Today is April 22nd, also known as Earth Day. Today is a day that everyone is supposed to go the extra mile to do something positive for the environment. All across the country, many major cities have several Earth Day events which the public can attend. Denver, happens to be one of those cities. In fact, this article from FOX31 Denver, lists several of the events being held in and around the city.
DENVER — Wednesday is Earth Day and there will be events throughout the metro area.
Denver
More than 50 sustainable businesses, organizations and city agencies will be at the annual Earth Day Fair at Civic Center Park. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with Mayor Michael Hancock touring the event from 11:45 a.m .to 12:45 p.m.
Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel
A Project C.U.R.E. Earth Day plant sale will be held at the hotel (1550 Court Place) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Downtown Aquarium
The Downtown Aquarium (700 Water St.) will have a Party for the Planet from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be a nature-themed scavenger hunt, conservation crafts and activities, animal feedings and an interactive dive show.
The Alliance Center, Denver
The Alliance for Sustainable Colorado will host a recycle and reuse drive at The Alliance Center. The public can bring items to be recycled or reused from noon to 7 p.m. at the center’s parking lot (1536 Wynkoop St.)..
Foundations Academy, Brighton
Students from Foundations Academy in Brighton will plant flowers outside the school from 10:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Students will also hang signs around the school about recycling and help students learn more about how to help Earth.
Merryhill Preschool, Highlands Ranch
Preschoolers at Merryhill Preschool in Highlands Ranch (9345 S. Colorado Blvd.) will release thousands of ladybugs back into the environment from 3 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Colorado State University, Fort Collins
Colorado State will host a volunteer tree planting as part of its designation as a Tree Campus USA. The trees will be planted at 2 p.m. near Danforth Chapel.
Denver International Airport, the largest airport in The United States, also just so happens to be one of the greenest in the nation as well. According to this article from Urbanful, DIA, ranks as one of the top six greenest airports in the entire country! Check out this article and see what makes DIA, so green.
Inside America’s greenest airports
The Nickel Tour: These are the most innovative and environmentally friendly airports around the U.S.
Not only is flying usually the most expensive part of traveling, it also has the highest impact on the environment. Airports themselves have been stepping up their eco-game by instituting sustainable initiatives from green building practices and energy reduction programs, to better waste management, recycling, and resource conservation. Check out what some of our “greener” airports have been up to.
San Diego International Airport(SNA) is now home to the world’s first LEEDPlatinum (the highest environmental certification possible) certified commercial airport terminal.
San Diego was the first US airport to adopt a formal sustainability policy back in 2008. In 2012, the oceanside airport, became the first in the U.S. to install LEDs on its runways, guard lights, and airfield signs.
Sustainable features include a 3.3-megawatt solar array, low-flow water fixtures that save the airport approximately 4 million gallons of water annually, drought-tolerant landscaping, energy-efficient and natural lighting (daylight-harvesting lights automatically turn down when natural light is brighter), reflective roofs, and non-toxic interior construction materials and paints.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) focuses sustainable efforts on conservation. The airport has 307 acres of sand dunes voluntarily set aside as a nature preserve. Native plants and animals, including the delicate El Segundo Blue Butterfly (among the first insects put on the federal endangered species list back in 1976), are thriving again as part of this restoration project. LAX created this habitat, the largest remaining coastal dune area in Southern California, with a goal of preserving the coastal buckwheat plant, which is the only source of food for the El Segundo Blue Butterfly.
Indianapolis International Airport (IND) is the granddaddy of green airports. In 2011, IND was the first airport in the U.S. to win LEED® certification for an entire terminal campus. Now, the airport is home to the largest airport-based solar farm on the planet. It is able to supply enough energy to power 3,200 homes. When fully completed by the end of the year, the IND solar farm will encompass more than 150 acres, with more than 76,000 solar panels, and generate more than 31 million kilowatt hours.
Not only does Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) have a wetlands restoration program, electric vehicle charging stations, green fleet vehicles, and anaeroponic garden for use by its restaurants, it now has the first major on-airport apiary (bee yard) in the U.S.
In 2011, the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) installed an apiary of 28 beehives at O’Hare, and this year it expanded to 75. With more than 1 million bees, it’s the largest apiary at any airport in the world. In the first year, the ORD bees produced 1,200 pounds of honey which is sold at the O’Hare farmer’s market in Terminal 3 and at retailers like Whole Foods. The work is done in partnership with an employment program offering valuable job experience to ex-offenders and disadvantaged people.
As one of the nation’s newest airports, Denver International Airport (DIA) was built with sustainability in mind. DIA uses natural day-lighting, a comprehensive deicing fluid collection and recycling system, pre-conditioned air supplied to aircraft parked at gates to reduce emissions, and a hydrant system for fuel deliveries to reduce the potential for spills and excessive fuel truck traffic. Denver Airport’s fourth solar array is now online, bringing the airport’s total solar generating capacity to 10 megawatts, or 16 million kilowatt-hours of electricity. That’s enough electricity to power about 2,600 typical Denver-area homes each year.
And now the airport is partnering with one of its newest restaurants, Root Down, to pilot the airport’s first commercial composting program in the concourse area. The restaurant will collect all of its organic and compostable materials which will be collected daily and taken to an off-site facility. Their hope is to get additional tenants to embrace this and other programs to reduce their overall environmental impact.
We’d be remiss to leave San Francisco International Airport (SFO) off the list. Unsurprisingly, they have a LEED Gold certified terminal, a greenhouse gas emissions reduction program, solar panels, are increasing their use of clean fuels or electric vehicles, planted 2,020 trees of over 15 different species, resulting in an estimated 121 metric tons of carbon sequestration per year, and have one of the largest recycling and composting programs in the county in which 75% of the solid waste is getting recycled.
But they also have goats.
Every year hundreds of goats are used to graze on brush as part of the airport’s unique —and environmentally friendly—approach to fire prevention. The airport owns 180-acres of undeveloped, protected land which is home to two endangered species—the San Francisco garter snake and the California red-legged frog. Since machines can’t be used, goats spend two weeks each spring munching away a firebreak on the west side of the airport to protect nearby homes from potential fires.
When I was a child, hanging your clothes out to dry in the sun was a fairly regular thing. I can recall helping my grandmother take down and fold the laundry once it was dry, and never found it to be a large inconvenience. However, I don’t think I know of one person in my life (including myself), that doesn’t use an electric dryer to dry their clothes today. Why is this? Well, I’m sure the amount of drying time from one method to another is a factor. Maybe it has to do with where people live, since some homeowners associations have outlawed line drying. The thought of hanging clothes, as opposed to just tossing them in a dryer, may seem like too much effort to some. Or, perhaps the thought of possibly hanging your under garments outside to dry may make some people a bit embarrassed.
Whatever the reason is for this change, the fact remains, an electric dryer uses a ton of energy and runs up your electric bill. While on the other hand, using a clothesline does neither of these things. In this article from Green Cleaning Magazine, they list the pros of using the sun to dry your clothes, as opposed to the energy consuming electric dryer we’ve all become so dependent on.
Green Cleaning: How Line Drying Can Save the Planet
It may seem like a way of the past, but line-drying clothes has never been more appropriate for the times we live in. Electric clothes dryers are one of the most energy-hungry and expensive appliances to operate and are major carbon emitters. Hanging your clothes on a line, however, saves electricity, reduces carbon emissions and—bonus—costs virtually nothing.
Save money and energy
Electric dryers account for approximately six percent of total household electricity use, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Ditch the dryer and you can save at least $70 to $100 off your electricity bill every year. After the initial small cost for the line-drying set up (clothespins, string, and/or an indoor drying rack), hanging your clothes to dry is free and uses no electricity, so you’ll save every month.
Curb emissions
Need more reason to hang your clothes out to dry? Over 32 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, 43 billion kWh, and 443 million therms of natural gas are emitted every year in the U.S. from electric dryers (according to the Environmental Protection Agency). Air-drying can reduce a household’s carbon footprint by a whopping 2,400 pounds a year. So, even if you don’t hang every load, each time you do you are helping to protect the planet.
Air-drying is simple
There’s nothing like that fresh, air-dried laundry scent. Hanging clothes outside gives you that satisfaction naturally without the chemicals in dryer sheets or that static cling. You can simply use a string tied between two poles or trees, and count on the power of the sun and wind to dry your clothes. The act itself can be soothing as you get a chance to be outside doing a mindless activity.
If it’s raining or very cold in the winter, use an indoor drying rack (also known as a clothes horse). Many can be folded up when not in use. You can also use hangers or drape large items like sheets and towels over a door, banister, or shower rod.
Save your clothes
Air-drying will also increase the lifespan of your clothes. Electric dryers weaken fabric fibers, resulting in all the lint in your drying machine. Using a clothesline will not cause fibers to wear off. Extra bonus: sunlight has a sanitizing effect.
Taking back the right to dry
Committing to hang your laundry out to dry may be met with an unlikely obstacle: some homeowners associations across the U.S. have made clotheslines illegal. Why? Some cite aesthetics in highly populated communities, but there has also been pressure from the electric dryer manufacturing community.
In response, a movement led by Project Laundry List to revolutionize the clothesline is growing in advocacy and support around hang-drying clothes. We previously highlighted Steven Lake’s documentary, “Drying for Freedom,” which covers the movement and the hurdles to bringing back the clothesline. The good news is that 19 states have passed legislation for the “Right to Dry,” invalidating ordinances that make it illegal.
If your state is not one of them and you live in a community with a homeowners association, inquire about the rules on line-drying outdoors and contact your state and local representatives to let them know you want the right to dry.
I think it’s safe to say that most people wish their home could be clean, chemical free, and energy efficient. In other words, most of us would like to live in a sustainable home. So, what keeps many people from achieving this goal? Chances are good, it’s something as simple as a fear of change. The truth is, the changes that are needed for a more sustainable home are usually fairly simple. In this article from our friends at Seventh Generation, they list 7 simple changes you can make around your home to make it a more eco-friendly/ efficient home.
Spring Some Changes on Your Home
Ever wonder why we celebrate Easter with eggs? It’s simple: the egg is an ancient symbol of new beginnings, and that’s spring in, well… an egg shell. This is the season of renewal, and while that’s often translated to mean spring cleaning, there are other fresh earth-friendly starts we should make as well.
With the snow (mainly) melted and the cold (almost) vanquished but life’s pace not yet dialed up all the way to summer, this is the year’s best moment to invest a little time making small changes like these that help us live more sustainably:
Give your lawn some love. Before your grass gets thick, rake up its thatch, that mat of old, tangled grass stems and other organic matter between growing grass and the actual ground. Thatch wastes water, which runs off your lawn before it’s absorbed. Once you’ve de-thatched, use an aerator to poke holes in the soil that let water and oxygen get to the roots for healthier lawns with less watering.
Get your rot on. Start composting in an outdoor bin into which you can deposit all your yard waste, vegetable scraps, and other organics all summer long. It’s a more sustainable destination than a landfill and the compost you harvest will help your green spaces stay healthier.
Chill out. Few refrigerators show their actual temperature and most control dials are a crap shoot. So get a small thermometer and take your own fridge’s temperature. You want your freezer around 0° and the main compartment at about 38°. Anything lower is wasting energy on cooling you don’t need.
Heat up. Insulating your water heater with a pre-cut, wrap-around blanket made for the purpose costs about $25 but can save up to 9% of your energy costs and as much as $45 every year. It’s an easy springtime task that pays dividends all year.
Enlighten your outdoor fixtures. Exterior lighting is coming into its peak season, but many fixtures use high-wattage incandescent bulbs. A traditional 120-watt type burning four hours a night uses about $20 worth of electricity per year. But an LED equivalent costs just $3.33 per year while reducing pollution by over 83%. And it will last for 17 years, saving as much as $280 during its lifetime.
Veg out. Start Meatless Mondays in your family. Going vegetarian one day a week can have a big impact on the environment. You can save more water by not eating a pound of meat than you would by skipping showers for six months, and an entire vegetarian meal generates 24 times fewer greenhouse gases than a six ounce hamburger.
Slay your vampires. Any device whose indicator lights are always on or that you can turn on instantly via remote control sucks up energy even when “off.” These “vampire loads” cost about $100 per year in the average home. That’s an extra month’s power bill for me! Get some power strips with their own master switches for your home entertainment and computer desk areas. Plugging everything in and keeping those switches off until you need the connected gear will stake the heart of home’s own vampires.
Small changes like these can make a big difference in the health of the world we share, so spring into action and enjoy all the good things that will starting growing as soon as you do!
There is really no way around it, spring cleaning can be tough. After the long winter, things just seem to pile up. If you happen to be tackling this job yourself, you may actually be making the task at hand harder by making some simple mistakes. In this article from Enviro Maids, they have compiled a list of 7 mistakes you should avoid, to make your job a little bit easier. And remember, if you are in the Boulder or Denver area, you can avoid the hassle of spring cleaning yourself by setting up an appointment with Clean Conscience today!
Spring Cleaning Mistakes to Avoid
While you eagerly await the arrival of spring, one thing you may not be eagerly anticipating is tackling your spring cleaning list. You long for a shiny, spotless house, but thinking about all you have to do in order to get your home in pristine condition, is leaving you unmotivated. Rather than giving you tips on how to spring clean your house, we’ll clue you in on common spring cleaning mistakes that are slowing you down. We hope our tips will help you get through your to-do list a bit faster so you can get out and enjoy the warm air.
Mistake #1: not having a battle plan
You make a list before you go grocery shopping and make a household schedule for appointments and events you need to attend, so why not make a list and schedule for your spring cleaning? It’s best to have a clear plan of attack before you grab your cleaning supplies. Decide the order you’ll clean each room and what needs to get done in each room. Don’t stress about getting everything done at once. This leads us to mistake #2…
Mistake #2: trying to get everything done in one day
Spring cleaning has a negative connotation for some people because they associate spring cleaning with having to get a lot of cleaning done in a short amount of time. Trying to get your entire house clean in one day or even one weekend is a recipe for disaster. Depending on the size of your house, break down your chores over the course of several weekends. Limit the amount you clean each day to prevent burnout and to make sure you give yourself enough time to clean each area properly.
Mistake #3: tackling it alone
Two hands are better than one, and we say, the more hands the better! Enlist the help of family members to help you clean. Delegate tasks to your children according to their age and capability; Younger children can help put their toys away, while older children can help vacuum and dust.
Mistake #4: Not having enough cleaning supplies
Nothing will slow you down faster than realizing midway through cleaning that you’re almost out of cleaning supplies and need to go buy more. Avoid having to stop your cleaning momentum by taking an inventory of your cleaning supplies before you start cleaning. Once you have all your cleaning supplies, place them in a bucket or a basket with a handle for easy carrying between rooms.
Mistake #5: using the wrong cleaning equipment
According to the pros at GoodHousekeeping.com, using the wrong cleaning products can slow you down and make cleaning take longer than necessary. Four must-have products to have, include microfiber dust cloths, a steam mop, tools with extension wands, and a vacuum with attachments. Microfiber cloths work by grabbing dust, rather than just spreading it around like regular dust rags or feather dusters can. Steam mops clean and disinfect floors without the use of chemicals or abrasive cleaners. Water is heated to approximately 212 degrees Fahrenheit to produce a germ-killing steam. Extension wands are great for hard-to-reach areas, while vacuum attachments help to get into tight spaces.
Mistake #6: Not letting cleaning products do their job
In an effort to get your cleaning done faster, you might be making the mistake of spraying a surface with cleaner and scrubbing right away. Follow the directions on labels carefully. Many cleaners, especially bathroom cleaners, suggest spraying an area and waiting a set amount of time before wiping or rinsing to help loosen dirt. Following directions saves you extra scrubbing time.
Mistake #7: Cleaning with a dirty cloth
To avoid streaks on surfaces, avoid using the same dirty cloth. Keep extra cloths nearby and switch them, especially when you see they’re getting grimy. When using a dry microfiber cloth, remember to shake it out periodically over a garbage can or outdoors to remove trapped dirt.
In December 2011, I wrote an article called “Clearing Up Transparency.” At the time, transparency tools and product declarations were starting to gain traction in North America. LEED v4, formerly known as LEED 2012, just published the first draft of the updated rating system, and the built environment community was abuzz with acronyms: EPDs, PCRs and LCAs, to name a few.
Fast forward to now. Transparency is no longer a fleeting trend. All major green building rating systems globally and in North America have incorporated some form of life cycle-based product disclosure into their materials and resources sections. This includes LEED, BREEAM, ESTIDMA, GreenStar and Living Building Challenge.
There is no doubt that transparency is becoming a requirement for doing business. Some would argue it already is a requirement. Yet confusion still surrounds transparency tools and product declarations. Keep reading to explore four common myths and mysteries surrounding product declarations.
Before we dig in, let’s first focus on defining today’s most talked about transparency tools and product declarations.
• Life cycle assessment (LCA): LCA is a technique used to measure product or building environmental impacts, such as carbon footprint, throughout its life cycle. Typically, an LCA measures impacts from raw material extraction, transportation, manufacturing, use and end of life. The LCA is the backbone of an environmental product declaration (EPD). LCAs are based on guidelines published by the International Organization of Standards. They are used globally.
• Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs): EPDs are a comprehensive disclosure of a product’s impacts throughout its life cycle. EPDs are also known as Type 3 Eco Labels. Like LCAs and PCRs, EPDs follow the International Organization of Standards guidelines. They are used globally.
• Product Category Rules (PCR): PCRs are like a recipe for producing an LCA and EPD. They establish the methodology that all product manufacturers in a category must follow when creating an EPD. PCRs follow the International Organization of Standards guidelines. They are used globally.
• Declare: The Declare label was created by the International Living Future Institute in support of the stringent materials requirements of the Living Building Challenge. Declare is a simple ingredients label that facilitates communication of transparent material information between suppliers and consumers. Declare is used globally.
• Health Product Declarations (HPDs): HPDs are a standard format for transparent disclosure of building product ingredients and associated hazards. HPDs were created by the Health Product Declaration Collaborative and are mainly used in North America.
Myths and mysteries
Now that we all have a common understanding of the types of transparency tools and product declarations commonly discussed, let’s focus on four common myths and mysteries.
1. All product declarations follow the same standard
It’s a common misconception that LCA, EPDs and HPDs are all created following globally recognized ISO standards and are based on PCRs. Only LCAs and EPDs are created following ISO guidelines, and therefore only LCAs and EPDs are based on PCRs.
HPDs, on the other hand, are created following an open standard format developed by a U.S based-nonprofit organization called the Healthy Product Declaration Collaborative.
As mentioned above, Declare was created by the International Living Future Institute and is based on publicly available criteria.
2. All product declarations address the same issues
The primary function of EPDs is to disclose information about the environmental impact of a product. This includes things such as carbon footprint, embodied energy and ozone depletion potential, among others. EPDs also can disclose product performance information such as indoor air quality test results and recycled content, limited ingredient information and facts about a company’s sustainability commitments.
Health and ingredient disclosure tools such as HPDs and Declare focus on building product content and ingredient disclosure. They also sometimes disclose hazards associated with content and ingredients.
With an HPD, manufacturers can choose to fully disclose all ingredients or only disclose a portion of ingredients. If one does not fully disclose all ingredients in the HPD, they must identify health hazards of remaining portions of product. Declare requires manufacturers to provide their full ingredients list, in addition to basic information about the product such as product source location and lifespan. The Living Futures Institute then assesses the ingredients to determine if any of those ingredients are on the Living Building Challenge red list, a list of 13 of the worst-in-class toxic chemicals and materials commonly found in building materials today. Manufacturers have to publicly disclose at least 99 percent of their ingredients and confirm any remaining ingredients less than 1 percent are not on the Living Building Challenge red list to participate in the program.
3. All product declarations define a product’s greenness
I’ve said it before and I’m sure I will say it again: Product declarations are one tool in the specification toolbox and they don’t tell you if products are green. Product declarations are disclosure tools that allow you to gain the information you need to make more informed, smarter purchasing decisions. They complement other environmental and sustainability performance labels and certifications, and encourage overall improvement in sustainability performance.
4. Product declarations are only marketing tools
This is possibly the most important myth to debunk. Sure, product declarations are a major component of any leading manufacturers marketing mix. However, this is not their most important use. Product declarations are most powerful when they are used as an internal management tool for measuring, monitoring and improving impact reduction. Companies with leading sustainability agendas adopt product declarations to help them understand where to find and reduce the greatest impacts in their product development, production and distribution processes. The information gathered during the product declaration creation process also informs future strategy and R&D decisions. Overall, product declarations are a footprint reduction, cost reduction and risk mitigation tool, just as much as they are a marketing tool.
Final thoughts
Ensuring a project meets its goals means using the best products that align with project requirements. Because of the emphasis on transparency from green building rating systems, understanding the differences among the various product disclosure types will help building teams avoid confusion — and possibly something even worse — down the road.
No matter what city you live in or how “green” the city’s policies may be, there is still going to be trash. How the trash is handled however may be completely different, especially if you do happen to live in one of the greenest cities in the world. In this article from GOOD, you learn how some of these cities handle their trash problem a little differently.
The greenest city in the world, depending on who you ask, might be San Francisco, California, or Curitiba, Brazil, or Copenhagen, Denmark, or Vancouver, Canada. These cities and others like themhave freed their citizens from car-dependency, switched to clean energy, and made room for green spaces that let everyone breath a little freer. But one key function they’ve also worked hard on? How to deal with their trash.
It’s convenient to think of the trash can as a black hole into which scraps and discards and mistakes disappear. But these cities know better. Producing more trash means wasting more money and using up more resources that could be put to better use. Here are a few lessons from some of the greenest cities in the world on taking out the trash.
Waste has worth. Before tossing that piece of trash, consider: Is it really so useless that it needs to be thrown out? The smartest cities have realized that much of what’s considered waste can actually be a resource. Curitiba, for instance, has a municipal shepherd whose flock takes care of the lawns in its extensive park system. In any other city what would be a pile of grass clippings headed off to a landfill, there becomes food. In places like Singapore and Murcia, Spain, waste gets turned into energy. Curitiba also recognizes the value in keeping the city clean: a municipal program will trade a bag of food for a bag of trash, which helps manage waste in lower-income neighborhoods. (Mexico City just started a similar initiative.)
Use less. To avoid dealing with trash, don’t create as much to begin with. When Singapore decided to start improving its waste situation, the city worked with packaging companies to minimize the amount of waste its citizens would need to dispose of.
Make rules. San Francisco leads the country in “landfill avoidance”—it sends only about a quarter of the waste it creates to the dump. The city managed this incredible feat by setting goals and the laying down rules to ensure that they were met. In 2002, the city’s Board of Supervisors decided that by the decade’s end 75 percent of all waste would be diverted from the landfill. But in 2009, although more waste than ever was being recycled and composted, it didn’t look like San Francisco would make its goal. So the city enacted a simple rule: Every property in the city needed to separate its waste into trash, recyclables and compostables. The city still didn’t quite meet the goal, but with an unheard of 72 percent rate of waste diversion, it’s hard to criticize the effort.
These concepts can apply not only to cities, but to individual households. Those vegetable scraps you usually throw away can be used to make stock. Investing in a growler means that beer bottles won’t pile up in the recycling. And just like San Francisco, anyone can make it a house rule to separate waste into three streams.
With the first week of September in the books, most kids are either finishing up their first week back at school, or preparing for their first day come Monday. Back to school time can be a fairly expensive time, but it doesn’t have to be as bad as you may think. Here are a few tips on what to do this school year to help keep some “green” in your pocket, while reducing waste.
“Walk or Bike”- If you happen to live within under a mile from the school, try having your kids walk or bike to and from school instead of driving them. It will save you money on gas, reduce emissions, and give your children some exercise.
“Re-usable Containers”- If you use re-usable lunch containers and water bottles, you will cut back on the amount of garbage you produce with paper bags and plastic water bottles. You will also save on not having to continuously purchase such items.
“Use What You Already Have”- I’m sure if you looked around your home you could find a bunch of perfectly good pens, pencils, and paper. By doing a little inventory of your home, you can figure out what you need to buy and what you may already have. This can save you some bucks and a trip to the store; not to mention it will cut back on waste.
Obviously there will be plenty of spending this school year, with new outfits and class trips, etc. But, by using these tips you can save a few bucks and help out the environment.
Earlier this month, LED lighting company Cree debuted their newest prototype LED lamp. This latest iteration achieved over 1,300 lumens at 152 lumens per watt. As an efficiency comparison, a traditional 75-watt incandescent light bulb produces 1,100 lumens at only 14.6 lumens per watt. Cree claims that “full deployment of lighting this efficient could reduce U.S. energy consumption by 16.5%, equivalent to 1987 levels.”
No ordinary light bulb! Source: creeledrevolution.com
At Clean Conscience we get excited about new products and processes that allow us to do more while using less natural resources and reducing harmful impacts on the environment. Whether it’s at work using the PortionPac cleaning system that reduces the use of harmful chemicals and precious fresh water supplies while delivering a superior clean; or at home using efficient lighting solutions to reduce electricity usage while not sacrificing lighting quality or output. It all comes down to a comprehensive approach to achieve a healthy, fulfilling and sustainable lifestyle.
The 21st century LED lamp prototype benefits from technology developed under Department of Energy (DOE) funded contracts, which are part of Cree’s ongoing collaboration with DOE through projects such as the Bright Tomorrow L Prize competition and the 21st Century Lamp competition to advance the successful adoption of energy-saving solid-state lighting.
Check out the video below to learn more about the new 21st century LED Lamp and see it in action:
[youtube rWx_2fqhzOQ CreeInc YouTube video]
To learn more about low energy lighting systems, check out Cree LED Revolution to see more of their cutting edge products in action.
