Save Energy in 18 Seconds

If you are looking for ways to cut back on the amount of electricity you use to save money and reduce your home's impact on the environment, a new campaign has launched to help. The 18Seconds movement, a network of organizations and individuals committed to a common goal of energy conservation, launched a nationwide effort recently to raise awareness about global warming and demonstrate how one small action—taking 18 seconds to change a conventional incandescent bulb to an ENERGY STAR labeled compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL)— can significantly reduce environmental impact.

"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 Lawrence Bender, network member and Academy Award-winning producer of the Oscar-nominated documentary An Inconvenient Truth. "I believe the CFL is the Trojan horse into the minds of the American public. Once you get somebody who feels good about making a difference and at the same time saving money, you have them thinking about what else they can do."

The 18Seconds network is a group of companies, government entities, non-governmental organizations, religious groups, academic institutions and individuals who want to educate Americans about the electric cost-savings and environmental benefits of CFLs, which require 1/3 the energy of traditional bulbs to provide the same amount of light. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a member of the network, if every American swapped just one bulb for an ENERGY STAR labeled CFL, it would collectively save them more than $8 billion in energy costs, prevent burning 30 billion pounds of coal, and keep two million cars worth of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere.

"When we reach our goal of getting all 300 million Americans to switch to at least one ENERGY STAR CFL, the energy saved would be enough to meet the electricity needs of 1.5 million homes—thats enough electricity for all the residents of Delaware and Vermont combined," Paul Dickerson, chief operating officer, Department of Energy. "With nearly 20 percent of all home electric costs stemming from lighting alone, ENERGY STAR labeled CFLs can have tremendous benefits for any consumer wishing to save on their energy bills, but especially low-income families."

Converting one conventional 60W bulb to a 13W ENERGY STAR labeled CFL can save: $30 or more in electric costs over its lifetime; five or more conventional bulbs from being produced, transported and discarded in a landfill; 110 lbs. of coal from being burned; and 450 lbs. of greenhouse gases from reaching the atmosphere. The average home has more than 30 light fixtures, and since ENERGY STAR labeled CFLs last an average of five to seven years, that means even more potential savings.

In conjunction with the launch of the movement, the network officially unveiled the Web site, www.18seconds.org. Built by Yahoo!, the site is a tool you can use to see updated sales data for CFL purchases nationally and locally. During a visit to the site, you can see the amount of CFLs sold across the country, in your city or state based on per capita purchases. Beyond the sales data, provided by AC Nielsen and received from most grocery store, drug and mass merchandise retailers, the site offers a way to see the impact your purchases are having by showing the amount of money, energy and greenhouse gas emissions saved in your area on a daily basis. As more large retailers submit data over the coming months, the site will improve in accuracy and become more valuable to grassroots organizers.

"The mounting evidence for global warming is so sobering that it may be difficult to imagine how individual actions can make a difference," said David Filo, Yahoo! co-founder. "With 18seconds.org, we're using technology to illustrate that small lifestyle changes can indeed add up to having a tremendous collective impact on our planet—city by city, state by state, nationwide."

The Web site was previewed earlier this year at the U.S. Conference of Mayors 75th Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C. At the meeting, Bender challenged the mayors in attendance to commit their cities to the 18Seconds goal. Currently, 12 mayors have expressed interest in starting their own campaigns with more joining the movement to promote energy-saving CFLs every day.

"Raising awareness about ENERGY STAR labeled CFLs helps consumers be smarter in how they live while helping reduce global warming at the same time," said Kathleen Hogan, director, Climate Protection Partnerships Division, EPA. "The reality is we dont have to wait 10 or 12 years down the road to make changes that have a profound impact on our environment. Every American can do it right now in just 18 seconds."

For more information, check out the press release or visit www.18seconds.org