<strong>Science</strong> ConnectionSave <strong>Electricity</strong>—Eat Salad!By Sarah V. RichardWouldn’t it be great if we had so much electricitythat we could use as much as we wanted? Unfortunately,most electricity is created from precious nonrenewableresources such as coal, oil, and gas. Theseare fossil fuels. Once they are used, they are goneforever. The more of these resources we use, themore money we spend to obtain them. It is importantto be aware of how much electricity is actually beingused by each person on a daily basis so we don’twaste money and resources. By cutting back our unnecessaryuse of electricity, we can conserve resourcesthat create energy.Ways to Cut Back <strong>Electricity</strong> UseThink of all the electronics such as televisions,computers, cell phones, eReaders, electronic tablets,and music devices people own. If we always makesure these electronics are turned off when they arenot being used, we can save on electricity. We canalso avoid letting appliances sit idle to avoid drainingthe battery. Recharging batteries uses electricity.We can save electricity by turning off the lightsin the rooms. If it is daytime, we can open the blindsand let in the sunshine. Sunlight is free, comparedwith artificial light coming fromlamps or ceiling lights. Whensomeone leaves a room and theroom is no longer being used,we can make sure we turn offunneeded lights.If we close the windows anddoors, the cool or hot air staysinside. If the windows anddoors are open, air will escapeand the air conditioner or furnacewill have to use more energyto keep the temperature inside the house the same.We can also set the thermostats to seventy-eight degreesin the summer and sixty-eight degrees or lowerin the winter to be energy efficient.Eat SaladWe can even save electricityby watching what we eat. If wehave salad, fresh fruit, and/orsandwiches for a meal, we are notusing a stove or microwave. Ifwe eat an uncooked meal likethese just a few times a month,we will save on the electricitybill.Nobody likes to take coldshowers, but we can think aboutusing hot water only when necessary.We can avoid taking long,hot showers. When possible, wecan wash laundry with less hotwater or even cold water. If wewash dishes in a dishwasher, weAnother Wayto SaveAnother way tosave resources isto use renewableresources thatrely on air, water,and sunlight.Wind turbines,hydroelectricpower plants,and solar panelsare examples ofthese powersources.can put in as many dishes as possible with each dishwashingload. Hot water uses more energy becausethe water has to be heated by electricity, gas, or oil.We can all do our part to make the world a betterplace by paying attention to the amount of energy weuse. From turning electronics off to using less hotwater, we save energy and money too.Sarah V. Richard is the author of Ten Ways I Can Be Green.You can find her work at www.diskuspublishing.com/.sarahrichard.html.Activities1. Continue the list of energy-saving ideas startedin this article. Brainstorm and share.2. Do an energy use study on your home, school,or other location. Look at the power use over aweek. Brainstorm and list ways that you canconserve. Share your findings with the peoplein charge and encourage them to reduce theirenergy use.3. Make a poster for your school that shows othershow to save on electric use. Pick just one themefor the poster such as Turn off the Lights. Illustrateit to show why it is important to do this.<strong>Spigot</strong> <strong>Science</strong> - http://www.spigotscience.com 10 <strong>Electricity</strong>
<strong>Science</strong> ConnectionLiving PowerPlantsBy Mary ReinaStan Sheb, Wikimedia CommonsElectric eel at the Steinhart Aquarium in San FranciscoHmmm. I thinkshe needs a tripto the seashore.You have a pain in yourfoot that won’t go away.Your doctor gives you aremedy. Go to the seashore.Find a fish called an electricray. Place your achingfoot on it. Make sure seawaterflows over your foot.Let the animal shock yourfoot over and over again.Remove it after numbnesssets in.Ancient BiobatteriesThis treatment, described in an ancient Romanmedical book, was considered a legitimate cure forarthritis. Back then, no one understood anythingabout electricity. People believed the shocks, tingles,and numbness they felt when they touched ananimal provided certain health benefits. Researchersbrought a new twist to this old idea by working onsomething called a biobattery. It’s a device basedon the way electric eels use special cells in their bodiesto store and produce electricity. They discoveredhow to copy the way those cells work and use themto make improved medical implants. Althoughthey are not yet perfected, biobattery implants mightsomeday be used to cure certain types of vision,heart, and hearing problems.Creatures we can't see might provide ideas forimproving our electronics, help make advances inthe medical field, and purify sewage systems. In2010, scientists wondered why the seabed of AarhusBay in Denmark seemed to pulse with electric power.They decided to scoop up and analyze mud 65feet below the surface of the bay. What they foundwere colonies of bacteria that connect themselves toeach other by building microscopic power lines.Each colony is surrounded by an insulating casefilled with fibers that produce and carry electricalpower from one to the other.Lower layers of the cells live in conditionswhere they have access to nutrients but no oxygen.Upper layers, closer to the seawater, have access tooxygen but no nutrients. Nature solved the problemby allowing both layers to to act like living powerplants that connect the cells in the lower layers tothose in the upper. The bacteria are so small thatone teaspoon of mud can work like a microscopicpower station that lets them electronically transferfood and oxygen.It seems like the people of early civilizationswere onto something. Those who came after themput in a lot of time and work to find out that steppingon an electric ray isn’t a good way of curing pain.Mary Reina is a well-published children’s freelance writer.Research ActivityUsing books or the Internet, do research to findout how biobatteries work. Share your findingswith others to learn about different types of biobatteries.<strong>Spigot</strong> <strong>Science</strong> - http://www.spigotscience.com 11 <strong>Electricity</strong>
Change language