#CleanLightingProtects Enlightens Global Audience
Over the past seven weeks, the Clean Lighting Coalition and partners have worked to demonstrate the intersections between safe, mercury-free lighting and seven Sustainable Development Goals through the #CleanLightingProtects campaign.
The campaign focused on three key themes: health, climate change, and economic & policy development; and had over 11,000 impressions across social media platforms. Each week, we explored one of the themes through targeted resources, virtual events, and toolkits.
The campaign aligned with global events, including the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), Children’s Environmental Health Day, and the virtual session of the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP 4.1). At COP26, governments pledged to accelerate climate action to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and accelerating the transition to clean lighting is a low-hanging fruit in the race to mitigate massive carbon emissions. While at COP 4.1, parties to the Convention reinforced their commitment to stop mercury pollution by limiting the manufacture, sale, and export of mercury-containing products. At the Minamata Convention COP4.2 in March 2022, the 135 parties will have the opportunity to vote on a proposed amendment to phase out virtually all fluorescent lighting products by 2025. Learn more.
Mercury in Fluorescent Lighting: Unnecessary Health Risks & Actionable Solutions
On Children’s Environmental Health Day, we published Mercury in Fluorescent Lighting: Unnecessary Health Risks & Actionable Solutions, a report detailing the health and environmental risks posed when fluorescent lamps break. The report, co-authored by the Mercury Policy Project, Responsible Purchasing Network, and Peter Maxson, a UNEP expert on mercury, and co-released with six partners, highlights steps that local, state, and the federal government can take to transition to mercury-free, energy-efficient LEDs in the United States.
Together with our partners, we hosted a webinar about the report outlining the health risks of fluorescent lighting, the advantages of transitioning to LED alternatives, and actions governments and others can take to phase out mercury-added lamps in the US. The webinar featured the Mercury Policy Project, Responsible Purchasing Network, Children’s Environmental Health Network, NEWMOA, Vermont Public Interest Research Group, and more.
#CleanLightingProtects Strengthens Partnerships to End Toxic Lighting
Over 30 organizations, LED manufacturing companies, and individuals participated in #CleanLightingProtects, disseminating messaging across Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Some of our #CleanLightingProtects partners include Toxics Link in India; Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev Nigeria); Centre for Environmental Justice and Development (CEJAD) in Kenya; DiaLight and Lumileds in the US; IPEN members in Africa; the Caribbean Community CARICOM Energy; Energy Efficiency in Industrial Processes (EEIP) in Belgium; World Resources Institute, United for Efficiency and Red de Desarrollo Sostenible in Colombia, among others.
To learn more about how #CleanLightingProtects people and the planet, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You can find materials from the campaign at the bottom of this page to share with your networks.