America is changing - one lightbulb at a time
Individuals, businesses and communities more often ask themselves what they can do to preserve our environment. They want to make smart decisions - choices that save energy and, whenever possible, a little money, too.
This guide to going green will help you - at home or work or play, and even when traveling or shopping.
Why put a light bulb on the cover of this guide? The compact fluorescent light has become a symbol of the new everyday environmentalism, and this small light bulb also symbolizes how simple steps can bring about big changes.
The incandescent bulb invented so long ago by Thomas Edison emits 95 percent heat and only 5 percent light. Compact fluorescents are more expensive, but far more efficient, They use a quarter of the energy to generate the same brightness as the incandescent bulb. And CFLs last up to 15 times as long. Because lighting accounts for a fifth of the typical household electric bill, switching to these more efficient CFLs saves energy and money.
Communities - and even whole countries - are making these types of changes. Australia will phase out use of the incandescent bulb by 2010, and Canada will outlaw its sale by 2012. A proposal in Congress would phase out incandescents in 10 years, shaving an estimated $18 billion a year from U.S. electric bills.
Some green ideas make more sense in certain regions or communities. And some rules and local practices vary. Does your utility, for example, let you buy "green" energy? Does your city make recycling easy? Where can you dump those hazardous cleaning fluids tucked away in your basement? Where is the closest farmers' market selling local produce?
But no matter where you live, you've got options. This guide will inspire and motivate you with useful information about the ways that everyday people can make a difference. How green can you go? Read on, and then go online at your newspaper's Web site for interactive activities that expand on the information in this section.
