EcoWorldly

At night, South Korea is literally aglow. When the sun goes down you’ll find a vibrant night life of kareoke (”norebang”), street markets, and sujo bars. Still, per person, Koreans use only a little over half the energy used in the United States. How do they manage to light up the night–every night–and still save energy?

Part of the answer might be South Korea’s high usage of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).

It took me almost two months of living in Korea before I saw my first incandescent (”old fashioned”) light bulb. All of the others were energy efficient CFLs, like the one pictured here at this outdoor market.

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CFL’s are so common here, in fact, that only in one store have I ever actually seen old-fashioned bulbs for sale, and that was in a dollar-store of sorts. Even the occasional fly-by-night vendors of knock-off clothes set up shop at night using CFL’s, albeit powered with a back-up generator.

Part of the reason for the prevalence of energy efficient lighting in Korea could be the introduction of energy-saving technology to the country after a financial crises in 1997-1998 led to a doubling of energy prices.

Now, all this is not to say that Korea is completely CFL-integrated. You can still see the old-fashioned, energy intensive light bulbs from place to place. However, by and large, there are no two ways about it: at night, fluorescent lights and CFL’s are really turning Korea on.

References and Resources:

Republic of Korea | Energy and Environment Data Reference Bank (EEDRB)

South Korea: Environmental Issues | Energy Information Administration

Take the pledge to switch from “old fashioned” to CFL.

Purchase CFLs for your home or workplace online, visit Greenhome.

Find a place to recycle your used CFLs in the USA at Earth911. In the menu bars, type CFL and your zip code.

To read more on energy issues, visit GO Energy and Mariaenergia.

To read more on the issue of mercury in CFLs, visit Mercury Falling with the Rise of CFL Bulbs.

Photo Source:

Namdaemun market | Flickr

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