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City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: Seattle Hits Energy Milestone: One Million Bulbs Distributed
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
7/9/2008 11:30:00 AM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alex Fryer (206) 684-8358
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Seattle Hits Energy Milestone: One Million Bulbs Distributed
SEATTLE – Mayor Greg Nickels announced today that Seattle has distributed more than one million energy efficient light bulbs through a 10 month-old purchasing program with Seattle City Light, bulb manufacturers and area retailers.
At Bartell Drugs, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Costco, Fred Meyer and other participating retailers, consumers can purchase compact fluorescent bulbs for as little as $1 each. No coupon is needed. Markdowns are made at the checkout register.
Contributions by Seattle City Light, the retailers and bulb manufacturers translate into customer savings of $2 to $5 per bulb. The incentive varies by the type of bulb. Seattle City Light has spent about $1.5 million on the program so far.
Additionally, the city has given away about 70,000 bulbs at community events and festivals and sold about 180,000 discounted bulbs through other neighborhood and regional programs.
“Few symbols reflect the simple things we can do to save the planet better than the twisty, compact fluorescent light bulb. They’ve proven that making a big dent on climate pollution is as easy as changing a light bulb,” said Nickels. “This program is a great example of the kind of positive change that can happen when business and government work together.”
“The one million bulb milestone is an important validation that we can build a new economy and put the brakes on climate pollution,” said KC Golden, policy director of Climate Solutions, a Seattle-based nonprofit dedicated to finding practical and profitable solutions to global warming. “Seattle residents saved money and helped save the planet, while manufacturers and retailers benefited as well. That’s a pretty good deal all around.”
Energy efficient bulbs use about one third the energy of a traditional incandescent bulb and last up to 10 times longer. That can mean electricity bill savings of up to $33 over the life of a single bulb.
The one million bulbs distributed through “Twist and Save” so far will save enough energy to power nearly 42,000 Seattle homes for a year, or all the homes in Queen Anne for more than two years. Additionally, the bulbs will avoid the creation of about 248,000 tons of greenhouse gases. That’s comparable to taking 50,000 cars off the road for a year.
When the bulbs burn out, they should not be thrown in the trash because they contain trace amounts of mercury. Seattle City Light and Home Depot are making it easier to dispose of burned out bulbs properly by offering free recycling. For even more options, check out the Take It Back Network at takeitbacknetwork.org.
During recycling, lamps are crushed and the materials are separated under a continuous vacuum filtration process. The glass, aluminum and mercury-bearing phosphor powder is captured safely and recycled for use in other products.
Virtually every component of a fluorescent lamp can be recycled, including metal end caps, lamp glass, and mercury phosphor powder. The recycled glass can be used to manufacture other glass products. The aluminum end caps are recycled as metal scrap. Recovered mercury is reused in thermometers, barometers, and electronic devices.
Visit the mayor’s web site at www.seattle.gov/mayor. Get the mayor’s inside view on efforts to promote transportation, public safety, economic opportunity and healthy communities by signing up for The Nickels Newsletter at www.seattle.gov/mayor/newsletter_signup.htm
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Office of the Mayor
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