When you leave your air conditioner on all day, do endless loads of laundry and leave electric appliances running that are not needed, you probably don’t realize the damage you are causing our environment. You aren’t the only one who is unaware and naïve. The majority of people these days have become so spoiled by electricity that they don’t think twice before using it.

There are some people; however, who are concerned with conserving energy. Every other year, twenty university teams from around the world compete in a contest that is held in Washington D.C. The BP Solar Decathlon is a weeklong event where these teams design, build and operate livable and very efficient solar homes. The event is sponsored by BP Solar as it has been since the first contest in 2002. This year’s event is also sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. The event will take place between October eleventh and October nineteenth. BP Solar has created a blog for team members to write about their experiences during this exciting and unique event. You never know; we might be living in some of these solar homes in the near future.