Margaret M. Loos
History
In some societies today, and in agricultural populations in earlier days, food and other needs of man were provided by nature and the input of energy from the human body. Thus, a primitive person or a farmer might be able to supply his needs by expending 2,000 calories a day. With small populations and arable land that might seem ideal. In some simple farms of today the yield is virtually as high as 20 calories to 1 invested. Complications developed when populations either increased or did not share what could produce crops or support livestock. Always before, when the land could not produce, the population would relocate; but now, the “new” land is no longer available. Seventy percent of the land is unsuited to agriculture.
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As man began to relocate he found that by living together he could accomplish many endeavors better. Aggregates developed, clans, tribes, small villages, towns, and finally cities emerged. The city is a recent entity in the time line of man. The Greek city-states flourished only 3,000 years ago. Now we study the social phenomenon of the city in many ways, including environmentally.
Changes In Energy Use
|
|
Primitive farmer
|
2,000
|
Calories/Day
|
|
|
Add fuel (wood) for cooking, heat 1
|
2,000
|
|
|
Add coal, steam engines (1860)
|
70,000
|
|
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U.S. in 1975 using electricity,
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235,000
|
|
|
appliances, private cars and
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|
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industry.
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Until 1968 we were able to control prices of fuel because the United States was a large producer of our favorite fuel, oil. At that time we announced that we had reached our limits of output. Since then we have had to import oil from countries that do not consider us their friends. OPEC was formed. Even the “Majors”, the great oil producing and processing companies could not deny these oil producing countries their choices to realize greater profits from their natural resources or to control the rate at which those resources would be diminished. The economic pressures made the United States face the Energy Crisis.
Energy And The City
A city can be viewed as an energy “cell”. How does this energy reach the city. By ships, trains, trucks, pipes and wires it flows in to keep the city alive. The city lifestyle demands it and gives off waste products to prove its consumption. What forms of energy are used in city homes, apartments, industries, businesses, restaurants and transportation? What effects does the city dweller’s energy consumption have upon his environment? How can he conserve for economy and health? Does he really have any control?
The Picture In Connecticut Cities
Net energy consumption in Connecticut in 1978 ran up a fuel bill of 2.8 billion dollars, almost 60% for petroleum products, 9% for natural gas, 32% for electricity. Connecticut spent $889 per person compared to $1,013 which is the national average.
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The electricity portion can be divided into the major fuels for its generation, in units called B.T.U.’s (British Thermal Units). A British Thermal Unit is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit at 39° F. In 1978 the amounts of each in trillions of B.T.U.’s were:
*One B.T.U. = .252Kcal
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Petroleum Products
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122.51
|
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Coal
|
0.00
|
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Hydro
|
3.61
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Natural Gas
|
0.00
|
|
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Nuclear141.90
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Since then, two of the three operating nuclear plants have been inactive frequently, and the percentages of the others have increased. Obviously, Connecticut’s dependence on the dwindling and erratic flow of petroleum products, of which 77.6% originates in OPEC countries, will continue to be a burden to Connecticut’s cities.
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The effects of the Iranian Hostage Crisis and the wars and unrest in the oil producing countries are accompanied by increased worldwide demand for and export limitations of oil. New discoveries have not kept pace, and the intervention of Saudi Arabia to hold down the price and keep the flow of petroleum products available to the United States is a support subject to many perils. The increased oil prices have been a major factor in the inflation that is plaguing the wage earners of our cities. Oil supplies
propane
,
gasoline
, jet
fuel
,
heating oil
,
motor oil
, and
road tar
as well as many
valuable chemicals.
Connecticut and its cities have no control over this problem. Our nuclear fuel, on the other hand, is mined in Colorado, Wyoming and Louisiana. It is also a non-renewable fuel, uranium. Our Northwest Energy Company has contracts until 1985, so it is a dependable source until then.
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Natural gas supply has decreased since 1973 but the industry forecasts increases and in 1978 its price was 16% lower than oil.
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Closer To
Home
We have sited our energy mix figures, but the real effects occur with different impact levels depending on several variables. These include whether the house is owned or rented, if rented, whether the fuel bill is included or separate from the rent. Many city-dwellers live in public housing, and in that case and in some other rent situations, the authority in charge may control the temperature at which heat is delivered by setting a central thermostat.
The average wage level in the city may allow less funds for insulating the city households, less money for the newer cars that represent conservation of fuel, but many families have used their own labor, and subsidies for improving the fuel tradeoffs in their homes, and have increased their use of mass transit, happily available for city people, and many are walking more and driving less.
Household Hints
Householders, landlords, housing authorities of state, city and federal housing alike can benefit from efficient insulation, replacement of broken doors and windows, light walls in the buildings, and using lower limits on the thermostats. We are accustomed to room temperatures above 68° F but except in the aging a lower temperature can be equally healthful. Above all, in the area of space heating, everyone who touches the thermostat should know the limits agreed upon in the home or business, and understand the benefits of energy saving in dollars and cents. Individuals paying electricity bills can turn off unnecessary lights, stop preheating ovens, use cooler water for washing and bathing, use dishwashers and stoves only when filled to capacity, keep refrigerators closed and eliminate frivolous appliances.
City Waste Materials
,
Whose Responsibility
?
The city is often criticized because of the pollution emitted by its factories and buildings and the rubbish that sometimes litters its streets. The public must remember that the city is the meeting place of humanity, often where it works, carries on commerce and recreates, and many of the polluters and litterers leave the city and return to calmer, safer, and less polluted environments.
Citizen Participation
Many neighborhoods have united to clean up their area, the cities of Connecticut have been carrying on campaigns to boost civic pride. The song and slogan, “Look what we got, here in New Haven” resounds on the television and around town. The city also has the voters to influence the vote of its representatives, and they should use that power in the city and in the state and nation.
