Posted by jamie — 7 August 2007 at 10:40am
-
Comments
A bulb a day keeps climate change at bay (or something along those lines...)
We've had a lot of support for our current light bulbs campaign (and some detractors too, it has to be said) but there have been many queries about whether compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) really are what they're cracked up to be - what about the mercury, can they be recycled, that sort of thing. Many of them have already been covered elsewhere on the site, but it's worth following them up in a slightly more prominent position.
If you have any more queries, just post a comment below or contact us at info@uk.greenpeace.org.
Posted by jamie — 26 July 2007 at 5:30pm
-
Comments
We're beginning to see the first positive results from the light bulb retailers league table we published nearly two weeks ago. Both ASDA and Morrisons have just announced they will improve their game plan and phase out those power-crazy incandescents by the end of 2010, which moves them a couple of places up the league table, leapfrogging several other retailers.
Posted by jamie — 25 July 2007 at 5:20pm
-
Comments
I've been meaning to write about these videos for some time but somehow it never seemed the right moment (and all our Woolworths work kept getting in the way), so apologies if you've already seen them elsewhere. Yet in the lull after the hard launch of our light bulbs campaign, it's worth pointing out that it's not just in the UK that a shift to energy-efficient bulbs is being sought.
Posted by jamie — 19 July 2007 at 1:05pm
-
Comments
I was just about to write a piece slating Woolworths (as, after all the fuss we caused on Saturday, we still hadn't heard from them) when I got a call from Laura, one of our campaigners, to say she had a letter from them explaining what they're going to do about energy-guzzling light bulbs. I'm looking at it now and I'm sorry, but I'm still going to slate them.
It's from CEO Trevor Bish-Jones who begins by not asking for us not to stage in-store protests in future but to communicate directly with himself. So he'll be pleased about all the emails he's been getting from you (if you haven't emailed him, do it now, or you can call your local branch of Woolies and speak to the manager).
He goes on to use some well-worn arguments which I thought it would be useful to air here. Take it away, Trevor.
Posted by jamie — 14 July 2007 at 4:31pm
-
Comments
It's just after 3pm now and all of the main teams of volunteers have either been removed from or left their respective branches of Woolworths after clearing the shelves of inefficient light bulbs. The management at head office seems clearly rattled as their press officers have been telling our Light Brigaders (or is that Brigadiers?) that there'll be an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss their light bulb policy. We'll keep you posted on what, if anything, transpires next week. In the meantime, there's our cheap-as-chips video and photos from the day of action on Flickr to keep you entertained.
Environmental group demand end to sale of incandescent lightbulbs; new league table reveals retailer is UK's worst at helping customers tackle climate change
The Greenpeace "Light Brigade" is carrying out a national day of action today against the high street chain Woolworths. The environmental group is protesting at the retailer's continued failure to promote efficient alternatives to power hungry, incandescent lightbulbs.
Posted by jamie — 14 July 2007 at 10:20am
-
Comments
It's going to be a busy day at branches of Woolworths across the UK today as the Greenpeace Light Brigade pay them a visit to ask why they're still selling old-fashioned, power crazy light bulbs. Woolworths came bottom of our new league table, ranking light bulb retailers according to their commitments to phase out inefficient bulbs, so our volunteers have decided to take matters into their own hands.
If every household in the country used energy efficient light bulbs, we would save enough energy to close down two power stations. This makes using energy efficient light bulbs one of the easiest and most effective ways an individual can tackle climate change. Yet most bulbs on sale are still the old-fashioned incandescent type – an out-dated and highly inefficient technology.
When speaking to the manager of your local branch of Woolworths, either on the phone or in person, be firm and insistent but remain polite and courteous - they're just doing their job and the shoddy policies handed down by head office aren't their fault. Don't assume that they won't agree with what you're saying - they may turn out to be extremely supportive.
Ban the Bulb campaign archive: content last updated 14 July 2007
Which retailers are seizing the light to take a lead on energy efficiency, and which are lagging way behind? Our league table of light bulb retailers makes it easy to distinguish the bright sparks from the dullards.
Retailers have been rated on when they will completely phase out inefficient incandescent bulbs - as their policies improve, they move up the table.
