Seventh Annual "Change a Light, Change the World" Kicks Off
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 10.23.06
From South Africa to Long Island to Ontario, individuals, organizations, and governments are getting behind the bulb -- the compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL). On October 4, the US Department of Energy's ENERGY STAR program kicked off the seventh year of its "Change a Light, Change the World" campaign, which asks families, businesses and anyone else who uses light to pledge to change at least one conventional incandescent bulb to an ENERGY STAR-rated CFL. The campaign hopes to convince 500,000 individuals to take the pledge.
In addition to encouraging individuals to make the switch, the campaign has organizing materials for organizations, schools, churches (in PDF), and even politicians. Organizations particularly are asked to become "pledge drivers," and commit to asking 100 people or more to take the pledge.The campaign also has ample materials for retailers to promote "Change a Light, Change the World" in their stores.
So, what are you waiting for? Take the pledge, change as many bulbs as you can, and if you need more encouragement, take a look at the many reasons why CFLs are smart for the environment and your home budget. ::ENERGY STAR Change a Light, Change the World Campaign 2006 via The Inspired Economy
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- CFLs Could Curb Global Lighting Demand by 40% - and At What Cost?
- Richard Branson Backs Legal Bid to Protect Virgin Island Mangroves
- Sustainability’s Success
- Will the Next New Deal be Transit-Based? Three Plans to Rescue the Economy and the Earth with Public Transportation
i've been wondering for a bit, whether i should let the bulbs i currently have die before replacing them with the cfl bulbs? were my current standard 60 watt bulbs energy intensive enough in manufacture for it to be a huge waste tossing them (or can they be recycled? our local recycling pickup wont take them) or would i be saving so much energy by switching to cfl bulbs that switching now is a better option before the old bulbs burn out? thanks for any input!
Let the bulbs you have burn down first. Waste not, want not! It takes a lot of energy to make bulbs, use what you have and then buy CFLs.
And as far as I know, incandescent bulbs do not have toxic substances but CFLs do, so make sure to recycle your CFLs.