$10 Million for a Light Bulb

The U.S. Department of Energy is offering $10 million for an energy-efficient alternative for outdated incandescent and halogen lights. According to Lauren Hasler's article, A Replacement for Incandescents?, Philips Electronics submitted the first entry. The entries must be less than 10 watts for incandescent, 11 watts for halogen and have more than a 25,000-hour lifespan. Rewarding a good prize for the a successful invention may result in great energy savings. Of course, turning off the lights when the room is not in use is the most practical way. Wish someone would reward communities for turning off the lights at night. Some lighting is needed at street corners and to deter crime, but way too often we pollute the night with light and at the same time use energy needlessly. I never seemed to convince our children while they were home to turn off the lights, TV and computer. Somehow I needed a tangible reward for green behavior. Perhaps such a tangible reward is the clear nights here in southwest Kansas when the Milky Way spreads across the sky with its millions of stars sending soft light earthward. Such a sight is worth at least $10 million, isn't it.