The little idea that grew - what a bright idea!

Written by Shirley Lichti for The Record, March 21, 2007

Most people who have seen Al Gore's documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, don't associate it with marketing. But although no products or services are sold, Gore does pitch ideas

A key idea behind An Inconvenient Truth is that ordinary citizens have the power to make a difference, that if we all make small changes to the way we live, we can make a big impact and help stop global warming.

A powerful example of idea marketing, the documentary planted seeds in the minds of consumers and journalists alike. It's worked so well that I now think of An Inconvenient Truth as "the little idea that grew." Let me illustrate.

In recent months, countless people have asked me if I've seen the documentary. This question is invariably followed by a spirited discussion about how we can embrace more energy efficient lifestyles.

For most of the people, light bulbs are an easy place to start. According to the Ontario Power Authority, the average household has 25 light bulbs, with lighting accounting for five to 10 per cent of total electricity use.

After seeing the documentary and discussing it with a client, my husband, John, conducted an in-depth analysis of our household energy use. This analysis prompted a number of changes, one of which related to lighting.

Although we already had a number of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), John calculated that replacing the remaining incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs would result in savings of $140 a year.

While compact fluorescent light bulbs cost more initially, they last up to eight times longer than incandescents and use up to two-thirds less energy, offering financial and environmental savings. Illuminating? Read on.

My husband does consulting work for manufacturing companies. During a recent visit to Hamilton-based npg envelope, he ended up discussing An Inconvenient Truth with Kevin Lenko, npg's Manager of Industrial Engineering & Maintenance. The documentary prompted Lenko to replace light bulbs at home. He then tackled light bulbs at his mother's house.

When he realized how environmentally unfriendly her ancient refrigerator was, he went shopping and replaced it. "It was a no-brainer," he says and estimates his mother will see a payback in 18 months due to the energy savings.

Having done his bit on the home front, he then arrived at work and noticed all the incandescent light bulbs in the plant. Lenko ordered them replaced with CFLs wherever possible.

Now on a roll, he headed to the lunch room and replaced three old refrigerators. He didn't do a cost savings analysis saying, "We knew it was the right thing to do. Replacing them was on our list. Seeing the documentary just moved it up in priority."

That's a lot of change resulting from one person embracing one little idea. But there's more.

As npg's employees noticed the changes, Lenko says they got all excited about what they could do. He notes that many of them went home and replaced indoor and outdoor light bulbs. And so the little idea continues to snowball.

The recent media focus on global warming is keeping the little idea snowballing.

Six months ago, it was unusual to hear about consumers making lifestyle changes to save the environment. Today it's rare to read the newspaper without seeing a story - for example, the Ottawa couple who put out only one bag of garbage a year, or the Toronto couple who resolved to generate no garbage in 2007. (They are allowed to compost and recycle.)

Stories like these help turn on the light bulb, inspiring countless readers to come up with their own bright ideas and earth saving initiatives - and prompt them to send strong messages to politicians.

Last spring, for example, the federal government discontinued financial incentives for Canadians to make their homes more energy efficient. Consumer protest resulted in the recent announcement of ecoENERGY Retrofit, which will launch in April, reintroducing a program to help Canadians retrofit their homes.

Interest in environmental initiatives has escalated since the debut of An Inconvenient Truth says Mary Jane Patterson, executive director at the Residential Energy Efficiency Program (REEP) in Waterloo. The organization provides home energy evaluations and solar assessments to help Waterloo Region residents reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

"We are now getting calls to make presentations and lunch and learn sessions, indicating increased awareness from both individuals and employers," Patterson says. "There's a greater acceptance of the impact of climate change."

If you've already replaced light bulbs in your home and are interested in learning what to do next, contact REEP at (519) 744-9799 or www.reepwaterlooregion.ca.

And if you share your findings with friends, you'll get to experience idea marketing first hand and watch a little idea that grew, grow.

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