Tag >> Treehugger | Highlight HEALTH

Today is the 38th annual Earth Day. This year, the Earth Day Network has called on lighting manufactuers and policy makers to encourage the transition to energy efficient lighting by 2016.

Earth Day Network Project Switch is dedicated to switching out inefficient incandescent light bulbs [1]. Today, the project will reach out to over 500 million people worldwide who participate in Earth Day civic activities, and challenge them to pledge to do:

Switch out old incandescent bulbs for high-efficiency bulbs.
Call on elected officials to support a mandatory 2016 phase-out of low efficiency incandescent lighting.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) projects an electric bill savings of $18 billion annually if energy-efficient lighting was adopted across the U.S. [2]. Annual energy demand would be reduced by the equivalent of 80 coal burning power plants, eliminating more than 158 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions by 2016.

Climate change solutions - what you can do today

The Earth Day Network has compiled a list of the top 10 actions for individuals, orgnaizations and businesses to take as an initial step in reducing your contribution to global warming.

Project Switch - replace your incadesent light bulbs with energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).
Turn off unneeded lights, dim lights when possible and let natural sunlight into your home.
Drive your car differently or replace it with a fuel-efficient car.
Drive less, keep your car tuned up to improve fuel efficiency and slow down.
Manage household heating and cooling costs.
Replace older heating and cooling systems with new efficient models (or tune up your existing system), buy a programmable thermostat, add two degrees to the AC thermostat in the summer and two degrees in the winter, make sure windows and doors are sealed, and avoid air conditioners and use ceiling fans whenever possible.
Make your refrigerator efficient.
Replace older refridgerators with new energy efficient models, don’t set the thermostat too high, clean the condensor coil, and make sure the doors seal properly.
Manage other household appliances.
Set your hot water heater at 120 degrees, insulate your hot water heater and pipes, install a timer on your water heater to turn off at night and on just before you wake in the morning, wash more dishes by hand, wait until you have a full load of dishes to run the dishwasher, wash clothes in warm, not hot water, and don’t over-dry your clothes.
Green plants with less water, more trees to provide shade.
Plant trees to provide shade, choose hardier plants in your yard that require less water, and water your lawn sparingly.
Buy Green Energy and invest in green energy stocks.

Many utilities give consumers the option to buy “green power”, producing electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar, geothermal and wind. Ask for it! Invest in socially responsible funds.

Go organic.
Eat locally grown food, eat fruits and vegetables in season, and plant your own vegetable garden.
Buy recycled products.
Manufacturers use recycle products, including aluminum and tin cans, glass containers and pulp cardboard.
Be a minimalist. Simply use and buy less.
Buy in bulk and buy quality products that last longer.

Earth Day was created in 1970 to spark a revolution against environmental abuse. The Earth Day Network seeks to grow and diversify the environmental movement worldwide, pursuing it’s goals for a healthy and sustainable planet through education, politics, cultural events and consumer activism. More than 500 million people participate in Earth Day civic activities, making it the largest secular civic event in the world.

References

Earth Day Network Launches 2007 Campaign to Phase-out the Inefficient Incandescent Light Bulb. Earth Day Network. March 14, 2007.
Four Billion Points of Light: ACEEE Joins Lighting Market Transformation Initiative. ACEEE. March 14, 2007.

Discovery Communications has announced that it plans to start a 24-hour channel focused on eco-friendly living. Riding on the tails of its successful “Planet Earth” series, the company will rebrand its Discovery Home Channel with a name that has yet-to-be selected. The channel, expected to debut in 2008, will be dedicated to the highest quality programming for a green lifestyle and will initially be carried in 50 million homes. The channel will be the centerpiece of a new multimedia content initiative called PlanetGreen [1].

The Discovery PlanetGreen global initiative consists of the following elements:

The first 24-hour television network dedicated exclusively to green lifestyle programming, including eco-design, organic food and green architecture.
A 50 million dollar investment towards the creation of content focused on sustainable development, conservation, organic lifestyle and healthy living. The first major project, “Ten Ways to Save the Planet”, will be a global effort to identify solutions to the planet’s most serious environmental threats. The series is scheduled to premier in the third quarter of 2008.
A robust multi-platform offering with interactive tools and comprehensive “how-to” resources.
Annual scientific exploration with explorer and wilderness educator Josh Bernstein to the planet’s most endangered locations to raise awareness.
A world renowned advisory board, consisting of preeminent scientists, researchers, innovators and environmental leaders, will help to guide Discovery’s global efforts.
Discovery will host a PlanetGreen Innovation Conference showcasing the latest inventions and innovative technologies currently being developed.
Discovery will further it’s commitment to responsible operations and make its global headquarters in Siver Spring, Maryland a carbon-neutral building.
Discovery will work with a broad coalition of partners, including The Nature Conservancy, Treehugger.com and Grist.org, to produce relevant and entertaining programming, to provide timely, reputable information, and to inspire individuals to make a difference.

Discovery PlanetGreen will be headed by Eileen O’Neill, former General Manager of the Discovery Health Channel. Discovery Communications Chief Executive David Zaslav said in an interview [2]:

“To be able to rebrand an existing channel and launch with over 50 million homes in 2008 is a big statement to where the world is today. Five years ago, people would have said ‘who are those lefties talking about green’? Today, green means responsible.”

Today green also means profitable. More and more people are willing to spend more for energy-efficient and eco-friendly goods and services. Indeed, a recent Orbitz survey found that 63% of Americans would pay more to rent a hybrid vehicle or stay at a “green” hotel [3]. Additionally, 52% of Americans state they would be willing to donate a small portion of their vacation budget to help save the environment when booking a trip.

It will be interesting to watch the development of eco-friendly advertising and marketing on Discovery’s new channel. I doubt the network will change the world, but maybe it can give it a big push in the right direction.