Energy Resources: Use and Conservation; What is Energy?

Using the framing device of a teenage African-American student and a stereotypical geeky white professor talking about the historical uses of energy and today's post-industrial alternatives, Use and Conservation, one of seven titles in the Energy Resources series, looks at a wide range of renewable and non-renewable sources of energy. Fossil fuels are treated very charitably, with an honest assessment of all the good things they have done for mankind as opposed to a sketchy discussion of the harm they have caused the environment, as is nuclear energy ("fusion produces the least amount of radioactive waste, the toxic problem that some people say makes nuclear energy unacceptable"). As in Turning Down the Heat: The New Energy Revolution (VL-3/01), this tape also discusses alternative energy options, such as wind turbines, geothermal heat, bio-gas, and solar energy, although in less detail than the other title (it is, however, a great deal more affordable). The other titles in the series are: Electromagnetic Energy, Energy: Potential & Kinetic, Heat & Chemical Energy, Mechanical Energy, Nuclear Energy and The Transfer of Energy. Recommended. Aud: I, J, H, P."Energy is eternal delight," the mystic poet William Blake wrote, but those looking for a less metaphysical definition for classroom use are advised to pick up What is Energy?, one of five titles in the Energy for Children series, instead. Combining animated figures, graphics, and live action, the kid-friendly format explores the various kinds of energy--heat, chemical, mechanical, electromagnetic, and nuclear--illustrating the ways we use energy with a wide range of neat examples, including robots, radio-controlled toys, and a giant electromagnet in a junkyard. Presenting solid informational content in an entertaining manner ("you'll have to use your own energy," in addition to the electromagnetic energy of a vacuum cleaner to clean your room, the narrator notes at one point, showing a typical child's room strewn with clothes and books and papers), this program also includes review segments regularly spaced throughout to reinforce learning. The video concludes with a demonstration of the first four types of energy by an appealing multicultural group of young students. Highly recommended. The other titles in the series are: All About Heat, All About the Conservation of Energy, All About the Transfer of Energy and All About the Uses of Energy. Aud: E, I, P. (R. Reagan)