The theme of ‘going green’ has swept across the United States, as both companies and individuals are becoming more environmentally friendly, by going green. In fact, going green has even become somewhat popular as universities and companies encourage their employees to become more creative in ways that encourage going green.

There are many ways to ‘go green’, and they all are designed to regulate consumption and the way that individuals use energy. One such example is the push to go green with energy and electricity. Individuals are now being encouraged to:

- Unplug plugs, such as phone charges, lamps, etc. from walls. (Even products that have a ‘stand-by’ option are still using electricity)

- Make sure all unused lights are turned OFF

- Use a power strip, which can be turned off at night, this way one will not need to unplug and re-plug items to save energy

- Use natural ways of heating and cooling your home. Open windows before afternoon heat, use curtains during the warmest parts of the day, use fans, etc.

- Buy products that are more environmentally efficient, pick items with an Energy Star label

Lighting, is another subject were going green is being strongly pushed, especially because of the great amounts of energy wasted used when lighting. Here are some tips to saving money and energy when lighting your home:

- Switch light bulbs to compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) or even cutting-edge LEDs

- Only light the areas that need to be lit

- Make sure that your outdoor lights are only on when they are being used, motion sensors will help in this endeavor

Unfortunately, the statistics for the amount of energy Americans consume is far greater than the rest of the world. Americans often think that these resources will continue forever, but they will not. This is largely the result of the fact that a great deal of American energy is from nonrenewable resources. Therefore, we as Americans need to lessen our dependency on these nonrenewable resources. We can do this by using renewable resources like wind and sun, but we also need to reduce the amount of energy we use and consume.

Important Statistics to Consider:

* Of all the energy used in the United States, 72% is used by buildings

* The energy of the United States is 98% made up of non-renewable resources

(51.7% coal, 19.8% nuclear, 15.9% natural gas, 7.2% large hydroelectric, 2.8% oil)