TODAY’S  PRACTICES 

Sustainable Energy today means leveraging exisiting technologies and practices that help us become less reliant on non-renewable,  highly polluting, toxic energy sources. This  means learning to choose cleaner energy that lessens our dependence on politically volatile and environmentally threatening oil, coal, or nuclear sources.  And it means using less energyand less fuel, creating renewable energy right in our backyards, and voting with our dollars to bring more renewables onto the national energy grid. Solar energy is one example of a renewable energy method with a long history of creative technologies and a very promising future in Hawaii.

TOMORROW’S POTENTIAL 

What lies ahead? Developing new materials and technologies that are beyond our current awareness or and capabilities is another way to develop sustainable energy sources and systems. Innovate! We also can vote for innovation by supporting candidates and legislation that foster a greener energy future that meets our electricity and transportation needs.

 

Conservation   +    Production    +     Innovation

 

Conserving  Energy is a way to develop a more sustainable lifestyle, right now, today. Easy Suggestions: Install CFL light bulbs and turn off when notin use. Dry your clothes on a clothes line and retire your dryer. Use celing fans only when in the  room and keep ventillation flowing to live with out artifical air conditioning. Consolidate your shopping trips – more errands pertrip mean less miles on the road and gas to buy. Put appliances on power strips that you can turn off when not in use. You’d be surprised how electricity is being used even when nothing is turned on!

Producing Renewable Energy – locally created solar, wind, or hydro energy is a way we can walk the talk  of a sustainable lifestyle in the short term, right in  our own backyards and farms. Changing to solar hot water is one of the fastest, lowest cost ways to change your energy consumption by actually becoming an energy producer. In Hawaii, several low cost and low-interest solar hot water loan solutions are currently available.

Innovating NEW energy technologies will be the exciting outcome of inventive thinkers who unleash their talents on solving our energy use challenges. Big Island inventors have been developing hybrid hydrogen / gas fuel for cars for example.