Post Star: Prevention can start at home
Filed under: Earth 911 - May 8, 2007
By ERIN DEMUTH
Tuesday, May 8, 2007 1:48 AM EDT
Predictions that a build-up of greenhouse gases could cause oceans to swallow up coastlines and hundreds of species to become extinct can leave people feeling worried and helpless, especially when the reasons for such catastrophe relate to necessities of life, like cars and electricity.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
People really aren’t as powerless as they might think when it comes to doing something about global warming.
“It’s important people feel there are things they can do,” said Sally Strasser of Glens Falls.
“When one person feels there’s something they can do, the multiplier effect kicks in, and more and more people will feel empowered.”
For Strasser, feeling empowered meant getting involved with other people who wanted to address the pressing issue of worldwide climate change.
Getting involved
Since September, Strasser and the Social Action Committee at the Glens Falls Unitarian-Universalist Church have been hosting a series of public lectures on global warming.
Each lecture is followed by a pot luck dinner, for which everyone in attendance is invited to stay.
Both the lecture and the meal following it are designed to be both informative and empowering.
“We don’t want people to go away feeling depressed; we want them to go away feeling optimistic and energized,” Strasser said, adding that nothing is impossible.
To illustrate her point, Strasser mentioned John F. Kennedy — a president who had what many Americans considered an unlikely vision of men on the moon.
“He died, but a few years later, we were there,” Strasser said.
“I’m convinced change is possible; it’s just a matter of will. I’ve decided to do what I can do locally.”
For Strasser, reaching that goal also means doing a few other relatively simply things to address global warming.
Such things as adding window treatments, installing hot water heater timers and buying special lights can save energy and thereby reduce greenhouse gasses, she said.
Fluorescent lights
“At any time, an incandescent light can be converted into a fluorescent light,” said Scott Schwartz of Hill Electric Supply Co. in Glens Falls. “A typical incandescent bulb has a life of 1,000 hours or less, whereas a compact fluorescent lasts for 12,000 hours. You’re going to save money and energy.”
To illustrate such savings by the average household, Schwartz provided the an example using a standard 60-watt incandescent bulb and a 14-watt compact fluorescent bulb that provides the same amount of light.
Despite the savings, some are skeptical of fluorescent lights because they contain hazardous materials, like mercury.
According to Energy Star, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, compact fluorescent lights contain about 5 milligrams of mercury — an amount that’s about the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen.
For that reason, Energy Star maintains the lights are safe for home use.
“Because there is such a small amount of mercury in compact fluorescent lights, your greatest risk if a bulb breaks is getting cut from the glass shards,” states an Energy Star Web site.
If a bulb does break, however, Energy Star recommends sweeping up the glass and fine particles, wiping the area with a wet rag, and then sealing the glass and rag in a plastic bag.
Energy Star’s site also says such bulbs should not be thrown out with the household trash if better options exists.
To find out if fluorescent lights are disposed of through special programs locally, the site recommends visiting www.earth911.org, or calling (877) EARTH911.
Green power
Green power generated from renewable energy sources like wind turbines, solar arrays and hydropower, is available through many of the state’s utility companies.
“New York has a great, diverse basket of energy supplies,” said Ray Hull, spokesman for New York State Energy Research & Development Authority. “It’s important not to jump to the conclusion that every time you flip a switch, you’re contributing to air pollution.”
And choosing green power isn’t as hard as it might seem.
For National Grid customers in the Adirondacks and surrounding counties, the company offers the opportunity to enroll in its GreenUp program to purchase renewable energy. For information on that program, visit www.nationalgridus.com/niagaramohawk/ and click on the energy choice link.
Interested individuals can also call (866) GRN-POWR for more information on New York’s renewable energy efforts.
“New York state already has about half its power coming from renewable sources,” Hull said.
According to 2002 data on NYSERDA’s Energy Smart Web site, 29 percent of electricity generated in the Empire State is from nuclear power, while
18 percent is from hydropower.
Another 27 percent is from natural gas; 17 percent is from coal, and 7 percent is from oil.
Other ways
The Union of Concerned Scientists provides a list of things the average person can do to address climate change on its Web site.
It contains information about energy efficient cars, home energy audits, wood and trees. It also encourages people to let their elected officials know if they’re concerned about global warming.
The site can be found at www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/solutions.
Household Home A Home B
Number of Fixtures 14 14
Type of Bulb Incandescent Fluorescent
Watts/Fixture 60 14
Total kW 0.84 0.20
Cost per bulb $0.40 $1.83
Total bulb cost $5.60 $25.62
Hours on/day 4 4
Annual Hours On 1,460 1,460
Annual kWh used 1,226 286
Cost/kWh $0.13 $0.13
Annual Energy Cost $159.43 $37.20
Monthly Energy Savings ——— $10.19
Annual Energy Savings ——— $122.23
One Response to “Post Star: Prevention can start at home”
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