HOW DO TURNING APPLIANCES "OFF" HELP THE ENVIRONMENT, since our appliances dont burn fossil fuel?

Question

This may sound like a stupid question, but I'm very serious.

I want to help the environment--and I seriously want to learn and understand how turning off light switches and all that helps reduce emissions to the environment. I mean, we use electricty in our homes, not coal, so I truly dont understand!!

I am NOT being sarcastic in any way; because I want to educate my sons about this; so please give an Intelligent answer. Us adults dont know everything!!

Thanks! : )

Answer 1

It saves energy, which is limited.

Answer 2

Like most of the above answers correctly indicate, the bulk of the world's energy comes from fossil fuels.  Only France and Sweden are capable of producing almost all of their electricity from greenhouse gas-free sources like nuclear and hydro.

I may get a few thumbs down for saying this, but it's a sad state of affairs when an otherwise apparently intelligent person doesn't know where our resources come from, and where our waste products go to.  

In our ever increasing urban environment, many people who consider themselves as "green" or "environmentally friendly" have lost touch with the environment.  They often have no idea where lumber for their house, water for their taps, electricity for their appliances, copper for their wires, gold for their jewelry, paper for their books, meat for their plate, and iron for their cars comes from.  And they don't know what happens to their garbage or what happens when they flush the toilet.

The common theme is "save the rainforest" or "save the whales" but we are all collectively contributing to environmental damage in one way or another.  I don't mean to be sarcastic either, but its reality!

Answer 3

to get he electricity to our homes it has to be made fist. The places that make electricity usually burn coal

Answer 4

It does not and dont believe everything ya read or hear or what Al Gore says. This whole environmental thing is getting out of hand. I remember as a kid seeing the public service annoncements about how humans are destroying the rain forrests at so many millions of acres per year. I saw very similar advertisements well into the nineties. If this was all true then the rainforests shoul have completely been wiped off the earth around 1985. People are just making money off this whole thing.

Answer 5

turning appliances off does not help the environment since the electricity that is provided to your home is manufacured from a free source known as "magic"

Answer 6

Electric power that comes to your house is generated by the utility company, and the majority of utilities use coal to make electricity.  Coal is the least expensive way to produce power, and by burning it, we introduce pollution into our environment.  Obviously, solar, wind, hydro and nuclear (depending on your perspective) is far greener, but the US is primarily powered by coal.

Answer 7

The companies that make the electricity often use fossil fuels to make it.

fossil fuels --> power plant --> house --> appliance

Answer 8

Electricity is made by turning an coil of copper wire past electromagnets. The energy to turn this coil (turbine) has to come from somewhere, often steam. If steam, it is generated by heat from burning coal or oil, or from isotopic radiation from uranium.

If your electricity is generated by hydro, the coil is turned by falling water, ie it is generated by gravity. No direct use of fossilized carbon in that case.

In New Zealand, Africa, Asia and some of Europe and parts of USA, electricity is generated by hydro

Answer 9

The power plant that gets the electricity to run you appliances use fossil fuels. Turning off your appliances would mean that the power plant need to make less electricity, in turn making it burn less fossil fuels.

Also try unplugging stuff. Tv's use electricity when they are off so that they take less time to turn on.

~and before anyone can say "but it wont STOP global warming", It wouldn't kill you to turn some stuff off.

Answer 10

by turning off, or better yet, unplugging appliances you aren't using (clearly, this doesn't work with your fridge) you draw less power from the grid (as controlled and supplied by your friendly local power plant.)  Power plants generate emissions, not your appliances

Answer 11

Most of the electricity that comes out of your wall outlet is made by burning fossil fuels at the power plant.