Allard Leads The Way In DC Conservation, "Market Will Dictate"

“You can make a difference here without putting yourself in the dark”

Global warming alarmists call for radical, life-altering action--an immediate halt to human activities--but even skeptics of anthropogenic global warming have no problem in finding ways not to be wasteful, and in the process reap reduced energy and office costs (subscribers only):

Conservation experts typically tout the little things people can do to save energy: Replace traditional lighting with compact fluorescent bulbs; install water-conserving flush valves in bathrooms; turn computers off at night.

Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) and his staff decided to do little things such as these a few months ago, and they’ve already seen a big payoff — a 50 percent reduction in the office’s monthly energy costs.

“There’s really no noticeable change that impacts the workday for employees, and yet we are saving energy,” said Steve Wymer, an Allard spokesman. “This was amazing for us to have done that, by taking real simple steps.”
. . .
For example, staffers have changed the settings on their printers in order to print on both sides of the paper; the office is buying only 100 percent recycled paper; appliances are powered down at night with many completely turned off over the weekend; and only rechargeable batteries are used.
. . .
Allard, the ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, has made it a priority to reduce his environmental impact, Wymer noted.

Aside from his work with the AOC, Allard has encouraged his staff to use mass transit through a variety of incentives, undertaken recycling initiatives, and instituted a variety of other electricity and paper conservation projects in his office.

Allard’s drive for conservation also extends to his personal life, Wymer said.

The Senator and his wife, Joan, are preparing for his upcoming 2008 retirement by building a cabin in their home state of Colorado. But in doing so, they are looking at a number of environmentally friendly options, such as installing solar panels to help power the building.

“The Senator has been a big advocate for saying, ‘The market will dictate,’” Wymer said. “The important part is just helping people understand how easy it is, and how easily you can do these things.”

Staffers in Allard’s office will closely monitor energy consumption over the next several months to see whether the cut is maintained. If so, the Senator might send out a “Dear Colleague” letter to let others know what he did to save energy — and how they could do the same.

As Wymer said: “You can make a difference here without putting yourself in the dark.”

A good analogy--you don't start a weight-loss regimen by ceasing to eat food altogether--you simply alter your intake, include more healthy options and in fact, eat more often. The radically unpalatable plans urged by some of the more vehement global warming fearmongers includes such drastic steps, and overlooks how much difference the small steps can make.

To put it simply for the moonbats--which is better, a one hour lights-out publicity stunt in a large city, or just a 1% decrease in yearly energy consumption?

I guess for those like Al Gore, form outweighs substantive change, and conservationists like Sen. Allard are leading the way, at least in the stuffy offices inside the Beltway.

And while we are on the subject of Gore (and hypocrisy in general), why not take a few moments to review the many lies in Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, as ruled on by British courts.