February 28, 2007—The 18Seconds movement, a network of organizations and individuals committed to a common goal of energy conservation, have launched a nationwide effort to raise awareness about global warming and demonstrate how one small action — taking 18 seconds to change a conventional incandescent bulb to an Energy Star-labeled compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) — can significantly reduce environmental impact.
The 18Seconds network is a broad group of companies, government entities, non-governmental organizations, religious groups, academic institutions and individuals working together to educate Americans about the electric cost-savings and environmental benefits of CFLs, which require one-third the energy of traditional bulbs to provide the same amount of light.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, a member of the network, if every American swapped just one bulb for an Energy Star-labeled CFL, it would collectively save them more than $8 billion in energy costs, prevent burning 30 billion pounds of coal, and keep two million cars worth of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere.
In conjunction with the launch of the movement, the network officially unveiled a Web site which lets visitors see the number of CFLs sold across the country, in their city or state based on per capita purchases.
Beyond the sales data, provided by AC Nielsen and received from most grocery store, drug and mass merchandise retailers, the site offers visitors a way to see the impact their purchases are having by showing the amount of money, energy and greenhouse gas emissions saved in their area on a daily basis.
