"Change a Light, Change the World"
EPAs ENERGY STAR ® program has launched the 2003 "Change a Light, Change the World" campaign. The campaign challenges Americans to switch their lighting products to bulbs and fixtures which save energy and money while protecting the environment.
According to Marianne Horinko, "If each household in the U.S. switched the lighting in just one room to ENERGY STAR®, we’d save enough energy to light more than 34 million homes and prevent one trillion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. By replacing the five most frequently used light fixtures at home or bulbs with models that have earned the ENERGY STAR®, a household can save more than $60 a year in energy costs while enjoying the latest in style, design, convenience, and efficiency." ENERGY STAR® qualified lighting lasts six to ten times longer and operates on 2/3 less energy. As well, lighting products that have earned the label generate 70% less heat, therefore they are cool to the touch and help to reduce cooling costs.
The national campaign was launched with an 'energy-efficient' lighting makeover done at the Thomas Edison Winter Home in Fort Myers, Florida. The EPA, in collaboration with the U.S. DOE, has renovated the home’s outdoor lampposts and porch lights to those that have earned the ENERGY STAR®. Why chose Edison’s home? Edison’s own light bulb invention will be celebrated after 125 years.
Activities during October and November of this year have and will include partnering with manufacturers, retailers, energy efficiency organizations, utility companies, and state governments throughout the US to make finding and buying energy-efficient fixtures and light bulbs easier. Other activities include lighting change-out events and special offers from these partners to help consumers save on ENERGY STAR® products.
The ENERGY STAR ® label is now found on more than 35 product categories for office and home. For more information call 1-888-STAR-YES or go to http://www.energystar.gov.