How to Build Political Backing for a Better Light Bulb
The Seattle Times features an article on the political battle to use environmentally-friendly light bulbs. Using energy-efficient bulbs can save $6 billion in energy costs per year, as well as 65 billion kilowatt hours of electricity.
Congress is currently trying to pass a bill to require that light bulbs be 300 percent more efficient by 2020, which would also demand that non-efficient bulbs be replaced immediately. The problem is especially important to address in the U.S.
“The United States is the single-largest market for incandescent bulbs and accounts for nearly a third of the global market, said Paul Waide, a senior policy analyst with the Paris-based International Energy Agency. Were people around the world to stop using old-style bulbs by 2012, it would save an estimated 5.5 percent of global power demand, drastically cutting carbon emissions.”
The article goes on to say that the biggest buyer of light bulbs is the U.S. Federal Government, so this is definitely an issue that starts at the top. For more information on alternative energy, visit Earth 911′s Energy page.
