“We have met the enemy and he is us.” Pogo (Walt Kelly), 1970
The comic strip character Pogo was one of the first environmentalists. His now famous quote goes right to the heart of the problem — us. If each of us doesn’t do what we can, we may soon find ourselves at times sitting in the dark. The good news is that there is no sacrifice required, just a willingness to take the first step. The amount of energy and dollars that will be wasted by those owners who fail to pursue energy efficiency, until they are forced to do so, are very significant. When totaled over a number of years these wasted dollars could mean the difference between success and failure for some businesses. The environmental sacrifices, however, are staggering and irretrievable.
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“The best financial investment you can make for your business may also be the most powerful step you can take to help our environment.”
Earth Savers, 1993
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Reduction of Global Warming |
| Combustion of fossil fuels to produce energy is the greatest cause of the buildup of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere causing what has been referred to as the "greenhouse effect" or "global warming." There are many debates over the urgency of this phenomenon, but most environmental experts agree that there will be long term and far reaching effects if the current trend continues. |
Reduction of Air Pollution |
| Combustion of fossil fuels to produce energy also results in the discharge of pollutants into the atmosphere, in particularly nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide. These toxic chemicals cause "acid rain" and can lead to serious health problems. |
Conservation of Resources |
| Reduction in the demand for electricity saves resources: water, coal, gas, and oil. The supply of fossil fuels is finite. New dams and nuclear plants are expensive and are bad for our ecology. We must make our current resources last until a cheap and unlimited source of power is developed. By reducing daytime power consumption we reduce the peak load demand which makes power-generating facilities more efficient, reducing cost and resource consumption and avoiding the need to construct new power plants. |
Government Action and Support |
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has created a special division called the Energy Star Buildings Program for the purpose of promoting energy efficient lighting in businesses. The Department of Energy (DOE) has started a grassroots energy conservation effort called Rebuild America. Together they have adopted the brand name “Energy Star” as a symbol of energy efficiency. Businesses of all sizes have made the commitment to become a Energy Star Partner and to convert to energy efficient lighting and equipment in their facilities. Congress has taken an active role in prohibiting the sale of certain common yet inefficient electrical components; for example, the standard F40 fluorescent lamp and the R75 incandescent lamp. In general the laws are intended to require the use of newer energy efficient components in place of older, less efficient components whenever there is an adequate substitute. Starting in 2006 new federal legislation will prohibit the sale of new light fixtures containing magnetic fluorescent ballasts. Two years after that magnetic ballasts will no longer be available at all, even for replacement purposes. As the result, all facilities will eventually be energy efficient. In the meantime, federal laws require utility companies to offer incentives to building owners and operators who choose not to wait.
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