Renewable Creative Energy
STEM Tuesday friends, I was creatively tired. Drained. The well was dry. Etc., etc., etc. It’s been a wild couple of months in which I feel I’ve been running full tilt on a treadmill not going anywhere. The battery was drained.
There’s a definition of energy derived from Aristotle and his concept of enérgeia.
Energy is a condition that allows the capacity to do work.
I needed some renewable energy. I need the capacity to do my work.
Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be transformed from one form to another.
This little nugget is the Law of Conservation of Energy.
Ah, but since energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another, I couldn’t just wave a magic wand and create the “Best STEM Tuesday Post of All Time” I dreamt of making.
I needed some renewable energy. But how? There’s no Creative Energy section in any of my local stores, there were a few TikToks that were of no help at all, and, unbelievably, Amazon doesn’t list anything relevant to my problem.
I was at a loss.
In utter creative despair, I snapped the laptop lid closed, fell to my knees, and reached, like Tim Robbins after his escape in The Shawshank Redemption, to the creative spirits of the universe in a plea for help. Sadly, the creative spirits of the universe did not answer. So I got off the office floor, went outside to fill the bird feeders, and then took the dog for a walk. Signs of early spring were everywhere. Birds, buds, and lilacs. Daffodils, tulips, and a soft breeze.
The creative battery notched a level up.
I felt a thaw in the ice floe jamming my creative brain (For a little brain science, here’s a link to my post, Creative Braining). I had an urge to go to the library. I picked up my two grandsons (5 and 3 years old, respectively) and we descended with great enthusiasm to the children’s floor in the basement of our library. Their energy was contagious. I scoured the shelves and found a half dozen awesome picture books to use for illustrator studies.
With great excitement, we hauled our stacks of books from the library and to the truck to take home. I was fired up to return to my office, read the books I’d checked out, and then add sticky notes to mark the illustrations I wanted to draw for illustrator studies.
With little effort, the creative battery reached an almost full charge. Turns out, all I needed was to take a step back from the work and redirect to a renewable creative energy source. Nature and libraries. Two great sources of renewable creative energy. Bingo!
Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be transformed from one form to another.
The Law of Conservation of Energy.
It means energy comes at a price, even the forms of renewable energy listed in this month’s fabulous STEM Tuesday Renewable Energy book list. The trick for humanity at this critical point in environmental history is to transition to creating energy that minimizes the negative impact on the environment while still providing the energy to fuel our lifestyles.
We all know it’s important to develop renewable energy strategies for the environment. It’s also vital to develop strategies to renew creative energy. Find what works and when that doesn’t work, try something different. Expand the lens that feeds your creative brain. Be curious.
As for that Best STEM Tuesday Post of All Time? You might have to wait on that one for a while longer.
Bellatheblond, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Mike Hays has worked hard from a young age to be a well-rounded individual. A well-rounded, equal-opportunity sports enthusiast, that is. If they keep a score, he’ll either watch it, play it, or coach it. A molecular microbiologist by day, middle-grade author, sports coach, and general good citizen by night, he blogs about sports/training-related topics at www.coachhays.com and writer stuff at www.mikehaysbooks.com. Two of his science essays, The Science of Jurassic Park and Zombie Microbiology 101, are included in the Putting the Science in Fiction collection from Writer’s Digest Books. He can be found roaming around the X under the guise of @coachhays64 and on Instagram at @mikehays64.
The O.O.L.F Files
This month’s version of the O.O.L.F.(Out of Left Field) Files explores a spectrum of renewable energy information. From DIY to corporate plans to how the word “energy” came to be, you can check it all out at the links below.
Renewable Energy (Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy)
Microsoft’s Emissions and Water Use Shoot Up As It Goes All In on AI (via Futurism)
What is renewable energy? (kids.earth.org)
The renewable energy movement must have corporate involvement. This may take time and involve the consumer holding them accountable for their promises and PR on renewable energy.
Natural Resource Distribution Video for Kids (GenerationGenius)
DIY Renewable Energy
- 26 Ways To Produce Your Own Renewable Energy At Home (Rural Sprout)
- DIY Solar Panels: Are They Worth It? (2024 Guide) (This Old House)
The History of the Word “Energy” (Energy Fundamentals from the University of Leipzig)
Florian Gerlach (Nawaro), CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Green Energy
Carla Mooney loves to explore the world around us and discover the details about how it works. An award-winning author of numerous nonfiction science books for kids and teens, she hopes to spark a healthy curiosity and love of science in today’s young people. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, three kids, and dog. Find her at 
