A brighter, greener world

All of us are, of course, aiming for a greener world. Who wouldn’t want a place where pollutants are set to a negligible level, plant and animal life can live and thrive, and we use and consume products without guilt because we are assured that they are on the good side of the environment? Incremental changes no doubt help such as segregating our garbage, mindfully turning on and off our appliances, and recycling plastic bags and other stuff.

But these efforts, consequential they may be, should be buoyed by a more determined action from large companies. After all, they are the ones that gobble up huge amounts of energy and resources and are almost always potential polluters. With the millions of dollars in profit they generate, they are capable of doing monumental changes with regard to alleviating environmental burdens.

Sadly, this is not always the case. Profit comes first before conscience; the bottom line should be addressed first, as though it were possible to take care of man’s needs alone without paying attention to his environment. That’s why it is always good news when a company shows a real and heart-felt initiative to do something about the status quo and begins exploring alternatives that are ecologically aware.

One of these companies is Sharp, a byword in home appliances. Looking for an alternative source of power has been in its corporate fabric since the ‘70s when Tokuji Hayakama was looking for ways for his appliances not only to save power but also to create it. Mr. Hayakama looked skyward and thought the sun was the answer. Nearly half a century later, Sharp has so far provided 25 percent of solar panels in the world. Its production plant in Sakai City in Osaka, Japan has recently done the unprecedented: in 2007, it produced a total of two gigawatts of solar power.

On a much more intimate scale, back to our homes, Sharp is making strides in LED (light-emitting diode) lighting technology, touted as the next generation lighting source. An LED bulb can beat an ordinary one by a long haul: it has 40,000 hours lifespan (the equivalent of 40 bulbs) and consumes a mere 7.6 watts, compared to the typical 60.

“LED lighting is an exciting new category for us, especially when we consider the fact that the Philippines has the highest electricity cost per kilowatt hour among the Southeast Asian countries,” says Juntaro Shimamoto, Sharp Philippines Corp. (SPC) president and general manager. “Electricity costs 30 percent more in the Philippines compared to the average of our Asian neighbors.”

Energy consumption used in lighting can be cut down to as much as 80 percent if LED is used. “With Sharp’s extensive background in LED technology, we have come up with a wide range of LED lighting for different uses and conditions, from residential, commercial and industrial to outdoor uses,” Mr. Shimamoto adds. “Our plan in the next two years will be to have LED lighting account for five percent of total SPC sales.”

So far, Sharp has manufactured over 2.5 million LED lamps in Japan alone and plans to roll out the technology to cities around the world. The Sakai factory has installed a total of 100,000 energy-efficient lighting fixtures, slashing about 17,750 tons of carbon dioxide released to the atmosphere every year. Now, that’s a start. –CARLOMAR A. DAOANA, Manila Bulletin