MARCH 14, 2007

THE CADRE ° 6

ENVIRO

Good bye cheap | light bulbs, hello

empty wallet

Marcel Pellerin Reporter

"Australia has begun a three-year process that will eliminate the incandescent light bulb from its market and it’s expected to save 800,000 tonnes of green house emissions by 2012. _

A similar plan has been taken up by Nova Scotia, who is thinking to ban the incandescent light bulb over the course of the next five years.

The expected replacement for the incandescent light bulb is called the compact fluorescent light bulb which has been on the market for about twenty years. It costs more than the ordinary incandescent light bulb but its long life, some five hundred hours, and the fact that they require only about a quarter of the energy needed for incandescent, makes it the ideal replacement.

With governments implementing bans on the cheaper products the question becomes how are they going to help the everyday person in the transition? The average price for two 15W compact fluorescent light bulbs is about $10, compared to a toonie for four incandes- cent bulbs.

Dr. Marina Silva, an associate professor for the Department of Biology, is a Ter- restrial Ecologist with research interests in Macroecology.

Macroecology is a relatively new field that encompasses biogeographical and ecological patterns on a large scale.

“We need to take into consideration of the financial aspect of these changes and the government needs to take steps to help these programs be a success,” said Dr. Silva while applauding the steps being taken.

Change doesn’t come cheap and it’s good to know that changes are being made, but if nothing is done to make

living green more economical.

“People will not be supportive of new programs because of the cost,” she said. Even UPEI has an energy awareness

program with information that can be found on the university's main webpage. Unfortunately, it’s bound to get more expensive before it becomes affordable to buy green technologies.

Unless the government becomes seti- ous about implementing credible pro- grams to make living green more cost effective so that the general public can afford green technologies it will lack any real support.

NMENT

There’s something to be said about those committed to the environment and for some, an appropriate label of “crazy” works, But for the most part, there are a lot of simple things that can be done for the cause of going green.

Let’s start with the apartment. Make sure that all your windows have a good seal around them, and in the winter use heavy drapes to help keep your space efficiently heated. In the summer close

the blinds of the windows facing the

morning and afternoon sun to keep out

unwanted heat.

In the kitchen, wash your dishes by hand. Like the windows, make sure that the fridge has a good seal on it. If a crisp five dollar bill slips between the fridge and the seal of the door, then the seal

_ needs to be replaced.

When cleaning your house you can

use home made solutions out of bak-

ing soda, a little bit of detergent, water

and vinegar. One solution is baking soda

_ mixed with just enough liquid detergent

_ to make a paste, the paste can be used

to scrub down surfaces like your sink and counter. Vinegar can be set to boil on the stove top to get rid of odours; it’s great for cutting the smell of smoke from the air.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs may

Going “green” Ke ant

be expensive but are more efficient than the incandescent light bulb. The price of living green may not cheap, but it doesn’t all have to happen at once and savings can be found if you stop buying dispos- able items like razors. It’s time to bring back the old straight razor and brush lather, strike your best pose and try not to nick yourself.

There’s a market dedicated entirely to all-natural products and everything from condoms to cleaning products are being sold to accommodate the ‘green’ market.

Alternate forms of energy are worth looking into as well. If you can afford it, there are items powered by solar char- gers, like an ipod.

So for just a quick recap: organic prod- ucts are good, and when the mood is on, think about natural oils or lubricants like vitamin E instead of synthetic ones (if your only concern is just prevent- ing pregnancy there are natural condom companies out there that cater to that.) Learn to shave with a straight razor —it’s not guaranteed to get you laid but it'll get you noticed, and make your own clean- ing products out of baking soda (club soda can get out white wine stains and wash windows, vinegar and water will wash your windows as well). Just try and be as “green” as you can afford to be,

common sense and conservation is most

of it.