The Kickstarter video for The WATT? An Energy 101 Primer does a good job of explaining why, exactly, people should care about energy:

Reader support makes our work possible. Donate today to keep our site free. All donations DOUBLED!

Energy is everything. It’s a part of pretty much every aspect of modern life. wherever you live, whatever you do, however you do it.

Unfortunately, most people know next to nothing about how this stuff actually works. The makers of the The WATT? — Focus the Nation, a clean energy youth organization, and Friend of Grist List Ben Jervey — aim to change that by publishing an “users’ manual for energy in the 21st century.” They’re going to publish it as a PDF whether you fund their Kickstarter project or not, but if they raise enough money, they are going to make it a much, much more awesome interactive e-book with charts, graphics and videos.

Maybe you yourself are preternaturally informed about this stuff, but trust us: there is a huge need for a book that explains energy in an engaging and clear way. Some of us had to read The Rough Guide to the Energy Crisis to make sure we actually understood how solar and wind power worked. This guide will be way less rough.