Conservation of Non Renewable Resources is a Must
Conservation of non renewable resources is a high priority today. We cannot state for certain that fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal are not being produced by the earth. However, non renewable resources are those minerals created over millions of billions of years as the earth heated and compressed decaying plant life. We are consuming those natural non renewable resources at a pace far greater than they can be produced.
Coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear elements are in danger of becoming depleted. Only two or three generations ago it seemed the earth's supply of fossil fuels was unlimited.
Huge fields of petroleum were found in many regions. Veins of coal were deep and wide while mines for copper, iron and precious stones seemed inexhaustible.
Demands for Non Renewable Minerals
As the demands for non renewable minerals continued to rise the mining processes advanced. More and more oil wells were drilled and the extraction of coal and iron ore became more efficient.
As population growth has demanded ever increasing supplies of fossil fuels and natural minerals, the need for conservation of non renewable resources has become apparent.
It's no longer enough to develop better ways to pull fossil fuels from the earth. We also need to develop more efficient ways to use those fuels. Conservation of non renewable resources has become a field of its own.
Creating more power using less non-renewable resources is the goal of many scientists, engineers and environmentalists. Using less fuel to create more power makes sense but is not always possible with current technology.
Areas of Conservation of Non Renewable Resources
Currently, the U.S. leads in consumption of non renewable resources but at current rates of growth, China may be the leading consumer within a few years.
Conservation of non renewable resources is divided generally into three categories. The Industrial Sector is made up all production and processing of consumer goods. This includes mining, water management, construction, manufacturing and farming.
For the most part, conservation of non renewable resources by industry is promoted by tightening governmental restrictions and by increasing costs of fuels.
Energy savings in the past 30 years have been substantial. This can be seen clearly in the manufacturing of steel and paper products where fuel use has been cut by as much as 40%.
Other manufacturing for products such as cement and electrical power also has shown great increases in efficiency and reduction of non renewable resources used. In most cases, recycling has been responsible for the majority of the reduced fossil fuel use.
Retail stores, offices, schools, workplaces and restaurants make up the commercial sector where energy is used in much the same way as in the residential area.
Biggest Consumption
The biggest consumption of non renewable resources in the commercial sector is in maintaining what is known as space conditioning.
This is the heat, cooling and the lighting required by such businesses. Better building designs and newer lighting technology have reduced the cost of space conditioning by as much as 50%.
In older office buildings and schools the heat loss through large window spaces combined with the heat gain of the sun's rays entering through the glass were the main culprits of energy overuse.
Today new buildings are designed to take advantage of the local climate and orientation of the windows and windowless walls allows the building to use the natural energy from the sun to help reduce heating and cooling costs.
Better building materials and improved design is a source of conversation about non renewable resources in the commercial sector.
For home energy use, conditioning the air space of the home is the main point of consumption. Up to 50% of the energy used in the average house today is used to heat, cool and light the space.
Changed Home Design
Conservation of non renewable resources has changed home design. The newly popular "open floor plan" has become the norm. Homeowners love an open floor plan where the kitchen, dining and living areas are sections of one large room.
This open floor plan has replaced the old style homes where each room was a separate space surrounded by walls and designed for one purpose.
A kitchen was to cook and perhaps to eat in. A separate dining room was used only on formal occasions or for holiday family dinners.
Twenty years ago the normal new home in the U.S. had both a living room and a family room. In the past 40-50 years the most common change in homes was ever increasing size of the rooms and the number of rooms.
However, with the introduction of open living areas, the square footage of homes has been reduced. The open designs allows for better air flow and more efficient heating and cooling systems.
This is the main source of conservation of non renewable resources in the residential sector. However, the reduced size was easily accepted as a large room provides space for more and varied activities.
Most homes built today do not waste space on a separate large dining room that will be in use only occasionally but required heating and cooling daily. A family of four no longer builds a home with a separate formal living room and a separate reaction or family room.
Conservation of Non Renewable Resources Proceeds Gradually
Over time, business, manufacturing and residential sectors are increasing their conservation of resources by heating and cooling buildings more efficiently and by designing more efficient buildings.
The greatest trend perhaps is in the residential area where homeowners are willing to adapt to new designs to reduce both their energy bills and their carbon footprint.
These new smaller, home designs were introduced at a time when two working parents and children schedule for many activities have changed our lifestyle.
Entertaining is casual today and more likely to be a cookout than a formal dinner. Smaller homes with open floor plans are easier to clean and maintain and fit well with new casual lifestyles.
Summary
Conservation of non renewable resources is a leading cause of concern for everyone. Our natural resources are finite and not inexhaustible. As fossil fuels and other non renewable resources become scarcer in the next few decades, the costs will move higher.
When you compare the changes that have occurred in building codes, governmental regulations and home designs, you will clearly see a movement toward conservation of precious non renewable resources.
