August 28th, 2007
Today I came across a number of interesting pieces of information about CFLs.
Did you know that if every household in California replaced just one regular bulb with a CFL, it would be about the same as removing 85,000 cars from our state’s roads for one year? The CA Energy Quest website has more Illuminating facts about fluorescent bulbs.
How do CFLs compare to normal light bulbs? Find out at HowStuffWorks.
The Integrated Waste Management Board provides information about disposing of CFLs. Learn more from the CIWMB website.
More info to come.
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August 25th, 2007
Today’s been a big day for LOSF! We are now sponsored by Safeway, which will also be helping us distribute information in their stores.
The Golden Gate Bridge Board officially adopted our resolution today. The Bridge will be turning off lights on October 20th in support of LOSF!
A little bird also told me that there may be a Lights Out celebration in Dolores Park on October 20th. Stay tuned for more info…
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August 23rd, 2007
We came across this article The Economist, which addresses a the complexities of recycling. The author concludes that recycling is indeed worth the effort, but there are improvements to be made in the system.
Yesterday, the SF Chronicle shared some good news: Six Western states and parts of Canada join to cut greenhouse gases.
Is radio the new wave in light bulbs? Check out “A light bulb powered by radio waves”, which was posted today to CNET’s News Blog.
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August 22nd, 2007
We’re working hard to get more folks involved in our project. We have a listing on Volunteermatch and would love interested parties to sign up and help with information and CFL distribution.
This morning Nate and I met with Flex Your Power to discuss publicity and exchange ideas. They’re a great resource, and we’re looking forward to collaborating with them.
I received an email today from a San Francisco resident concerned with the possible occurrence of a power surge when lights are turned back on at 9pm the night of the event. Earth Hour in Sydney (the event which inspired ours) didn’t experience a surge when their lights went back on. We’ve spoken with PG & E, and they don’t anticipate a surge here either.
Thanks to Nick Rubenstein, we’re finalizing our poster and t-shirt designs. Nick’s come up with some fantastic images!
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August 21st, 2007
We’ve been so busy brainstorming, organizing, and fundraising that we haven’t had time to write. Now we’re back, and we got some great news to share!
During the week of August 6th we were officially endorsed by the San Francisco Department of the Environment and featured in the Examiner.
We are now sponsored by both Esurance and Integrated Archive Systems. Yesterday, we secured support from the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and California Interfaith Power and Light. Other supporters include Flex Your Power, the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, PG&E, SF Climate Challenge, Teacher With the Bus, Rainforest Action Network, and Yahoo!.
We’re making great progress with donations of compact flourescent light bulbs (CFLs). PG&E has donated thousands of bulbs for us to distribute for free throughout San Francisco. We’re aware that there is some controversy over the danger of mercury found in CFLs. According Helen Suh MacIntosh, a professor in environmental health at Harvard University, CFLs are safe. You can read a summary on the issue so you can make your own determination. More information on CFLs can also be found on the Sierra Club website.
Currently, we’re working on reaching out to public and private schools from the elementary to collegiate levels in hopes of educating students about energy conservation and promoting our event. If you’d like to get your school involved, send us an e-mail at rachel@lightsoutsf.org
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July 27th, 2007
Great news. Rachel Ray is helping full time. Thank god.
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April 21st, 2007
What a week it has been. Here’s what we’ve done.
- Edited and posted the letter to the web.
- Started to make inroads with the Mayor’s office. Calls are being made and we’re hoping to have something set up next week.
- Spoke briefly with the SF Dept. of Environment. Very nice people there. Share some critical information about how much energy has been saved over the years.
- Working with friends to make a connection at PG&E.
- Talking to a variety of companies about sponsorship opportunities.
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April 20th, 2007
Two weeks ago I was traveling in Sydney Australia. To my surprise one Saturday night, the entire city, including the restaurant where I was eating, turned the lights out. I learned later that this was all part of an energy savings event called Earth Hour.
To me, this was an extraordinarily simple and effective way for the Sydney community to do something concrete about global warming and to educating the public about energy issues. Also…I loved eating in the dark and it was fun to watch all the people come out of their houses and businesses with candles to talk to each other. Lots of community building happening.
When I got back home to the San Francisco, I decided I wanted to do something similar in my city and possibly throughout the nation. So, I called a few friends and started Lights Out San Francisco.
Now…we’re working together to find a way to make our goal a reality. Since we’re a community-based organization, we figured we should let the public know what’s going on. Stay tuned to this blog for updates on our progress and notes on who we’ve met along the way.
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