In my initial essay, I started off by mentioning the correlation between power and energy.

Particularly, I focused on the fact that power is the rate at which energy is consumed. Now, I
know that another way of saying this could be the rate at which work is done as calculating the
work done is the same as calculating the energy. Furthermore, I learned that what we really need
is power rather than energy. Energy is all around, however power generation is the main
challenge.

I also mentioned that I was aware of the non-renewable sources of energy such as fossil fuels.
Since then, I have learned that there are actually conventional and unconventional fossil fuels. As
for conventional fossil fuels, this includes coal, natural gas, and petroleum (which is also known
as crude oil). Coal is formed differently than petroleum and natural gas as it originates from
plants that died in swamps an extremely long time ago. Over the years, they got buried under
water and dirt which is then followed by heat and pressure turning them into coal. On the other
hand, petroleum and natural gas are formed from the burial of the remains of plants and animals
under the ocean floor. This was then covered by sand which caused the remains to keep getting
buried deeper. The heat and pressure caused by this process turns them into oil and gas.
Prior to this class, I was completely unaware about the existence of unconventional fossil fuels,
particularly shale gas and shale oil! I think this was because I grew up in the Middle East where
we have a greater abundance of conventional oil and gas. Now I know that shale gas production
mainly occurs in the United States and started because of high natural gas prices. As for shale
oil, I learned that it has a very low energy density, notably similar to that of a potato (which was
very surprising).

This was particularly interesting to me because I knew that fossil fuels took time to develop but I
didn’t know how time consuming the process is. It now makes sense to me why new oil and gas
discoveries are always newsworthy (although it is sad to see that we are still so adamant to
continue using oil and gas).

Next, I commented on the transition into using more sustainable sources of energy due to the
damage that has been done to the planet, however I wasn’t completely aware of its extent. I also
recall only being familiar with air pollution and the toxins released during fossil fuel combustion.
Currently, I think I have a more holistic view on the effects of using non-renewable energy
sources in terms of land, air and water.

Impact on water - Water quality has deteriorated due to many factors, one of them being oil
spills. Another factor to consider are biofuels as rain can cause fertilisers and pesticides to wash
into nearby areas of water. In turn, this causes algae blooms which harm aquatic life and
mammals.
Impact on land - Land pollution has also been increasing. The generation of nuclear power
contributes nuclear waste to the environment, which is radioactive and highly toxic. Currently,
nuclear power plants store their waste on-site, which means that further land is required for this.
This also takes away land that potentially could have been used in a more beneficial way, such as
for wind turbines to generate wind power sustainably. In addition, coal mining causes the
destruction of top soil and can lead to acidic water run-off.
Impact on air - I was already very aware of this type of pollution due to my Chemistry classes.
We had learned about the reactions that create nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and carbon
monoxide. Hence, I knew about their contribution to global warming and their impact on human
health too. One thing I recall learning about air pollution from this class were the acts that were
introduced to combat the emission of these gasses from fossil fuels, such as the Clean Air Act in
the 1970s.

The land, air, and water pollution connected to further research that I conducted for my CAS
138T class for my Civic Issue Blogs. We were given the opportunity to choose our topics and
write three blogs, 1000 words each, outlining and explaining the issue and our views on it. I used
the Energy 101 textbook for some information but I also did extra research to write the blogs. An
interesting fact I remember learning was that it is possible for the land pollutants to seep into
groundwater and eventually contaminate other water sources, ultimately increasing water
pollution.

The next task in my CAS 138T class was to create an issue brief on a public policy that we
believe should be implemented. I explored the implementation of a federal RPS policy that
would be mandatory for each state and so it would increase the United States’ consumption of
renewable energy. We also had to produce an advocacy piece related to our issue brief. For this, I
attended Penn State’s Sustainability Summit on April 13, 2023 which was held in Alumni Hall.
Throughout the summit, the speaker mentioned that small actions can be taken by students that
actually have a large impact in the long run. So I created a flyer of some actions that people can
take to be more environmentally responsible and posted the flyer on my dorm’s notice board.