Let Me Pull on My Cardigan, and Come Join Me By the Fire

Can Energy Efficiency Be as Sexy as Solar?: “It’s long been axiomatic that energy efficiency is the awkward stepchild of renewables – that is, that it’s sexier to install cutting-edge renewable-energy technologies like solar panels than to engage in more prosaic (and less-visible) measures to get more value out of each BTU or barrel."

This is the start of an excellent post on Worldchanging by Joel Makower. Almost 30 years ago then-president Jimmy Carter tried to get us to take efficiency seriously. It wasn’t a popular idea then, and it still isn’t today.

The two biggest things to tackle are transportation and buildings. However, I’d add a third major category, namely electronics in the form of servers, desktop systems, cell phones, network switches and all of their related accessories.

When President Carter made his plea to the American public, the first two categories would have sufficed. But today our entire economy and way of life is just as dependent on electronics as it is on buildings and transportation. So this is the challenge we’re trying to rise up to meet here at Sun. We’ve really just gotten going, but I think we’re getting some momentum.

Read Joel’s article and lets give efficiency a chance!