Shining New Light on an Old Office Technology

Don’t take light for granted. Light is essential to the health of your eyes, your level of fatigue and alertness and your general sense of time. Most office professionals, however, take light for granted, especially the lights that surround them at the office and glow at a particular hue – hopefully one that doesn’t give them headaches or makes their eyes twitch. But right now there is an electrified debate about the future of the lights that we use in America. That light bulb your parents made you change may become a relic of the past. 

This article explains, “The efficiency rules are intended to phase out of the old bulbs that are essentially unchanged since the time of Thomas Edison and a phase in of the more efficient bulbs such as halogen incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) or LED bulbs… Those more efficient bills have a more expensive initial cost, about $1.50 to $2 a bulb compared to 25 or 50 cents for a less efficient light. But their advocates say lower energy usage and in some cases longer life from the new bulbs will more than make up for the higher purchase price over the life of the bulb.”

People, of course, typically hate change. Change makes us uncomfortable, particularly when it comes to aspects of our lives that comprise our comfort zones. So it is not surprising that the debate about just how and when to phase out the old incandescent light bulb is a heated discourse. But just as office professionals must adapt to the mercurial nature of software, computers and digital technologies, so they must also adapt to corporate efforts to become more environmentally sustainable.

So don’t push back when your company is making reasonable efforts to be a decent global citizen. Encourage change for the better; it not only reflects well on your personal values, but also highlights your desire to be part of change. And change is always coming, particularly to those who want it the least.

Image courtesy of thomasbrightbill.