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Green: it’s the new black. In fact, it’s no longer a trend, it’s the only way to go. Since the beginning of 2007, fuel efficient hybrid car sales have risen nearly 50%, energy conservation is listed among the hottest topics of the 2008 presidential election, and even the Primetime Emmy Awards went green with a carbon neutral broadcast and red carpet made from recycled plastic bottles. While you may not be able to re-carpet your house with polyethylene terephthalate fiber, or trade in your pickup for a Prius just yet, you can make an equally significant decrease in your carbon footprint by choosing ENERGY STAR® approved fixtures to light your home.

ENERGY STAR® qualified lighting uses roughly 75% less energy than standard bulbs, produces 75% less heat, and lasts 10 to 20 times as long as an equivalent incandescent lamp – so put away your ladder, because with regular use you won’t need to change that bulb for at least seven years!

In order to generate the energy consumed by an average home, power plants produce more than twice the greenhouse gas emissions of an average vehicle. If every household in America replaced the five light fixtures that are most frequently used with ENERGY STAR® approved fixtures or bulbs, energy costs would be cut by nearly $8 billion per year, and the greenhouse gas emissions prevented would be equivalent to that of 10 million cars!