GE Consumer & Industrial’s month-long Earth Day initiative, GE Project Plant-a-Bulb, helped consumers consider the environmental and financial benefits of energy-efficient lighting, while bringing the lasting beauty and positive effects of perennial flower bulbs to Midwestern landscapes in cities such as Cleveland and Chicago.

For every unique visitor who visited www.GEProjectPlantaBulb.com last month, GE planted a corresponding number of flower bulbs, up to 100,000 in total. The plantings were conducted with the help of environmental and civic organizations. Visitors to the site found coupons, streaming educational videos, energy lesson plans for teachers, and an energy-savings calculator that showed consumers how to cut wasteful spending on energy.

“Beautifying communities by planting bulbs and other flowers can have an effect that extends well beyond the obvious," said Matt McKenna, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. “Visually appealing public spaces have been proven to create an atmosphere that attracts visitors, improves business and commerce, increases surrounding property values, and enhances the quality-of-life for all area residents.”

Simple change, big impact

“Our campaign was meant to be a catalyst for change,” said Kathy Sterio, general manager of marketing, GE Consumer & Industrial. “We envision consumers everywhere having light bulb moments as they realize that one of the most simple ways to save money on energy is with GE-quality, ENERGY STAR-qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs.”

For example, replacing a standard 90-watt incandescent outdoor floodlight with a 26-watt GE Energy Smart^® CFL outdoor floodlight can save up to $64 in energy costs over the life of the bulb (at $.10/kWh), while having less of an impact on the environment. “Imagine the benefits of changing 5, 10, or 15 incandescent bulbs in a house to CFLs,” noted Sterio. “Now think about what it would mean if an entire street, neighborhood, or city mirrored that change.”

Through www.GEProjectPlantaBulb.com and multiple traditional and social media channels, GE Lighting Guy Brice Cooper showed consumers how to save money and curb energy consumption. Drawing on his experience as host and lead designer of an HGTV interior design program, he also demonstrated how efficient lighting can be used to create and enhance moods in rooms throughout the home.

“We’re reaching consumers in some pretty novel ways through this awareness campaign,” said Cooper. “At the end of the day, we want people to see how easy it can be to make a difference for the environment.”

Providing solutions for commercial, industrial, and residential use in more than 100 countries, GE Consumer & Industrial uses innovative technologies and "ecomagination," a GE initiative to aggressively bring to market new technologies that help customers and consumers meet pressing environmental challenges, to deliver comfort, convenience, and electrical protection and control. General Electric (NYSE: GE) brings imagination to work, selling products under the Monogram^®, Profile™, GE^®, Hotpoint^®, SmartWater™, Reveal^® and Energy Smart™ consumer brands, and Entellisys^® industrial brand.

For more information, consumers may visit www.ge.com.

Hot Topics

05.04.09
Launching A GreenHome Partnership
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in collaboration with the City Council of Greensburg, Kansas, and the Kansas Building Industry Association (KBIA), announce the launch of Greensburg GreenHome Residential Green Building Program.

05.04.09
U.S. Department of Energy Again Confirms: RES Would Reduce Fuel Costs, Stabilize Electricity Rates
New study is the 5th DOE report to underscore economic benefits of proposed requirement to increase renewable energy use.

05.04.09
New York Wants to Tap Great Lakes Offshore Wind
Renewable energy advocates welcomed the Earth Day announcement by New York Power Authority (NYPA) President and CEO Richard Kessel of a major public-private initiative to pursue the development of wind power projects in the New York waters of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

05.04.09
Study Group Forecasts 345.000 tons of Refined Copper Surplus in '09
The global market for refined copper will likely show a surplus of at least 345 000 tons of copper this year, compared with an estimated 250.000 ton surplus in 2008.

On the Hill/Around the Nation

05.04.09
DoD Announces Additional $835 Million in Recovery Act Projects
The Department of Defense (DoD) announced details of more than 850 facility improvement projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

International News

05.04.09
Green Building Council to Start Work on Green Star Retail Rating Tool
The Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) on Tuesday said it was looking for members to form a technical working group, which would work on the development of the Green Star South Africa retail rating tool.

05.04.09
China Seizes Green Energy Opportunity
China’s leaders are investing $12.6 million every hour to green their economy.

NEMAVoice

Industry News

Contracts

• Prysmian Signs Agreement for Research of Nanotechnologies, Optical Fibers, New Materials
  Prysmian Group and research organization FBK (Fondazione Bruno Kessler) signed a collaboration agreement for the development of R&D activities in three areas: nanotechnologies, optical fibers, and new materials for the production of power and TLC cables. 04/30/09
  
  
• AREVA T&D Wins Contract in Kosovo
  AREVA’s Transmission and Distribution division has won a contract from Kosovo’s electrical network operator, Kosova Transmission System and Market Operator (KOSTT). 04/28/09
  
  
• Nexans Wins 2 Million Euro Contract for Tunisia’s Enfidha Airport
  Nexans has been awarded a contract worth approximately 2 million euros by Tepe AkfenVentures (TAV), an airports operator in Turkey, to supply the power cables for the terminal building at Tunisia’s new Enfidha Airport. 04/27/09

Mergers & Acquisitions

• Philips Acquires Selecon
  Philips announced that it has acquired New Zealand-based Selecon, a designer, manufacturer, and distributor of professional theatrical and architectural lighting fixtures. 04/22/09
  
  
• Acuity Brands Completes Acquisition of Sensor Switch
  Acuity Brands, Inc. announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Acuity Brands Lighting, Inc., completed the acquisition of Sensor Switch, Inc., a developer and manufacturer of lighting controls and energy management systems. 04/21/09

[ Industry News Archives ]

NEMA News

• NEMA Offers Free Lighting Renovation Checklist and Guide to Facility Executives
  NEMA is helping American building owners and operators begin the process of reducing costs and saving energy with a renovation checklist and guide covering all aspects for renovation and upgrades. 04/29/09

Standardizations Trends

• NEMA Publishes ANSI/IEC 60974-1: 2008 Arc Welding Equipment—Part 1: Welding Power Sources
  ANSI/IEC 60974-1: 2008 is an adoption of the third edition (2005) of IEC 60974-1, which covers power sources used in industrial and professional settings for welding, cutting, and other allied processes. 04/30/09

NEMA/BIS

• EBCI Readings for North America Post Sharp Gains in April
  NEMA’s Electroindustry Business Confidence Index (EBCI) for current North American conditions jumped 16 points in April to 42. 04/29/09

[ NEMA News Archives ]

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