April 28th, 2009 
Tushar Mathur We flick a switch and the lights, television and microwave come on. But did you ever stop to think about where the energy to power these appliances comes from? Since you probably have never given it a thought, you are unaware that today’s energy is being supplied by fossil fuels and coal, two sources of energy responsible for sending huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Scientists are becoming more and more alarmed with the impact these poisons are having on our environment and are beginning to make their growing concern known.
Because the rate at which we are using our current energy sources will see them depleted before too long, we must find clean, renewable, sustainable sources of energy to replace them. Of course the all-important reason for being in pursuit of these alternatives is because what we currently are using is harming our climate. People need to become more aware of how their normal everyday usage of electric is causing this harm and become motivated to look for alternatives.
Today energy companies are looking into using solar and wind energy on a wider basis than they are currently being used. In areas where there are lakes and rivers that can be reigned in, dams are a good source of hydro power. Where there are consistently moderate winds blowing, wind energy can be harnessed and is a great alternative form of energy, but not many areas fall into this category and the ones that do might not have access to an amount of wind energy to meet their demands.
These days globally, researchers are actively engaged in finding alternative energy forms. Because it does not send carbon dioxide into the air, the most common, though controversial, is nuclear power. However, concerns over the dangers of melt downs and contamination are the main points keeping nuclear power from being developed on a larger scale. Although nuclear energy is a clean form of energy, it has other downsides than the ones already mentioned. It produces nuclear waste which is harmful and takes milleniums to break down. These wastes must be stored and we have just so much land on which to do that.
Until such time as a discovery is made that can help reduce our current energy problems, what we can all do to lend a helping hand, is to consistently cut back on our energy usage. Studies have shown that if we take the time to turn off the lights we are not using, it would reduce by up to 25%, the total amount of energy being consumed.
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