Unplugged for 24 hours

Or at least, as much as a college student realistically can be while still going to school.
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All of my cords in their pre-unplugged phase.
photo taken by me

On Monday, for a period of 24 hours, I did not use my computer, cell phone, television, gameboy, cd player, electric fan, air conditioning, or any other electronic appliance for the sake of convenience or entertainment.  I unplugged appliances in my house that aren't used constantly like the toaster and crockpot.  I also unplugged my cell phone, laptop, and camera chargers and my heating pad.  I did very little driving: from home to school and back.  I didn't make any extra side trips.  And I used electric lighting as little as possible.

One thing I didn't unplug was my alarm clock.  There's only one clock in my house that isn't electronic, and it's not an alarm clock.  Due to the fact that I do have responsibilities (like school) and a clock is something that needs to be on at all times to be useful, I decided i was okay to leave it on.  Also, I did turn on my lamp when it got too dark to see in the house without it.

Most of these changes weren't so bad.  For example, unplugging the things I'm not constantly using wasn't so bad.  It's not so hard to plug a charger back in when you need the power.  And I can find other sources of entertainment when the electricity is off: namely books.  I read a lot normally, but after homework was done, I finished the entirety of short series in one sitting.  In the morning, I didn't use any lights at all and opened the curtains in every single room I went into.  Except, my bathroom has no windows and is pitch dark with the door shut, so I kind of needed light in there.

The tv I don't use much and could easily live without,
especially as compared to my laptop.
photo taken by me

The change I had biggest problems with was the no laptop.  It's not because I can't live without it or that I'm addicted to the internet.  There are several classes in which I take notes, and my linguistic anthropology class is one of them.  This is because I type faster than I write, and my anthro teacher talks really fast.  I really didn't like not being able to get down as much information in my notes.  Not to mention, I do a lot of homework on my laptop and often work at it at school.  So, not using / bringing my laptop with me to school isn't a change I'd be willing to continue.

The rest of the changes, simple as they are, I'm sure I wouldn't have trouble continuing (except maybe the crockpot and toaster thing because I don't live alone).  But in the little corner of the house I call my bedroom, I can minimize my energy use as much as possible.

The fan!!  One of several magical fans that
will lessen our use of the AC.
photo taken by me

One thing I want to mention really quick is that I learned it's almost impossible to escape using any kind of energy at all in our society when interacting with other people.  Even had I walked to school, the cafeteria and library always have on indoor lights, and teachers often use computers or overhead projectors for their classes.  There's no way I could stop all of that during my 24 hour period.  And even had I done this at home, I live with two other people.  Willing as they are to help me with my homework, my parents have responsibilities too - ones that often involve the use of electronically powered machines.

And now, last but not least: given unlimited time and money, what could I do to make my home more energy efficient?

1) Get energy efficient appliances
2) Solar panels on the roof
3) Convince my family to use our electrically powered fans instead of AC
4) Unplug more chargers and the like
5) Small individual AC units in rooms instead of the central one
6) Tear it all down and build a home similar to the Fronteir Project Building :D

Realistically, three and four are pretty much the only options I could actually accomplish due to lack of money and time.