Home Improvements to Conserve Energy

There are plenty of people in the world who want to conserve energy. Whether they do it to save the environment or to save money, they are generally employing the most popular tactics, such as turning off lights and lowering their thermostats.
While there are plenty of everyday tactics you can employ to conserve energy, there are plenty of other ways to conserve that are not as well known. Some of these tactics include making home improvements. Though some people may not want to (or might not be able to afford to) remodel their home or make improvements, doing the following improvements will help ensure that you are doing your part to conserve as much energy as possible.

Use good insulation.

Insulating your walls and your ceilings with an energy-efficient insulation will help you conserve a great deal of energy. Most old homes are not properly insulated—and some may not be insulated at all. While insulation can last for a very long time, it does not last forever.
If you are remodeling a room in your home, take the extra step to remove the walls and replace your insulation. There are many different types of insulation, but the best insulation to conserve energy would be spray foam insulation. This is more expensive up front, but the cost and energy savings over the years make up for it.
Replace your windows.

If you have old windows in your home, you are losing a great deal of heat during the winter months. If heat is constantly escaping your home, this forces your furnace to work overtime to keep pumping heat throughout the house. Old or single-pane windows need to be replaced with double-pane windows. Again, these energy-efficient windows will be more expensive, but they will help lower your energy bills.
Repaint your house.

If you live in colder climates, you should paint your house a darker color. The darker color will attract the sun to warm your house naturally. If you live in a warmer climate, use light colors on the outside of your house. This will repel the sun and keep your house cooler on the inside. If you live in warmer climates, you can also plant trees that will block your home from the sun. This extra bit of shade will keep the sun from beating down on your house and making it toasty.
Replace your roof.

Wooden Eco House example.

If you have an old roof on your house, energy can be escaping, and you could be losing heat. If it's been a long time since your roof was replaced, or if you notice severe damage to your roof, you need to replace it. You should also consider putting in an attic vent. Since hot air rises, your attic can become filled with hot air, and if there is no ventilation in your attic, the heat will continue to sit there and eventually make your house warmer. During summer months, this extra heat will force your air conditioner to work overtime to try and cool your house down.
If you want to go the extra mile to conserve energy, make sure to do these home improvements. When you combine these with the other conservation tactics you do on a daily basis, you will really be doing your part to conserve energy and erase your carbon footprint.

Why Conservation is Important For the Human Race

We normally think that conservation is all about keeping things natural, when in fact, very few places in the world have been left truly natural. Many conservation programmes try to focus on maintaining biodiversity. Biodiversity is the number and variety of living things in a certain habitat. Unfortunately, the rising human population can threaten biodiversity through:
- Over exploitation of wild animal populations for food, sport and commerce. These populations are usually harvested faster than they can replenish themselves.
- Non native species introduced to a habitat by humans, which can out compete native species and force them to extinction.
- Habitat disruption by building and pollution.

Many conservationists would argue that the threats described here make conservation essential. As many believe every species has its own rights to survive, and humans are ethically responsible to look after them. Although these arguments can be understood by other conservationists, they are subjective. The arguments in favour of these threatening activities are driven by economics. Therefore it is much wiser to express conservation in terms of economic value, making governments more likely to give priorities to conservation.

Many species have a direct economical value when harvested. Others may also have a direct value that is yet to be discovered and would be beneficial in the future. For example, the common drug aspirin, was originally derived from the bark of willow trees.
-Many species provide value as a food source, essential for human survival.
-Natural environments are a potential of extremely valuable future resources. Many of the drugs we use today were discovered in natural plant species.
-Natural predators of pests can act as biological control agents.

Many species also have indirect economical value, such as wild insect species that are responsible for pollinating crops. Without them, crops would not produce a large enough yeild and we would have potential food shortages not to mention the fate of farmers. Likewise, other species maintain water quality, protect soil and break down waste products. There is even new found evidence that a reduction in biodiversity may reduce climatic stability, resulting in drought or flooding and associated economic costs.

Tourism and recreation in natural habitats also have an economical and social value, deriving from the aesthetic value of the biodiversity. Ecotourism depends on maintenance of the biodiversity. There is even a significant industry involving natural history books, films and other media.

Although conservation involves management and reclamation, preservation can also help to maintain biodiversity from the major threats of an increasing human population. Preservation involves protecting areas from colonisation, ruling these zones 'no build', as yet untouched by humans.