Response: People's Experience of Energy

For class we read chapters 1-2 of People's Experience with Energy, an extensive report on energy usage around the world. The report provided statistical information such as percentage of the world without access to electricity (22%). Energy usage can mean a variety of things, from electricity and lighting, to heating and cooling. In the developed world, we rarely need to think about these things, we merely flip a switch and it works. One of the ideas that came up was that of heating food. The stove I use at home provides me with a relatively clean means of cooking the food that I eat. When I cook I am not actively (at least I hope not) releasing harmful material/particles into the air in my home. In the developing world, many cook using biomass (burning wood). However, the burning of biomass within a closed space, and prolonged exposure to the smoke can have significant effects on the health of individuals. In fact, among those with lower respiratory infections, smoke from solid fuels is the cause of approximately 21% of deaths. Another piece that came up too was the idea of how much energy is needed to cook the food one eats. For some, in order to cook some of the more nutritious foods, you need to use more fuel. Therefore, in an attempt to lower fuel costs many turn to the less nutritious, yet faster cooking option. The idea of food preservation, through cool was also an interesting concept that came up. Cooling of fruits and vegetables, especially in warm climates can help to preserve them for extended periods of time. However, in many developing countries, the technology needed to keep food cold is simply not available. The Zeer pots of Sudan are a simple solution to keeping food cool. For a Zeer pot, one uses earthenware pots, one within another with a layer of wet sand in between. Using natural materials, one is able to create a kind of natural "refrigerator,"helping people preserve their food for weeks longer. These basic ideas and questions around energy usage, and the statistics provided with in the article, should be extremely helpful for future projects.