Conservation of Energy

“Hey! Coming for tea?”, queried my colleagues, as the clock ticked to our usual tea time. I nodded in assent and rose after switching the PC to standby mode. An accidental, fleeting glance at my neighbour’s PC revealed that it was in full power mode. Hastily, I turned it into sleep mode and switched off the lights, on my way out. A friend, who happened to witness my actions, commented mockingly,” You are really stingy!” I retorted indignantly,”This is conservation of energy, not miserliness.”

Such is the attitude of many among usunknowingly, unintentionally, we are contributing to the colossal waste of electricity in this world. Despite the advent of nuclear power, Kerala still relies primarily on our water bodies for meeting a huge chunk of our power needs. About 2100MW of the total 2350MW electricity generated here is from the 24 hydel plants in our state. In Kerala, conventional non-renewable resources (like coal) and emerging renewable resources (wind, solar, wave energy) constitute only a tiny portion of the generated power. The steady growth of population, coupled with wanton deforestation and pollution, has caused much of our hydroresources to dry up. Conscious avoidance of power wastage is a very simple, but highly effective means by which we can contribute our mite in energy conservation. Let us always remember to switch off all the lights, fans and other electrical equipment while leaving rooms, both at home and office. Switching the PC to sleep/standby mode saves considerable power. For instance, the PC (combined with monitor) consumes about 175W when it is operated in full power mode. In the sleep mode, this is brought down to 35W. When it is known apriori that we will be absent for a few hours from a room, (while attending meetings, etc.), the PC can be shut down and the AC can be turned off. At home, the TV can be switched off while it is not being watched by anybody. Use of CFL lamps in place of incandescent bulbs, taking care to switch off unnecessary lamps, keeping the fridge turned off for 2-3 hours everyday- all can go a long way in saving power. With the entire country plagued by power drought and prolonged hours of power cuts, such practices are the need of the hour.

Whenever I go to the canteen or bathroom, I perceive mindless wastage of water- from taps

carelessly left running or not closed properly. My friends watch amused, as I go around the wash area, closing the taps. Water is a precious resource and it is our duty to conserve it. There are millions of people deprived of water even for their basic needs- drinking, bathing, cooking and washing. Water is also inevitable for irrigation. Every drop of water saved by each one of us counts. As the saying goes- tiny drops of water make the mighty ocean.

Another invaluable resource that is squandered commonly in offices is paper- as printouts, xerox copies etc. Manufacture of paper requires felling of trees. Thus, wastage of paper is equivalent to mindless destruction of trees. Let us vow to minimise the use of paper to essential purposes alone. Instead of printouts of pages for verification, correction or reading, the soft copies can be utilised. Only the final, corrected copy needs to be printed out. Similar is the case with xerox copies. Further, for rough work or calculations, unwanted one-sided sheets can be utilised. We can exhort our kith and kin to keep these simple points in mind and follow them. This will assist in safeguarding our environment.

As all of us are aware, petrol and diesel are fossil fuels, on the verge of extinction. By relying more on public transport and walking or cycling to places of close proximity, vast quantities of fuel can be saved. Walking and cycling have positive implications on our health also. Instead of four or five individuals travelling alone in separate cars, pooling of vehicles can be practised in offices. Such measures can decelerate the pace of depletion of the reserves of fossil fuels.

Let us also lend our hands in alleviating the problem of plastic menace. The plastic wrappings of toffees and snacks are often carelessly flung onto the pavement by many of us. Throwing such non-biodegradable waste in garbage bins is the first step in solving this pressing issue.

This earth was a beautiful, clean place when we arrived. It is our responsibility to ensure that the future generations inherit atleast as much and not a deteriorated planet.