Energy is in everything, and it makes everything happen. Yet, the answer to “what is energy?” isn’t easy. In fact, energy is a mysterious force. We can’t see it like we can see the sun, so it is hard to know exactly what it is. But we know when energy is at work, so the best way to understand energy is to describe its properties. One definition is that energy is the trait or property that makes things happen or change¹. It takes energy to make things move. Do you every feel too tired at the end of a long day to move? You’ve run out of energy! Energy does things for us. Energy moves cars on the road and skateboards over concrete. It bakes supper in the oven, and keeps ice frozen in the freezer. It plays your favourite songs on your iPod™, and lights our homes. Without energy, nothing would ever happen, change, or grow! All living things need energy to grow. Light is a type of energy that humans, animals, and plants use all the time. Plants use light from the sun to grow, and change that light energy into sugar that is stored in their roots and leaves. Animals, including humans, can’t change light energy into sugars, but they eat plants and use the energy stored in them to grow, and to move their bodies.

Energy is part of everything humans do. People around the world take energy from different sources to run machines and make heat and electricity. Without this energy, you wouldn’t be able to watch TV, stay warm in your house in the winter, or get a ride in a car. Most of the energy that we use in North America comes from oil, coal, and natural gas. These are fossil fuels that take millions of years to form, and are called non-renewable because we can’t make that energy again quickly, and eventually we will run out. Using fossil fuels for energy also puts carbon dioxide and other pollution into the air, causing problems for people and the planet.

In Manitoba we are lucky that we get electricity from dams on rivers and lakes in our province. This is hydroelectric power which is a renewable fuel, which means we can make more hydroelectric power quickly. Other kinds of renewable fuels are solar, wind, and geothermal energy. Renewable energy sources never run out, and produce no carbon dioxide!

Some people in Canada and around the world get energy from nuclear power. Nuclear energy is made from splitting non-renewable uranium atoms. Although nuclear energy doesn’t pollute the air the way fossil fuels do, it makes very radioactive and dangerous waste that stays that way for thousands of years.

Now we know that energy is very useful to all of us. But energy costs money when we use it to drive our cars and heat our homes and power our computers and televisions. Remember, too, that most of the energy that people use comes from fossil fuels which cause air pollution and other problems such as contributing to climate change.

What does this mean for YOU? You can talk to your teachers, and your family, about using power that comes from RENEWABLE rather than NONRENEWABLE sources. That is a big change. Even if your school or your home doesn’t make that big change, there are lots of small changes that you can make everyday that will help conserve (save) energy. You can help by reducing waste, reusing things, recycling, saving electricity, and saving gasoline.