Light Bulbs Replace Coal Power Plants

A summit meeting about a light bulb? I had to attend. I thought it would be like the light bulb joke that asks “How many Californians does it take to change a light bulb?” Correct answer: Eleven. It takes four to create a space for it to happen, one to change the bulb, four to share in the experience, one to write a book about the experience, and one to negotiate the movie rights to the book.

It turns out that the right light bulb is no laughing mater. CFLs are an important part of saving billions, achieving energy independence and averting a climate crisis. If each American replaced only one conventional 60W bulb with a 13W ENERGY STAR-labeled CFL, it would prevent the burning of 30 billion pounds of coal, and save $8 billion in energy costs.

This enormous potential for change brought 200 to the meeting including a Hollywood producer, Washington officials, environmental leaders, and corporate executives from around the country.

Producer of an Inconvenient Truth, Lawrence Bender introduced the significance of 18seconds.org, named for the 18 seconds it takes to change a bulb. "This movement is about empowering the individual -- to say to every person in America that with one easy step, they can become part of a movement that will literally change the world," said Bender. An Inconvenient Truth is nominated for two Academy Awards including best documentary. Mr. Bender’s past films Good Will Hunting and Pulp Fiction won multiple Oscars.

An Inconvenient Truth presents compelling evidence that we have a climate crisis. CO2 emitted during our energy use accumulates for 100 years. Becoming energy efficient can solve the problem by reducing global warming emissions.

Co-founder of Yahoo, David Filo, talked about the unexpected rewards for doing the right things. He knows a lot about empowering people to make a difference. When he co-founded Yahoo in 1994, 99% of us were unable to navigate and communicate using the Internet. From the early years, Yahoo has supported a wide-range of non-profit causes, bringing together those that want to help with those in need. Yahoo for Good provides details about programs including Earth Day, Breast Cancer, and Disaster Relief. Amy Lorio, Yahoo News GM, shared how environmental news is reaching many of Yahoo’s 500 million users.

Yahoo manages 18seconds.org and helps sponsor summits like this one. Yahoo also goes to lengths to empower employees to enjoy sustainable living and avoid gridlock traffic. (Cool Commutes)

Some CFLs will last longer and stay brighter than others explained Kathleen Hogan, Director of Climate Protection Partnerships, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). She advised to look for the ENERGY STAR when buying. “Our homes cause 17% of US GHG emissions. We can cut home GHG emissions and energy use by 30% with CFLs. Homeowners can save $600 per year.” Success with one lamp can lead a homeowner to increased savings in all lighting and appliances. Energy efficiency and ENERGY STAR are also widely used in buildings including schools, hospitals, and retailers.

Environmental Defense offers details about a wide range of compact fluorescent lamp for different lighting and decorative requirements at EDF.

One of the meeting sponsors, Wal-Mart offers a selection of Energy-Star CFLs in their stores. Wal-Mart is also doubling the fuel efficiency of their 3,800 trucks that deliver products to the stores (Wal-Mart’s Clean Fleet).

Flying in from Washington D.C. was speaker Paul Dickerson, COO of the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. He stated that there is no trade-off between sustainability and jobs. He showed how energy efficiency is a key to the nation’s energy and economic security. In talking with Mr. Dickerson one-to-one, he expressed enthusiasm for 18seconds.org and a wide-range of efficiency programs. He is also optimistic about plug-in hybrids and biofuels. Last month his group announced a cost shared solicitation for $14 million to improve the performance of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) batteries so that PHEVs can drive 40 miles—the average daily roundtrip distance of commuters—running only on electricity. Increasingly, the electricity for such vehicles will be the renewable energy detailed at EERE.

One of the CFL Summit sponsors is public utility PG&E which actively promotes fuel efficiency and is investing billions in renewable energy. Not all utilities are promoting efficiency. Making daily headlines is TXU’s controversial proposal to build 11 to 19 inefficient coal power plants that threaten all of us with the planned emission of 78 million tons of annual greenhouse gas emissions. In the past month, Americans have installed enough CFLs to more than offset the power that would be produced by these plants.

18seconds.org provides good information and tracks success. For example, since the start of 2007, over 14 million CFLs were purchased in the U.S. During the life of these lamps, $400 million will be saved; 1.4 billion pounds of coal will not required for fueling unnecessary power plants. Over 6 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions will be prevented.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, observed Confucius. Ending global warming begins by installing one CFL. It only takes 18 seconds.

Copyright (c) 2007 OPTIMARK