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Our Eco Life

Kinki University Technical College

Introduction

A: Our Eco Life. Our presentation is on Eco Life. We would like to show you many examples of. . . .
B & C: Excuse me! Excuse me! (Interrupt A-san at the same time.)
A: Yes?
B: What does Eco Life mean?
C: Yea. I was going to ask the same thing. What is Eco Life?
A: I'm sorry! That's a great question! Well, let me ask you; what do you think it means?
B: Let's see . . . . . I think it means how to save our planet.
A: "Save our planet". Ok. Can you give us an example?
B: Ok. For example...how to save our trees by not using so much paper, and how to save water.
A: Ok. How about you, Yo? What do you think it means?
C: Well. . . . I think it means how to keep the earth clean and green.
A: I think you are both on the right track. But of course everyone probably has a different image of Eco Life.
C: Well, what is your definition of Eco Life?
A: Hmmm. I really don't have a definition. But I think if we put our ideas together, we can come up with many examples to show everyone.
B: Yea, let's do that.
C: Yea, let's. (same time)


Cars vs Bicycles

B: Takuya, I want to hear your idea. What do you think of when you hear "Eco Life"?
A: I think about gasoline energy.
B: Please tell us more.
A: I talked with our other club member, Yuta. He rides a bicycle every day. Last summer he rode his bicycle back to Kumano from Nabari. It's about 150 kilometers. I thought that was great! He really has an Eco Life.
B: I think so, too.
C: 150 kilometers, WOW!
A: Then I checked how much energy he saved. I compared a bicycle to a compact car. A bicycle of course uses no gasoline so it is great for an Eco Life, however it has some problems.
B: Problems? What kind of problems?
A: For one, it took Yuta 11 hours to go to Kumano!
B: 11 hours! That IS a problem!
A: There are other problems, too. Like, he couldn't carry much luggage; and his bicycle only carries him. There are also many mountains between Nabari and Kumano, so only very healthy people can use a bicycle for long distances.
C: What about a car?
A: Well, a compact car is efficient, but it uses gasoline. For the trip to Kumano, it takes about 10 liters.
B: Is that a lot?
A: No it isn't. It's about average for a compact car. Some other good points are; a compact car can carry 4 or 5 people, and several suitcases. And even if you are not strong, you can drive a car up and down mountains. Best of all, it only takes about 3 and a half hours to go to Kumano.
B: That's a lot less time.
C: Yeah, and the seats are much more comfortable, too!


Bath vs Shower

A: Tatsuya, what ideas do you have about Eco Life?
B: I did some research on how much water and energy we use when we take a bath versus when we take a shower.
A: What did you learn?
B: Well, I compared a 6-minute shower to a bath. A 6-minute shower uses about 92 liters of water. The average bath holds about 200 liters.
C: That's a big difference! What about energy?
B: As for energy, I set the temperature to 41 degrees Celsius, then checked.
With propane, a shower uses about 10 cubic meters; but a bath uses about 43 cubic meters.
If you use electricity, the shower uses about 23 kilowatts per hour, whereas a bath uses 100.
Finally, I checked kerosene. For a shower it takes about 2.3 liters, for a bath, about 10 liters.
A: I like a bath, but I see it isn't very efficient compared to a shower. Thanks for the information.


Fan vs Air-con

A: So Yo. What did you research about ECO life?
C: I compared using an air-conditioner to using an electric fan.
A: Well, of course an air-conditioner is cooler, isn't it?
C: Yes, but it uses a lot more energy.
A: Can you tell us more?
C: Ok. My experiment was in a 6 tatami room. I wanted to get cooler, so I set the air-conditioner to 26 degrees. Then I checked how much power it uses and did some calculating. If I use the air-conditioner 10 hours every day for 4 months, it uses about 100 kilowatts per month.
B: How about a fan?
C: When I checked the electric fan, I set the fan speed to medium. I got cooler, but I was still kind of hot.
B: You need a bigger fan.
C: Well, I could use a bigger fan, because using a fan is energy efficient. The fan only uses about 35 kilowatts per month; much less than an air-conditioner.
A: Wow, that is a lot less! Thanks, Yo.


Data Discussion

A: Excuse me, Yo. I have a question about your research.
C: Ok.
A: When I use a fan, I'm still hot. Did your research show why?
C: Yes. I found out that even if you sit in front of a fan, the humidity of the air doesn't change. With high humidity you feel hotter.
If you use an air-conditioner, you feel much cooler because the humidity drops. I think most people like air-conditioners, but they are not as energy efficient as fans.
B: Takuya, how about your research. I don't like to walk. And in the future, I want a BIG car. How can I have an ECO life?
A: Well, how do you go to school now?
B: I usually ride a bicycle, but sometimes I ride the bus.
A: Well, buses use a LOT of fuel. But, if 40 people use the bus, the amount of fuel is divided by 40! So each person helps save energy, and everyone saves money! And of course, if you walk, or ride a bicycle, you don't use fuel at all. That's a perfect ECO Life!
B: Well what about the future? I want a BIG car!
A: If you like big cars, then maybe you can carpool, like this! Or, if you just have a normal big car that carries 6 to 8 people, then the amount of fuel is shared by all of you. Or. . . . . maybe you can use a big hybrid car – they get great gas mileage! Either way, it's a great ECO life!
C: I was wondering about how to save more water. Tatsuya, what else can I do to save water?
B: Do you take a bath, or a shower?
C: I take a bath. But after a bath, all that water just goes down the drain.
B: Did you know you can use the bath water afterwards?
C: How? I don't want to drink it!
B: No, no. You can use it in the washing machine. A lot of people pump the bath water into the washing machine. That way they don't have to use fresh water, and are leading an ECO Life.
C: Great idea! I'll try it!


Conclusion

A: Well? Did you learn anything new?
B: I learned how we can save more gasoline.
C: And I didn't think there was so much difference between taking a shower and taking a bath.
A: Yes, there are many ways we can save energy and lead an Eco Life.
B: What I think and do, and what you think and do about saving our planet might be different.
A: I think you see now that "Eco Life" has a different meaning for everyone. You might drive a hybrid car that gets great gas mileage, but you might like to use an air-conditioner and not just a fan.
C: And if you like to drive a big car, maybe you could carpool with 2 or 3 co-workers. You could all save a lot of gasoline, and you might enjoy your ride to work more because you can talk with friends.
B: I also learned that if you live alone, a shower is more efficient than a bath.
C: But if you do like a bath, you can always re-use the water to do laundry.
A: Yes, everyone probably has their own idea of how to lead an ECO Life. But what we all have in common is saving energy. If everyone does 1 or 2 things each day to help out, our planet, the Earth, will last forever.