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We are an energy-hungry species, and when it comes to meeting tomorrow’s demands we
tend to focus on things like more fuel, new technologies, and better energy efficiency.
But we don’t think about this.
About 40% of the food in the United States is never eaten, it skips our dinner table
and goes straight in the trash can.
Along with it, we throw away a quarter of our freshwater, a third of our fertilizer,
and along with all the transportation, packaging, and processing at every step, a total of 2%
of the total energy we consume.
The walk from your fridge to the couch isn’t very far, but the average American meal travels
1500 miles to reach our plates.
The calories we throw out translates to $600 per family per year. That’s a lotta money.
We plant too much, leave food in the field, and who really understands what that date
on the milk carton means anyway? But 60% of our food waste happens at the last
step: when we don't consume it.
Energy waste is a big problem, and it’s not limited to food.
More than half of the energy we produce is wasted thanks to inefficiencies. Some are
inevitable thanks to our pesky friend entropy, but many could be avoided.
Everything from power plants to light bulbs gives off heat that usually isn’t put to
any use. And have you ever looked at the buildings in your city at night? Didn’t your mother
teach you to turn the lights off?
40% of our energy goes to transportation, usually as fossil fuels, and a whopping 75%
of that is wasted, right out the tailpipe. Burning gasoline to move around big hunks
of metal holding one person turns out to be a pretty inefficient way to get around.
Planes and ships aren’t much better. It takes a lot of energy to keep a metal tube
flying through the sky, and one container ship is as fuel hungry as 50 million cars.
Water is an energy catch-22 all its own. It takes energy to get water, but we need water
to make energy.
H2O is used in mining and fracking, to cool reactors, to make steam, to grow crops for
biofuels, and to just turn turbines. Power plants alone account for about 3% of total
water consumption in the U.S.
Only 2.5% of Earth’s water is fresh, and even less is accessible in lakes and rivers.
Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to turn into a kilowatt-hour.
Americans use 13% of their energy to clean water and move it from place to place. The
largest electrical consumer in thirsty California? The California Aqueduct. Unfortunately, pumping
billions of gallons water over 700 miles from the mountains to Los Angeles is still cheaper
than making the ocean drinkable.
So what can we do? A million things, but here’s a few ideas:
Engineers are researching ways to turn waste heat from cars and power plants back into
electricity. And if we’re going to keep throwing things away, we should harness landfill
gas and turn it back into usable energy.
Make buildings more intelligent so they use energy when and where it’s needed. And maybe
we could turn off some lights.
We need to change the way we produce and distribute food and water. Educate people on making smart
food choices, so we throw away less and eat more, from closer to home. And of course,
turn off the water when you’re brushing your teeth.
If you’ve got more ideas, leave them in the comments. Or better yet, go out and invent
it.
We’re a thirsty species, and a hungry one too. For our future, let’s waste not, and
want less.