Iowa is emerging as a national leader in energy strategies and sustainability practices. From renewable fuels to wind power and sustainable design, from quality of life issues to social responsibility, citizens in Iowa’s communities are serious about being informed, involved, and proposing alternatives to our local and global energy, environmental and social issues.
On September 27, it was my honor to participate in the University of Iowa’s Mayors' Panel held during its 2006 Energy Exposition which, among other events, featured 100 exhibits of wind, solar and renewable fuel designs and devices, some of which are now or will soon be available to private citizens and small businesses to help reduce energy costs. The Mayors' Panel was able to individually speak to our respective community efforts toward accomplished green initiatives and plans for the future. I am proud to say that Dubuque, in its first attempt to get discussion going throughout the State of Iowa on this topic, is in many ways setting the standards for green initiatives and sustainability measures.And, just tonight, the City of Dubuque proclaimed October 4 as the 2006 ENERGY STAR Change-A-Light (CAL) Day. We are inviting our community members to join together in an initiative that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by switching to ENERGY STAR-qualified compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) products in their homes … lighting that uses at least two-thirds less energy than traditional models, and lasts up to 10 times longer!
Most people want to do their part to help our environment, but they don’t know where to start. Choosing ENERGY STAR-qualified lighting for the home is a simple way to save time, energy and money. With lighting accounting for 20 percent of the average home’s electric bill, it is one of the easiest places to save energy.
As we work to maintain secure, safe and affordable energy resources for our citizens, campaigns such as Change-A-Light matter. I am joining with the mayors and governors from across our country to bring attention to the critical importance of using energy wisely at home. We are likewise being joined by retail stores, manufacturers and energy efficient organizations to help our nation become “energy aware” all year long.
This is a call to action from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy to encourage each of us to help change the world.Change 5 lights. If each home would replace its five most frequently used lights or the bulbs in them with ones that have earned the ENERGY STAR rating, each home would save about $60 a year in energy costs, and if done across America, we’d save $6.5 billion in energy costs and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from more than 8 million cars!
"We profess to love our own offspring above all else, yet above all else, it is they from whom we daily steal.” Carl Safina