Hawaii is more dependent on foreign oil than any other state. We are also on track to get 40 percent of our energy from renewable energy sources by 2030. Energy diets make it easier to meet renewable energy goals—steps now to reduce energy use will lead to a more sustainable Hawaii.

Let’s face it. Energy consumption is expensive and can be very harmful to the environment. Air pollution and contaminants in ground water from electrical generation by burning fossil fuels are just the tip of the iceberg in the environmental impact from fossil power. While many people are going solar in the 21st century, it can be expensive to install and maintain solar power systems if governmental or other regional incentives are not in place. Arrangements in which customers can generate solar energy and sell it back to the grid have often ended up being profitable for home- and business-owners alike. But harvesting energy from the sun is not the only way to manage a sustainable energy diet. There are ways that energy consumers, even those who are not in a position to make a big adjustment in their source of energy production, can have a positive impact on their “energy diet.”

Changing your energy diet is like changing how you eat – new habits must replace old ones.

Buy Environmentally Friendly, Buy Local

It is no secret that power plants produce huge quantities of emissions that go into the air and ground. However, chemical products such as cleaners and detergents at home can also get out into the environment. There are environmentally friendly products you can buy or other natural methods can be implemented using simple household materials. Instead of purchasing imported items, you can buy ones made locally, lessening the energy consumption and environmental effects of product transport and fuel use. If enough people follow this rule, the results can be measurable in the environment. This can be tricky for Hawaiians, since importing from Japan and importing from the continental US both require energy-intensive transportation – but there are a lot of island-grown and island-made alternatives that we can choose, which reduce our need for environment-damaging imports.

• The Hawaii Department of Agriculture has a list of seasonal vegetables and more at their Island Fresh: Buy Local – It Matters website.

Eat Local, and Eat More Vegetables

As with energy use, eating habits can be changed. Meat production consumes many resources, and one way to manage your own and the global energy diet is to eat vegetarian food more often. In Hawaii we import nearly all of our meat but grow lots of our own vegetables and cereal grains, so every vegetarian meal is, or could be, a local one. Eating at home instead of going for take-out can help, because disposable containers take up huge amounts of space in our landfills and sometimes contain toxic materials. By limiting beef consumption to just a few ounces a day, and eat seafood managed and processed around Hawaii using sustainable practices, then your personal energy use will be greatly reduced.

• Join us in saying NO to Styrofoam in Hawaii’s restaurants – check out our list of Stryofoam-free restaurants!

Drive Smart

There are 760 cars for every 1000 people in Hawaii. With a population of 1,374,810, that’s a lot of cars (968,855 of them, in fact!). While fuel-efficient vehicles greatly lessen carbon emissions, there are ways you can help the environment in a gas-powered car too – keeping the tire pressure in check and removing excess items from the trunk or cargo area can reduce fuel consumption. You can also take public transportation or carpool, both of which conserve energy by having fewer vehicles on our crowded island roads, and less carbon-based fuels burned. And don’t forget biking and walking!

• The US Department of Energy has plenty of gas mileage tips to help you conserve energy.

Use Less Electricity and Less Water

Knowing where your house uses the most energy is the key to finding ways to reduce your usage. These same energy uses are some the easiest to reduce. These reductions have a tremendous effect on energy costs and on the impact you have on the world around you.

Day-to-day activities at home add up in terms of carbon output and energy use. You can manage your energy diet by lowering the thermostat by just a few degrees in the winter and raising it just a drop in the summer, while a programmable one can be an even wiser investment. Managing refrigerator settings in a similar way and using energy-efficient light bulbs can be positive to your energy diet as well. And even if you are taking responsibility for the environmental future by installing a solar electrical system, if you cut the power you consume, then the power generated by your PV array can be fed into the grid, increasing your cash return! As far as water use goes, filtered tap water, shorter showers, and low-flow shower heads can be pluses for conservation.

Reducing your energy use lowers the demands of your home and gives you the peace of mind knowing you’re making a positive impact at home and in your community.

• Check out HECO’s 101 Ways to Save and the rest of their Energy Savings Toolkit for a ton of easy ideas on conserving electricity.
• Check out the Honolulu Board of Water Supply’s Seven Easy Ways to Save Water too!

Recycle!

Transportation and management of waste is a big burden on the environment and requires a lot of energy. Make sure you recycle glass, paper, aluminum, and plastic as well as batteries. The same goes for plastic and paper bags used for shopping and for vegetables. Paper that is used for mail is also a heavy burden – remove yourself from mailing lists of advertisers and ask to receive bills in a paperless format; adding these habits to the environmental energy diet will cut down trees lost, energy used for production and transportation, and overall waste.

• Check out Hawaii Department of Environmental Services at opala.org for a list of what to recycle and how.

These are just a few of the many simple things you can do to manage your energy diet. By reducing your energy needs you help reduce Hawaii’s demand for traditional energy sources. You help bring fewer barrels of oil to the state and account for fewer pounds of carbon dioxide being put into the atmosphere

Further Resources

• Hawaii Energy: Your Conservation and Efficiency Program
• The US Department of Energy’s EnergySavers.gov website has an endless amount of tips.
• National Geographic’s Great Energy Challenge lists ways to reduce your carbon footprint.