A few years ago, well, maybe decades ago, I can remember gasoline shortages, and lots of discussion about energy conservation. Energy conservation messages could be seen on the television, in public buildings and in the news. Grants and research monies were also available to explore and develop energy conservation techniques and alternative energy technology. Then, the energy conservation message seemed to fade into the background of our lives.

Just as clothing styles seem to come back, so has talk of energy conservation. The price of gasoline, electricity, natural gas and propane has been an ongoing point of discussion from the local coffee shop to Washington, D.C., and has brought back the words, "energy conservation" and "alternative energy supplies".

Global warming is usually also mentioned in these discussions about fossil fuel consumption and alternative energy sources. Changes are occurring to our global environment, with the most dramatic changes being measured in the northern regions of the world. The cause of these changes has been a great topic of debate.

The point of this article is not to continue this debate, but rather encourage you as a citizen to read, research and become more informed about this topic. In addition to energy costs, the global environmental change could be another point of encouragement for you to reduce your energy consumption.

Energy conservation techniques are not rocket science, most management practices are more just plain common sense. How about gasoline consumption? Well, the easiest answer is drive less. That is easier said than done as we are a commuter society. Car pooling to work or to see a movie, and even shopping is happening even with teenage drivers. Of course the teenage carpool is being motivated by economics. Planning ahead to reduce the number of trips to the store is another fuel saving technique.

You can also increase the fuel economy of your car without replacing it. To get the best from your existing car, keep the tires properly inflated, change the air filter, use your cruise control on the highway and accelerate gradually.

In your home you can reduce electricity use by turning off lights when leaving a room. Televisions and computers are big consumers of electricity, so turn them off when not being used.

Electricity and natural gas can be conserved by simply raising your thermostat a couple degrees in the summer and lowering it a couple degrees in the winter. A programmable thermostat will also allow you to use less energy during the time your family is away at work or school.

Adding insulation to your home, sealing air spaces around windows and doors, and insulating your hot water heater will also help save money and use less fossil fuel. When it's time to replace the furnace or windows in your home, install a high efficiency furnace and replace windows with double or triple pane models.

Finally, recycling does help reduce energy consumption. The energy saved by recycling an aluminum can will run a television for 3 hours. Recycling glass uses 50% of the energy compared with new glass. Paper recycling can save 65% of the energy that new paper production uses.