The article in the url below tells you all you need to know, I fear, about the challenge of reforming our economy into something more sustainable. The story announces, finally (I can't believe it has taken this long and thought it had happened years ago), the end of the incandescent bulb:
"After lighting the nation's homes and businesses for more than a century, transforming the design of buildings and even lengthening the average workday, incandescent light bulbs are finally on their way out. The Biden administration on Tuesday adopted two new rules that set stricter energy efficiency standards for light bulbs. Those standards would effectively phase out the sale of most new incandescent bulbs — the pear-shaped orbs with glowing wire centers — in 2023."
Of course, by "the end," I really mean they are working towards ending it, next year. Why this took so long is fascinating (and frustrating):
"Much of the country is already lit by LED lights, which the Department of Energy estimates last as much as 50 times as long as incandescent bulbs and use a fraction of the electricity. That revolutionary shift has already driven down electricity demand in American homes, saving consumers money and cutting greenhouse gas emissions."
What I find fascinating about this is that the LED bulb is superior in every way to an incandescent bulb – more efficient, longer lasting, cheaper, better light, aesthetically equivalent (at least, no loss in design quality), and yet it has taken decades to wean people off the old design/product. If a product that is so convincingly inferior is so challenging to shift, what are we going to do about moving on from products that retain value (fossil fuels come to mind)? If we can't do it when the argument is so obvious, how are we going to do it when there is more nuance involved?
"Once the new rules are in place, Americans will collectively save $3 billion a year on their utility bills, the department said, at a time when higher energy costs have been squeezing household finances. The stricter standards will also cut emissions of planet-warming carbon dioxide by an estimated 222 million metric tons over the next 30 years, an amount equivalent to the emissions generated by 28 million homes in one year, the department added."
Of course, it wouldn't be change unless someone was unhappy:
"For manufacturers, profit margins for incandescent lighting are significantly higher than for LEDs, partly because investment in manufacturing equipment for incandescents has long been paid off and there is relatively little competition among manufacturers of the old style bulbs. The LED market, on the other hand, has attracted new manufacturers and has become far more competitive."
Take care
David
David Chandler
© Sage Publications, 2020
Instructor Teaching and Student Study Site: https://study.sagepub.com/chandler5e
Strategic CSR Simulation: http://www.strategiccsrsim.com/
The library of CSR Newsletters are archived at: https://strategiccsr-sage.blogspot.com/
Lights Out on Old Type of Bulbs
By Hiroko Tabuchi
April 27, 2022
The New York Times
Late Edition – Final
A18
