The topic of alternative energy resources seems to appear more and more in the media as a topic of serious interest. Without a doubt, the need for these resources is now a major problem throughout the world. The energy crisis, of course, is not a natural phenomenon; in other words, the people are to blame for it. However, it is too late and the dilemma is too out of control to try to identify who made the biggest mistake. What you can do: Learn about alternative energy resources and make a decision to make a personal contribution to help understand the source of the problem. Then get to work locating and using the alternative energy sources available to you.

Just by looking around and taking note of our surroundings, in the midst of all the technological advances, you will still be amazed at how nature itself provides for all the needs of humanity. Over the years, however, this has been overlooked and exploited. This, of course, has resulted in the energy crisis we now face. But it goes without saying that you cannot turn back time and undo the damage that has already been done. The most influential thing you can do is contribute to help solve the problem or reduce it, even with your limited personal means.

Are you aware of the available renewable energy sources around you? Such resources are everywhere. Start by looking in all directions around you. Look up, and there is the sun that produces solar energy. The sun’s rays can be converted into electricity through solar cells, solar thermal panels, parabolic mirrors, and other means.

Look down, and below you. Did you know that heat from the ground can also be converted into energy resources? Holes are being drilled in certain regions to locate steam that is produced by heat below the earth’s surface. The steam can then be purified and used to power electrical generators.

Look around you and feel the air. Wind can also create energy as it drives the blades of wind turbines. This rotation of the blades produces electrical current that can be used through electrical generators. In 2005, it was reported that wind turbine capacity could reach as high as 58,982 megawatts.

Did you know that water covers approximately three quarters of the Earth’s surface? Hydroelectric power comes from water. This can be used for its kinetic energy or for tidal energy to produce power. It can also be contained in a dam that takes advantage of the gravitational fall of a river to become a source of energy.

Now, in this time of energy crisis, it is more important than ever to take action and make use of available renewable energy resources, such as those discussed above. Apart from the fact that they are free, they will continue to be available as long as we understand how to take proper care of our environment, without further abusing its abundant resources.

Experts from all over the world are conducting studies in order to find methods to improve the utilization of these available alternative energy sources. People and businesses must figure out ways to slowly wean themselves off their reliance on non-renewable energy sources. In a matter of years, this dependency will diminish until it slowly declines very substantially. Meanwhile, discovering better ways to replace that reliance on unsustainable energy resources will improve the ability to replace traditional energy resources with renewable alternatives.

Once you, as an individual, begin to find ways and means to make use of the energy resources that are already available around you, you need to make sure that these resources are cared for and used properly, to avoid another energy crisis like the one we are experiencing. we are already experiencing due to the depletion of our natural resources like coal, oil, etc. Caring for the environment encompasses much more than substituting the use of alternative energy resources for non-renewable resources, and includes finding one’s own ways to reduce pollution, planting and caring for plants and trees, and (specifically) supporting the manufacture, sale and use of products free of chemicals that are harmful to the environment.

by Wayne Wargo