EARTH HOUR COUNTDOWN
High-efficiency lighting? He's got a bright idea
March 4, 2010
San Grewal
STAFF REPORTER
The way Don Ford sees it, other than at Halloween there's not much reason to keep outside lighting on at night. So he hooked up his Brampton home's exterior lights to motion detectors that restrict their use to when there's reason.
"I installed them nine years ago," Ford says. "I'm waiting for LEDs" as in light-emitting diodes.
LEDs are a high-efficiency light source that uses semiconductors instead of filaments, which burn out. Technology is important to Ford. It's what he and his family rely on to reduce their carbon footprint.
"We have two solar panels that power our family cottage at Parry Sound, which has been off the grid since it was built in 1978. We're trying to enjoy the environment, but protect it, too."
Inside Ford's home, the lighting is either compact fluorescent or high-efficiency tubes. "I'm waiting for LEDs, but for large lighting the technology needs to be a little more stable. Once those LEDs are out we can cut down our energy use even more."
Other than technology the Fords practice simple ways to conserve. "My wife telecommutes, I car pool when I can and all three of my kids walk to school. They refuse rides.
"If you instill conservation at an early age, that's how they grow up."
Fact: If every Canadian family replaced one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light, it would eliminate 9 billion pounds of greenhouse gases, the same as taking 750,000 cars off the road.
One in a daily series leading up to Earth Hour, which urges people around the globe to turn out their lights for one hour on Saturday, March 27 at 8:30 p.m.
Toronto Star