Sunlight shines on panels that make electricity for a school. Is sunlight renewable or nonrenewable, and why?

A power plant burns coal dug from underground layers that formed millions of years ago. Is coal renewable or nonrenewable, and why?

A coastal town uses steady wind to turn turbines and generate electricity. Is wind renewable or nonrenewable, and why?

Homes use natural gas from deep wells for heating and cooking. Is natural gas renewable or nonrenewable, and why?

A town burns wood pellets from trees harvested in a managed forest. Is the wood renewable or nonrenewable, and why?

A refinery makes gasoline from oil pumped from rock layers. Is oil renewable or nonrenewable, and why?

A dam lets flowing river water spin turbines to make electricity. Is flowing water renewable or nonrenewable, and why?

A nuclear power plant uses uranium fuel mined from Earth. Is uranium renewable or nonrenewable, and why?

Farmers grow crops in soil that can be damaged by erosion or restored with careful practices. Is soil renewable or nonrenewable, and why?

A town heats buildings with hot water from deep underground. Is geothermal heat renewable or nonrenewable, and why?

A coastal power station uses shifting ocean tides to turn underwater turbines. Is tidal energy renewable or nonrenewable, and why?

A factory burns natural gas to heat water for manufacturing. Which change would make its natural gas supply last longer?

A paper mill uses wood from trees cut without replanting or allowing regrowth. Is that wood resource renewable or nonrenewable in this case, and why?

A generator burns diesel fuel made from oil during an emergency. What did the oil form from?

A forest is cut for lumber, and workers plant young trees at the same rate older trees are removed. What makes the lumber resource renewable in this case?

A city uses river water to make electricity, and rainfall usually refills the river basin. During a long drought, what is most likely to happen?

A ranch burns dried grass for fuel during a drought. Where did the energy stored in the grass first come from?

A community garden adds compost and prevents erosion while growing vegetables each year. Why can the soil stay renewable under those practices?

A town burns wood fuel and makes paper from trees in its forest. Which plan would most help the forest keep up with the town's needs?

Farmers pump groundwater for crops, and only a little water returns underground each year. What would decide whether that groundwater is renewable?

A bamboo farm harvests stems for flooring and lets new stems regrow before the next harvest. Why can bamboo be a renewable material resource?

A peat bog builds up partly decayed plant matter at about 1 millimeter per year, but a fuel mill cuts peat blocks from the bog far faster than that. Is the peat renewable in this situation, and why?

A fishery catches adult fish and leaves enough fish to reproduce before the next season. What condition would make the fish a renewable resource?

A school compares coal and replanted timber. What main difference explains why coal is nonrenewable while well-managed timber can be renewable?

A house has rooftop panels connected to wires that send power indoors. What is sunlight commonly used for in this system?

A kitchen stove has a blue flame supplied by a pipe from underground wells. What natural resource is the stove most likely using?

A wind farm connects tall turbines to the power grid. What is wind used for in this example?

A road crew heats a sticky black material called asphalt to pave a street. What resource is asphalt usually made from?

A town wants electricity without burning fuel. It has a river that flows all year but gets little wind and many cloudy days. What resource would best meet that need?

A hospital needs steady electricity from a nuclear power plant. What mined resource is commonly used as fuel in that plant?

A builder chooses boards for framing a house. What natural resource are the boards most likely made from?

Greenhouse workers fill raised beds with a material that holds water, air, and nutrients for plant roots, then add compost. What resource are they using?

A student says, 'Renewable resources are unlimited, so a forest can never be used up.' What correction best explains the mistake?

A classmate says, 'Wind energy is renewable, so it has no impact on the environment.' What is the best response?

Someone says, 'Oil is nonrenewable, so Earth will run out next year.' What idea corrects this misconception?

A student argues, 'Wood cannot be renewable because a tree takes 30 years to grow.' What correction is accurate?

A student says, 'Solar panels make sunlight, so sunlight is renewable.' What part of that statement is wrong?

A friend says, 'Coal is renewable because more can be found by digging deeper.' What correction is accurate?

A brochure says, 'Hydroelectric power uses water, so it can never affect ecosystems.' What is the best correction?

A student says, 'Natural gas is a gas, so it must be renewable like wind.' What difference matters?