Where does your energy come from and where is your energy going?
Our energy systems work so well most of us are
completely out of touch with what it really takes to make it happen or even
where the energy comes from in the first place. An eleven year old was
asked, “Where does electricity come from?” and he paused and said, “I don’t
know!”
The process has become so conveniently effortless
and reliable that we never really see, question, or understand the hidden
process and it is expensive! According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis in
2010 the average American household spent $2200 in one year on electricity alone. For those making a
minimum wage of $7.25 (Rhode Island), 303 hours a year will have to be
dedicated to pay for electricity.
Let’s dial in and take a closer look at how we sustain
our own personal lives in ways that on the outside seems beneficial and the right thing to do. After all everyone else seems to be doing the same things.
Take employment for
example, in 1960 8 in 10 American children had just one working parent. In 2012
only 3 in 10 children had a stay at home parent. Both of those working parents,
if working full time, are committing 4000 precious hours away from home and the people we love just pay for the stuff to make
it all work!
Those same parents are so exhausted that 50 million of
them take themselves and their children out to eat fast
food everyday. Lucky for us we have 160,000 fast food restaurants to choose from. According to
the Center for Disease Control 35% of
American adults are obese and 17% of American children are too! Chronic Obesity
has a heavy price tag on our bodies and the health care systems in place truly cannot sustain the growing epidemic any longer.
Statistic
Brain says 40% of us are not saving for retirement and 25% of us have no
savings at all. Sadly, many of us are not self-sustaining, however, the good
news is this - with small incremental steps and dedication to making a change we can rethink this whole thing and empower ourselves to do it differently.
Recognizing that most of us fall prey to these
statistics because we do not have the time or make the time to do it differently
is a great place to start. That means we are aware! Mindfulness breads desire and commitment to design a personal life cycle awareness plan that is fulfilling and sustaining.
Here are three easy ways to begin!
Here are three easy ways to begin!
Live green.
The average family spends about
$2,200 a year on energy bills.
Save your hard earned money by doing
a home energy audit using the free calculator developed by the Environmental
Protection Agency’s Energy Star Program.
Plant a garden.
On average, families can
get up to a $500 return on their investment in gardening, after seeds and equipment
are subtracted, says the National Gardening Association.
Dust off your cookbooks.
The average family spends close to half of its food budget on meals away from home, remember they are too tired to cook.
The average family spends close to half of its food budget on meals away from home, remember they are too tired to cook.
Shift your perspective and recognize tired or not that’s a lot of dough! Cooking at home can save you hundreds of dollars a
year.
Comments
Post a Comment
Let your knowledge, ideas, and innovation be heard. Tell us what you think and know about this topic.