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I was the recipient of a good deed on Monday! From the landlord, no less. My apartment building’s management had slipped noted under the door that our maintenance guys would be coming by with aerators for our kitchen and bathroom faucets. I’m all for saving water, especially after my appalling results on a water consumption quiz posted on reader Finn’s blog. The aerators also make good sense for our very large building since it will reduce the owner’s bill water bill.
But the surprise good deed: our maintenance guys arrived not just with aerators but with a case of compact fluorescent light bulbs. Even though tenants pay our own electricity, the building decided to offer CFLs, gratis, for the hallway and bathroom light fixtures. I asked why. They said they got a good deal, they knew all the fixtures were identical so it was easy to determine the right wattage — and “we were talking on Earth Day and we thought it would be a nice thing to do for the tenants.” A nice thing indeed, especially since I can’t reach the hallway ceiling fixture on my own and it was still using an old-fashioned bulb.
Today’s mitzvah: As environmental awareness moves into the mainstream, be on the lookout for unlikely compatriots — and cheer them on!
Sunday, March 23: Easter Day“Replace your missing bulb with an energy-saving lightbulb. Over its lifetime, you will save 60kg of carbon dioxide per year and up to £60. Make a personal pledge to serve others by pursuing a more sustainable way of life.”
Today we conclude the Carbon Fast for Lent by returning to the very first activity. We began the fast by removing a lightbulb from a conspicuous location and living without it for the duration of Lent. Today we replace that bulb to acknowledge Lent is over — but replace it with a sustainable bulb to symbolize that our commitment continues into the new season. How fitting this falls so closely to spring as well: a new beginning for all of us.
I’m excited to replace my bulb (its absence has been bugging me all Lent) but I’ll have to wait until late tonight to do so since I’m writing this from a hotel room in NYC and I’ll spend most of Sunday traveling. I hope all of you are spending Easter someplace other than airports! I’ll post some post–Carbon Fast thoughts on the blog Monday. In the meantime: a very hppy Easter and (belated) happy spring to all.
Today’s mitzvah: Replace that bulb!
Good News Network posted an intriguing article last week, noting two English bishops’ request that their parishioners give up not the usual Lenten choices (chocolate, booze) but instead cut back on activities that produce or encourage carbon emissions. I searched the web to learn more about suggestions from the Bishops of Liverpool and London, and in the process stumbled upon a site called Tearfund that has created a complete 40-day (plus Sundays) “Carbon Fast for Lent.”
Lent began on Ash Wednesday (February 6), so I’m getting a a late start. But to change things up a bit on the blog, I’ve decided to join the Carbon Fast for Lent by featuring one of Tearfund’s suggested daily actions each day and blogging about undertaking these actions myself. I’m deviating from their order a bit to make up for the lost days (and to skip some actions that are England-specific and/or meant for homeowners instead of apartment-dwellers like me. For a neat PDF with all the daily actions in their original order, visit here).
Without further ado . . .
Carbon Fast, Day 1: “Remove one lightbulb (without inviting danger) and live without it for 40 days.”
Interesting concept, removing a bulb altogether. I like the symbolism. I removed one of the bulbs from my ceiling fan light fixture, which now looks very odd (and is a tad annoying) and so will remind me I’m on the Carbon Fast. (Hey, if this is going to rival giving up chocolate, it shouldn’t be too easy!)
Today’s mitzvah: Consider joining Daily Mitzvah on the Carbon Fast for Lent.
One of my New Year’s blog-o-lutions: balance “armchair activism” and fun stuff on the web with actions that actually move one away from the computer! Here’s an easy one: replace one (just one) traditional light bulb with a compact flourescent bulb (CFL). The U.S government’s Energy Star division states: “If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.” If that’s not impressive enough, you’ll also save about $30 in energy costs over the life of each bulb.
Environment Defense’s How to Pick a Better Bulb page recommends starting with just one bulb, to make sure the quality of the light works for you. If you have been disappointed with CFLs in the past, they also suggest choosing a bulb listed between 2650 and 2850 degrees Kelvin or labeled “warm white.” And you don’t have to use the crazy swirly bulbs that look like a Mr. Softee cone (although I kinda like them): the bulb pictured at right is a CFL too.
Still need more incentive? The shopping site SpringLight is currently offering free shipping on all their energy saving bulbs; look for the promo on their front page, or just enter the code FSWS1207 at checkout. Your local utility may offer rebates for the bulb purchases. Check out their home page, or check up the Million Car Carbon Campaign’s rebate map to locate a program (most listed are in the Midwest). CFLs are now also available at many grocery, discount, and home improvement stores.
Today’s mitzvah: Take the plunge: Change one light bulb to a compact fluorescent.
I was the recipient of a good deed on Monday! From the landlord, no less. My apartment building’s management had slipped noted under the door that our maintenance guys would be coming by with aerators for our kitchen and bathroom faucets. I’m all for saving water, especially after my appalling results on a water consumption quiz posted on reader Finn’s blog. The aerators also make good sense for our very large building since it will reduce the owner’s bill water bill.
