Inefficient use of energy costly in lives, dollars

West Virginians were hoping and praying this morning that four missing miners would be found alive following a blast that left 25 dead.

It was the worst U.S. mining disaster since 1984, when 27 miners were killed in Utah.

On the other side of the world, 115 Chinese miners were rescued after being trapped in a flooded mine for more than a week, five were killed and 33 are missing.

Last year, 34 U.S. miners were killed on the job, giving their lives so we can sit and work at our computers, watch television and charge up our new plug-in hybrid cars.

Much of our electricity is generated from coal as well, although it is produced by open-pit mines that are much safer for miners but devastating to the landscape until it is returned to something resembling its original form.

But every form of energy has its cost.

Burning of fossil or biofuels generates greenhouse gases.

Nuclear reactors are coming back into vogue, although anyone familiar Three Mile Island or Chernobyl knows the potential for disaster.

Oil can be spilled in pristine bays or draw us into wars in distant lands in which we would otherwise have no interest.

Wind turbines endanger migrating birds and clutter the horizon, solar is expensive and whatever the source, transmission of electricity presents its own dangers and inefficiencies.

Yes, there is much progress to be made on the supply side of the energy equation, but it is on the demand side that real progress can be realized with less effort.

Now that warm weather has returned, how about riding a bicycle or walking to work instead of driving a car capable of carrying six passengers and weighing nearly two tons?

Or if you do have a longer drive to work, how about filling those extra seats with co-workers willing to leave their cars behind and share the cost of using yours?

When you're not at work, do you wait until you have several errands to run at once to save gasoline and wear and tear on your car?

How about your home? Can it use some more attic insulation, caulking or major energy upgrades like a new heater, air conditioner, windows or siding, while there's still time to take advantage of government incentives?

Do you have an automatic thermostat? Do you shut off lights when leaving a room, and are you using new, efficient compact fluorescent bulbs?

Energy is expensive, both in direct costs, environmental impact and the sacrifices made by people like the miners in West Virginia and China. With modern technology and careful planning, we can have a comfortable lifestyle and still get by on as little of it as possible.