I wrote the first draft of this a few years earlier than '03 to help a local Green Party candidate form his energy policy. It's still relevant today and has been echoed by some more popular writers than I. There's a great cover story that carries this idea forward in the June 27 (2011) edition of Newsweek. Go to: ttp://www.newsweek.com/2011/06/19/it-s-still-the-economy-stupid.html
THIS IS A PLAN TO HELP PREVENT SOME WARS
2/23/03
I have a plan to prevent and/or end some wars (and U.S. temptations to dominate weaker oil rich countries). It is based on proven research that demonstrates that if Americans employ most of the energy efficient devices and tactics available today, it would do more than end our need for any foreign oil or exploiting new domestic sources. It starts with 3 simple steps.
It tried this with my family and my home and it’s doable. Quite a number of my friends are now doing it. I know of others who are doing it or already have done it. Businesses and institutions that I’m connected with are doing it. It makes so much sense that eventually it could involve almost everyone in America. It isn't an instant thing except in places closest to your home and mine. But it can work.
It saves everyone involved well over half of his or her current energy bills. (It frees up money for making more protest signs and the use of mass transportation to get to demonstrations. It involves starting with putting some of our money where our mouths are, and walking our talk. For some of us it may represent a different way of taking action than we’re used to, so it may involve a slight change of habits. But, it’s easy enough to get started today, right now, and it shouldn't hurt.
Step 1. Count the number of incandescent light bulbs in your homes and businesses, churches, mosques, synagogues, clubhouses, organizations, etc. Note the wattage and replace them as fast as you can afford with comparable compact fluorescent light bulbs. (It’s not necessary to pay more than $5 per bulb except for dim-able bulbs, 3-ways and 150 watt equivalent bulbs.)
When you are finished say, "I am now using and paying for 75% less electricity for lighting than I was, and I'm only causing 1/4 of the air pollution associated with the electrical generation". You can add, "I will not have to replace these bulbs until the time after 10 of the old fashioned bulbs would have burned out." You can also add, "I'll get the money back for the additional costs of these new bulbs within about a year but I'm helping the environment right away." (You might be able to confirm the money part by reviewing at least one year's worth of your past electric bills and doing a comparison.)
In 2011 the new strategy is to use LED lamps. A bit more expensive than CFL's, they save 90% of the electricity they use and by the time you have to replace them (assuming you bought good brand-name lamps and not cheap knock-offs) you won't be able to remember what year you installed the original. There is a liquid fuel savings for doing this but a lighting retrofit is good for improving air quality and reducing the pace of climate change.
If you want to go a bit further, put occupancy sensors on light switches in rooms where people have a habit of leaving unneeded lights on. (If you want to go a step further, replace any older style straight fluorescent fixtures with T-8 or T-5 units and reap an additional 30% savings there.)
Step 2. Tell everyone you know that you are doing this and why. Ask them if they'd be willing to do the same. Give bulbs to friends and family for presents. Note that for every incandescent bulb we Americans collectively replace with (LED's) a compact fluorescent bulb, one large American power plant can be taken off line. I found 32 bulbs in my house, many of which are on for more than 4 hours a day.
Step 3. Check your gas mileage in your vehicle and compare it to the gas mileage of today's most efficient vehicles. Depending on how close yours is to what it could be, make that much of a commitment to replace your current vehicle with one of the ones that get top mileage. Base your decision on when to replace it by the difference between the two and the number of miles a year that you drive. If you drive less than 5000 miles, it doesn't matter very much. 5000 miles a year comes to less than 11 miles a day so you might be able to skip this step. If you drive over 15,000/year you might want to get a super efficient car ASAP. (If your car is not getting the gas mileage it’s supposed to get, tune up the engine.) You can now get a combined $3500 PA/US tax rebate for SULEV vehicles like hybrid cars. (NO longer valid: new incentives exist - see: www.dsire.org for current info.)
Since that time, we got a Honda Civic hybrid: my wife commutes 46 miles a day, round trip. After more than 100,000 miles we saved a lot of gas and GHG emissions. The money, at $4 a gallon has more than paid back the slight extra cost for the car and we did get rebates and tax credits that helped. It's also fun to get better than 45 mpg on road trips to see family in Ephrata, PA and Waynesboro, VA.
After you have done all that you can say, I have done a lot to change my behavior and made a good start toward saving energy, a lot to prevent war, and a lot to help the environment. You coulsd also say, I'm saving quite a bit of money, and that feels pretty good.
If you have made a commitment to do all this and want to do more, get the book, HomeMade Money (by Richard Heede and the Staff at Rocky Mountain Institute- www.rmi.org). It can tell you how to cut your home and business energy costs further. (there are better books out there today, along with some great online and TV resources.)
If you are still motivated to do more, and you are making good progress on your own work, I invite you to contact me and I'll suggest effective, easy, proven ways to get the rest of your town moving on this project. Or, maybe by then you'll have already figured it out.
Larry Menkes
Coordinator: 3rd Millennium Project at Pebble Hill Church and
Earth Charter Initiative working group on Energy and Climate
www.earthchartercitizens.org (now: Alliance for a Sustainable Future)
www.libertynet.org/pebble (3rd Millennium Project) (dead link, don't try it)
I can be reached at: mailto:larry@sustainabletransitions.us and (215) 328-9128
Additional useful links and sources of my data, etc.
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