Energy Brat

"It seems like energy use is on peoples’ minds here [in Mexico]...more than in LA. This makes me wonder: am I an energy brat?"

By Antony Jaureguí

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As winter draws nearer, many families will be checking their household energy use to curb costly energy bills. Youth Radio’s Antony Jaureguí grew up in sunny Southern California, and has never worried much about where energy comes from and how much he uses. But on a recent trip to his parents’ hometown in Mexico, he begins to question why he never questions his energy use.

This is the sound of convenience in my house. Microwave, television, computer, stereo. We use these appliances a lot. My 14-year-old brother Alexis is the main culprit. He leaves the lights on and appliances unattended. I try not to waste that much energy.

I caught him upstairs playing on the computer and a hand-held video game, called the DS, at the same time.

ALEXIS (on tape)
I’m not on the computer and the DS at the same time only the computer and TV.

ANTONY: And then you play on the DS and your on the TV at the same time or the computer and the TV at the same time, or the computer and the DS at the same time, or the computer, DS and TV at the same time. ALEXIS: No that's crazy! You're the one who does it!
ANTONY: So you think I use more energy than you?
ALEXIS: Of course. You sleep with the radio on and you don’t turn it off until the morning!
ANTONY: That’s not true...
ALEXIS: You told me 5 times!

ANTONY
OK, maybe we both use more energy than necessary. But my parents have tried to teach us to be mindful about energy. They grew up in a totally different era in a small town in Mexico.

DAD (on tape)
I used to pick up some manure of the cow and also the manure of the donkey...

ANTONY
Here's my dad talking about his first lesson in energy

DAD (on tape)
I was like 7-years-old and I used to sell it in a place where they use the manure to burn it...So that was the energy that they used, besides the wood... But sometimes it's hard to get wood at certain times in the year.

ANTONY
That’s the gas delivery man in my dad’s hometown, Jalostitotlan. He's saying, "gaasssss..." He's shouting out the window of his truck to sell tanks of gas to the townspeople. This summer, I visited my family there and I learned about energy in a new way.

The scenery in the town is quite different from my neighborhood in Los Angeles. I see sandy streets, red brick houses and large open ranches.

I also notice something bizarre. On the rooftops of many houses, there are large, metallic panels. I stop by my neighbors to ask what's it all about?

The person who answers the door is an elderly lady name Yermina Gonzalez.

YERMINA (on tape)
Es bueno el systema porque ahorra uno a dinero se conserva la agua como 3 a 4 dias quando el tiempo esta malo y eso es lo que nosotros hemos visto. Quando el tiempo esta bien siempra hay agua caliente. Valle tener un sistema asi un systema solar.

ANTONY
She tells me the panels are her solar-powered water heating system. She says that over the past 25 years she has conserved not only gas, but also tons of money.

It seems like energy use is on peoples’ minds here...more than LA. This makes me wonder: am I an energy brat? When I’m home in LA, I even complain about going outside to put my clothes in the washing machine. Here at my grandma’s in Jalisco, I’m getting used to being the washing machine.

DAD (on tape)
When you have hard time to get something, then you really appreciate what you have.

ANTONY
I’ve always had energy at my fingertips, so I haven’t really thought about where it comes from and how much I use. My parents have had it harder. And maybe that’s where they get their mentality about energy.

DAD (on tape)
Like I don’t know if you remember where your mother used to live on the top of the hill. She used to go down there to get the water. She had to walk a lot to get some water so now when you guys or me even use a lot of water, she really gets upset because she knew how hard it was to get the water and now that we have the water sometimes we waste it.

ANTONY
I always thought that my mom was just trippin' on me whenever I left the water running. But now I understand the chill that must run through her spine when she sees me waste water. Now that I’m back at LA, I am more dedicated to saving energy. Not only do I turn off the lights, but I’ve even caught myself looking through articles on energy conservation and careers.

I used to think energy was only an issue in my house, but now I realize that it’s an issue affecting the whole world.