Change a light, change the world.

I've written before about EnergyStar products, but that post focused on appliances and larger purchases. But did you know that you can make a big reduction in energy usage (and your energy bill!) just by changing your lightbulbs?

EnergyStar's lightbulb campaign is rightfully called "Change a light, change the world." According to EnergyStar:

The energy used in the average home can be responsible for more than twice the greenhouse gas emissions of the average car. When you use less energy at home, you reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and help protect our environment from the risks of global climate change. If every American home changed out just five high-use light fixtures or the bulbs in them with ones that have earned the ENERGY STAR, each family would save about $60 every year in energy costs, and together we'd save about $6.5 billion each year in energy costs and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from more than 8 million cars.

They even have a store locator to help you these energy efficient lightbulbs. These bulbs produce "bright, warm light but uses at least 2/3 less energy than standard lighting, generates 70 percent less heat, and lasts up to 10 times longer." How's that for efficient use of time and energy? If that sounds good to you, then stop by a home products store, so you can change your lights and change the world.

"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter - ’tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning." - Mark Twain