2005
Tommy Linstroth

A Bright Idea Q2a, 2005 A little effort can go a long way. Think globally, act locally. One can make a difference. There are many more clich&eactute;s similar to the three mentioned, and they are often times met with skepticism. What difference will it really make for me to walk 6 blocks to work instead of drive? How much can it really help for me to use compact fluorescent lighting in my house? And on an individual level, the answer is not very much. Small, individual actions like those just mentioned do not carry much weight on their own. The key to these everyday actions is to stop thinking in terms of how I can alter my actions. What becomes important, and powerful, is how we can alter our actions. Here is an example. If you were to go home and change out a typical 100 watt incandescent light bulb which was on for 4 hours a day with a 23 watt compact fluorescent light bulb, you would reduce your energy use by about 10 kW hours per month. That would translate into a mere savings of a dollar a month (using $0.10/kWh). This may not seem very much in a country where average utility bills can easily exceed $100/month. But even through just that one bulb, you would save $12 per year, and with a cost of $6/bulb, you are pocketing an extra 6 dollars. Again, this may not seem like it will make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things. And on its own, it will not. However, the key is that we change our actions. Picture this – according to the 2000 US census, there are over 105,000,000 occupied housing units in the United States. That 10 kW hours/month is starting to add up. In fact, changing out just one typical incandescent light bulb and replacing it with a compact fluorescent bulb in every household in the country will result in a reduction of 970,200,000 kW hours per month, saving over 97 million dollars every thirty days. This translates to over 11.5 billion kW hours of electricity reduced with an associated savings of over a billion dollars annually! And compact fluorescent lightbulbs last up to seven years. Now we are talking about a significant difference being made, simply by switching out ONE LIGHTBULB in our house. I guess it is true - a little effort can go a long way. Tommy Linstroth Sustainability Associate