Late in the 19th century, Thomas Edison filed a patent for the electric incandescent lamp. Six years later, he got his patent. Since that time, the world has been dependent on incandescents. Over the past several months, however, two announcements were made with the intent of moving us all away from them. The first was an announcement made by Royal Philips Electronics in December. The second was one made by a California legislator late last month.
Royal Philips Electronics, in Brussels, Belgium, called for joint action between the lighting industry, nongovernmental organizations, energy suppliers and governments to discuss the phasing out of incandescent light bulbs. The target year: 2016. They would be replaced by bulbs available on the market today such as compact fluorescents (CFLs) and LEDs.
Royal Philips Electronics says a successful phased elimination of incandescent light bulbs would significantly help countries meet their commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, which seeks to curb greenhouse gases, which are associated with climate change.
“A wide range of energy saving light bulbs are already available on the market today,” said Theo Van Deursen, CEO of the Lighting Division of Philips. “These bulbs are not only a better environmental choice than incandescent light bulbs, but cost far less to operate.”
“The societal benefits of phasing out incandescent light bulbs are obvious,” Van Deursen added. “However, Philips cannot take action unilaterally, as some manufacturers would invariably take advantage by continuing to offer incandescent bulbs, which have lower upfront costs. Accordingly, legislation will be necessary to establish minimum performance criteria for light bulbs.”
California’s Ban Proposal
If California Assemblyman Lloyd Levine has his way, his “How Many Legislators Does it Take to Change a Light bulb Act” would ban incandescent light bulbs in California by 2012 in favor of energy-saving CFLs.
“Incandescent light bulbs were first developed almost 125 years ago, and since that time they have undergone no major modifications,” Levine said. “Meanwhile, they remain incredibly inefficient; converting only about 5 percent of the energy they receive into light.”
If passed, the Light bulb Act would be another groundbreaking environmental effort in California, the most populous U.S. state. It became the first state to mandate cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, targeting a 25 percent reduction in emissions by 2020. If California did adopt a measure such as Levine’s, it is estimated that carbon dioxide emissions in that state would fall by about 2 million tons each year.
Set Your Own Transition Goals
Green Lodging News commends Royal Philips Electronics and Assemblyman Levine for their goal setting and encourages its readers to set their own CFL transition goals. Don’t wait until you are forced to take action to make a change. If you are still skeptical of light quality, do some shopping around. I recently conducted some research for an upcoming article on interior lighting and there are an incredible number of CFL sizes, light ranges and styles available.
Most hoteliers already know the benefits of compact fluorescents: long life, low labor costs, and significant energy savings. In fact, just a few dollars investment in a bulb will net you 10 or more times as much in energy savings over its life. What other product can you buy that actually pays you back?
Odds and Ends
Thanks again to the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) for inviting me to moderate a session during last week’s Greening the Hospitality Industry conference. It was exciting to see so many different travel industry sectors represented. The conference was highly educational and also provided a significant number of networking opportunities. The host hotel, the Doubletree Hotel and Executive Meeting Center, and GMIC did a great job demonstrating how a green meeting should be run. The travel industry needs more events like that held in Portland, Ore., last week.
As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com, or by phone at (440) 243-2055.
