younger participants (what percentage?) did not know the definition of energy conservation, the writer then gave the formal definition.
Besides knowing if the participants knew the definition of energy conservation, the writer wanted to know if the participants practiced energy conservation within their homes. Overwhelming 42% of the participants (which participants?) stated that they do not practice energy conservation within their homes. This result was not at all surprising to the writer. It is a known fact that most Bahamians do not practice energy conservation in their homes. Many Bahamians believe that to practice energy conservation means that they have to “do without”. But the truth of the matter is there is now an energy efficient alternative for almost every kind of appliance or light fixture. This means that Bahamian consumers have a real choice and the power to change their energy use on a revolutionary scale.
The writer believes that because many Bahamians do not practice energy conservation within their homes, many of them do not educate their children about energy conservation. The survey confirmed the writer’s claim as the results showed that 61% of Bahamians stated that they do not educate their children about the importance of energy conservation. The writer strongly believes that ‘education is the key to success’. Therefore, being educated about the importance of energy conservation is extremely important, as it can determine the outcome of future generations. When asked if they knew the importance of energy conservation, 79% of the participants responded saying no. This writer found this to be extremely disturbing.
When asked if the Bahamian government is taking steps toward becoming an energy efficient country 83% of the participants response was NO. In fact, one of the participants said “the Bahamian government is not concerned about future generations, they hardly care about the present generations, and this is why no provisions are being made as it relates to energy conservation for future use. Many of the responses to this question were very similar to this. Many Bahamians believe that the government should be doing more as it pertains to this matter.
Out of the 100 participants in the survey only one of the participants participated in the Earth Hour (reference?) which was held on March 27th of this year. The other participants were completely oblivious to what Earth Hour was, hence their reason for not partaking. The writer was disturbed by this in some sense.
When asked do you turn off water heater when not in use 73% of the participants responded no. 68% of the participants stated that they do not turn off their lights when not in use and 45% stated that they leave their air condition on when not in use. 63% of participants admitted that they do not turn off appliances or electronics when not in use.
All of the participants stated that their refrigerator doors are kept closed and windows are closed when air condition is on. As it relates to washing their clothes, 56% stated that they do not wash their clothes in full loads; instead they wash as they see it fit. This means that if they have five or six pieces of clothing they would throw them in the washer (completely wasting energy). Similarly, 84% of the participants stated that they do not line dry their clothes instead they use a dryer. Additionally, many of them viewed line drying clothes as primitive. However, this is not the case it is only one of the many measures that can be used to conserve energy. When it came to the bonus survey question, which asked about future generations supply of energy many of the participants were unable to answer and simply said “I don’t know.”
Conclusion
Based on the results of the survey and the general consensus, the writer concluded that Bahamians do not view energy conservation as important. Although many of the participants stated that they know the definition of energy conservation, more of them stated that they do not educate their children about energy conservation. Additionally, 79% of the participants do not know the importance of energy conservation, therefore how can they view deem it important if they are unaware of the importance? The writer strongly believes that if people not only Bahamians were educated about the importance of energy conservation, they would make the necessary lifestyle adjustments and lead more energy efficient lifestyles. Education is the key to living an energy efficient lifestyle. Many Bahamians believe that the government needs to do more in an effort for the Bahamas to become energy efficient. While the writer agrees that the government can do more, the writer also believes that everyone has a role to play. Simple measures such as turning off lights when not in use, turning off the air condition and water heater can help to reduce energy use. Based on the results from the survey many of the participants admitted that they do not do these simple things. Many of them were unaware that by doing these simple things they are actually conserving energy. The writer was quick to inform the participants of simple things they can do to conserve energy. (But was educating the public the purpose of your investigation?) The reality is that whenever energy is conserved, money is saved and the demand for fossil fuel is reduced. It is a known fact that the supply fossil fuels are running out, therefore energy conservation should be of great importance to people around the world including Bahamians. If the present supply of energy resources are not conserved what will happen to the future generations?
References
Bent, R.D., et al (2002). Energy: Science, policy and the pursuit of sustainability. Washington DC: Island Press
Climate of the Bahamas. (2008) Department of Meteorology. Retrieved April 10, 2010 from
_http://www.bahamasweather.org.bs/index.php?page=climate_
Geller, H.S. (2002). Energy revolution: Policies for a sustainable future. Washington DC: Island Press
Goodstein, E.S. (2004). Economies and the environment (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Maslin, M. (2005). Global warming: A very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
(Some of these sources were not cited in the text of the Term Paper. They all should have been)
Appendix A
ENERGY CONSERVATION IN THE BAHAMAS
Please circle the correct response.
Survey Questions
Do you know the definition of energy conservation? Yes No
Do you practice energy conservation in your home? Yes No
Do you educate your children about the importance of energy conservation? Yes No
Are you aware of the importance of energy conservation? Yes No
Do you believe that the Bahamian government is taking steps toward becoming energy efficient? Yes No
Did you participate in the Earth hour this year, which was held on March 27, at 8:30 pm? Yes No
Do you turn off your water heater when not in use? Yes No
Do you turn off lights when not in use? Yes No
Are air conditioning turned off when not in use? Yes No
Are your faucets free from leaks? Yes No
Are all electronics turned off when not in use? Yes No
Are appliances turned off when not in use? Yes No
Are refrigerators doors kept closed? Yes No
Do you wash clothes in cold water and in full loads? Yes No
Do you line dry your clothes instead of using a clothes dryer? Yes No
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