I’m not exactly a poster-child for saving the planet: I use a car instead of public transport; waste far too much electricity running various gadgets; occasionally put washing in the tumble dryer even on clear days… you get the idea. However, despite this I’m still the most energy-conscious person I know, which is kind of worrying (or maybe an indication that I don’t know that many people).

I recently read an interesting article on the BBC News web site, Lighting the key to energy saving. Apparently, a study from the International Energy Agency has concluded that “a global switch to efficient lighting systems would trim the world’s electricity bill by nearly one-tenth.” A linked article – Light bulbs: Not such a bright idea – basically proposes that governments should ban the traditional incandescent light bulb in favour of using compact fluorescents. This is such an obvious no-brainer that it almost certainly won’t happen, which is a real shame, but then again we shouldn’t be relying solely on our governments to legislate in order to solve the world’s energy problems: we should be doing more ourselves.

For example, don’t leave the TV chattering away to itself when you’re going to be out of the room for a while. Stop the automatic hand-dryer yourself when your hands are dry, instead of waiting for the timer to switch it off. No need to turn-on the lights when it’s a bright sunny day outside. All small things to be sure, but if everyone did them…

See? You too can save the planet with minimal effort!