Lightening Earth's load

Monday, September 17, 2007

From an article by Lee Bergquist and Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Fort Atkinson - Scores of residents are pledging to cut their appetite for fossil fuels to fight global warming.

It's called the "Atkinson Diet," and it represents a shift in the way consumers and businesses are thinking about the environment across Wisconsin.

Some examples:

• Homeowners are taking steps to reduce energy costs and their environmental impact by installing energy-saving light bulbs in record numbers. About 1.2 million of the compact fluorescent bulbs were sold at a discount last fall, up 9% from 2005. This fall, state retailers expect to sell 275,000 energy-efficient holiday lights, said Sara Van de Grift of the state Focus on Energy program. That's 15 times as many as last year.

• The number of solar-powered homes participating in an annual showcase across the state has doubled since last year, and interest in solar power has spread from environmental education centers to businesses such as Kohl's Department Stores and GE Healthcare, the largest producer of sun-powered electricity in Wisconsin.

• Golf courses are using organic fertilizer rather than petroleum-based fertilizers, while hotels and bed and breakfasts are taking steps to save energy, conserve water and promote recycling. Travel Green Wisconsin has seen a tripling this year in these and other tourism-related businesses that have reduced their environmental impact.

Public opinion surveys document the growing concerns about global warming. Though many once doubted the problem, the public is more attuned to the link between the use of fossil fuels and climate change. As a response, they are looking for ways to use less gasoline and other fuels.

"It's clear the tenor of the debate has changed in the past year," said Michael Kraft, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.