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Reading Passage
Do you know home much energy you use daily? Energy is something that kids just like you need and use every day at home and at school. You might find that your parents, teachers and our government talk, and worry about energy conservation. Conservation occurs when you use less of something or save it. Energy conservation is just as important as energy itself. It is important to know how energy works in order for you to do your part in energy conservation.
You might be asking yourself why saving energy is such a big deal? It’s important for our planet, Earth. To make energy, we use natural resources that are found in nature, such as water, natural gas, and oil. The majority of the natural resources that are used for energy are non-renewable, meaning that there are limited amounts in the world. Once we use up that limited amount, there will be no more to replace it. When we use too much energy, we are using up natural resources. That is why we must conserve it!
When we conserve energy we are also saving our planet by creating less pollution. The use of certain resources, like the oil and gasoline in cars, helps spread pollution by releasing chemicals and gases into the air and the water that we need to survive. Pollution can not only make people and animals sick; it also harms plant life. It also causes climate change or global warming, which is when the Earth gets warmer than it should. When this happens, it can make our weather conditions unpredictable or create really bad rain, heat, or snow. This can cause problems with the plant, animal, and human lives that are not able to adapt to the changing climate.
You can do your part to help conserve energy at home and at school. Sure, playing video games, and watching television can be fun, but they use a lot of energy. By limiting screen time, you are conserving energy. If you are walking out of a room and the lights are on, turn them off on your way out. Close all of the windows and doors in the house when the air conditioner is on in the house. When they are open, they make the air conditioner work harder than it needs to using up more energy. If it isn’t too hot outside, ask your parents to open the windows instead of using the air conditioner. Also, on cold days, keep the windows and doors closed to keep the colder air outside and the warm air inside. Don’t just let hot water run in the shower, close the faucet when it is not in use – that will help conserve a lot of energy, too!
Energy makes a lot of things possible, but it won’t last forever! Using too much of it is damaging for us and our environment! Make sure to do your part to conserve energy! When you conserve energy, you are not only contributing to a brighter, healthier planet for yourself, but also for all future generations!