Simplifying Sustainability
Monday, February 1, 2010 at 8:24AM
The incandescent light bulb was simple. A general service light bulb came in two basic flavors frosted or clear. From there the only other option was power consumption. 25, 40, 60, 100, 150 watt options ran the gambit for most people. The 60 watt frosted A lamp is still the most popular light bulb sold in the United States. Those days are changing as the US joins to the EU is phasing out the Thomas Edison's invention. That said, the market for CFL and LED replacements to these lamps is a confusing one for many consumers. The Federal Trade Commission is looking to change that.
You'll notice the label looks very similar to that used on our food labels. That choice is intentional, the idea is to give consumers a label they are used to reading that can be adopted quickly. Unfortunately, the period for public comment has closed, but I wanted to raise this as an example of simplifying sustainability. Introducing new technology often adds choice and can confusion. This labeling system represents an effort to make it easier for consumers to choose a lighting source that will inherently use less energy than it's incandescent counterpart.
What's your take? What other initiatives have you seen out there geared toward making sustainable choices easier to make? What other consumer education campaigns have you seen out there.
Federal Trade Commission,
Incandescent Ban,
Lighting in
Commentary 
Reader Comments (1)
Hey James, First of all I do not consider CFL lamps to be a good sustainable product. In order to make the lamps more affordable in the last couple of years the quality control has definitely slipped. I don't know what the % is but I have noticed that at least i out of very 10 lamps we have bought in our commercial products has fizzled as soon as they are fired up for the first time. And that doesn't include those that just fall apart when you take them out of the box. This doesn't even begin to take into account the mercury issue and the need for controlled disposal and all those costs.
Information is better when it isn't selective.