[JOAN CARTAN-HANSEN] The energy we use to light our homes, heat our schools and run our cars comes from many sources: Coal, natural gas and oil are called nonrenewable energy sources because once we use them up there won't be any left.

These standard sources provide dependable energy but these nonrenewable energy sources add pollutants to the air, increase global warming and climate change and many are hard on the environment. So more and more, people are looking at different ways to get their energy. Green energy sources are renewable, generally don't contribute to global warming and are more environmentally friendly. Here are some examples of green energy: solar power captures energy from the sun. These turbines create electricity with wind power

Hydroelectric energy is created when water flows through turbines to make electricity. Geothermal heat - that is, hot water from deep within the earth - can be used as an energy source. A number of buildings in boise are already heated with geothermal energy. Other green energy sources include using tidal waves in the ocean or burning waste or plants to create electricity. Nuclear power could also be considered green energy and there's one other important kind of green energy that you can do something about - Conserving energy or using less energy is the easiest and cheapest way to help the environment.

There are some simple things you can do to save energy: turn off the lights when you leave a room, set the thermostat at no more than 68 degrees in the winter or no less than 78 degrees in the summer. Walk to school, recycle and change incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent lights. If we conserve energy and scientists continue to improve green energy sources then the earth's future will stay brighter too.

Print Transcript