I am working on a global citizenship project for my human relations course and the point of the project is to take part in multiple actions that will change who we are and how we effect the world. The first action I am starting today involves cutting back on the use of lights. It might seem like I'm beating a dead horse but lighting is one of the most overlooked energy wasters, especially here on my college campus.
For starters, I decided to no longer use the lights in my room during the day. If there is enough sunlight coming through the window there is no point for artificial lighting. Come night fall, rather than flipping on the big ceiling light I am only using my desk lamp unless more light is needed. These actions can be done anywhere, really. Furthermore, in the residence halls all the hallway lights, bathroom lights, lounge lights, etc. are on pretty much 24/7 regardless of motion sensors in certain areas. I decided to rebel a little bit here and turn these off on my own. Anytime I use the bathroom, I shut off all but one switch when I leave (safety matters), if I use a kitchen or lounge, I kill all the switches on my way out. The hallways in our buildings are a different story, not all lights can be turned off due to safety reasons so I typically turn off one or two switches.
Granted, the lights don't stay off for too long because so many people come and go but I am spreading the word and hopefully getting some people to join in. There is really no point for unnecessary amounts of lighting, especially with our environment going to hell. You can do the same, and I encourage you to do so. If you live on a campus, try doing what I mentioned. Try it anywhere for that matter. It takes no effort at all to turn off a light switch but the benefits really add up.
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