To boost US security, an energy diet

"Conservation may be a sign of personal virtue, but it is not a sufficient basis for a sound, comprehensive energy policy," said Vice President Dick Cheney in dismissing the idea two years ago.

But at Penn State University, energy efficiency is the order of the day. It means using high technology to live a typically technology-intensive student lifestyle without sacrificing cellphones, PDAs, CD and DVD players, computers, and printers that students have come to expect.

In 1995, for instance, the campus was one of the first to replace the two tiny light bulbs in each of 2,800 "Exit" signs on campus with light-emitting diodes. Besides saving $70,000 a year on electricity, the school no longer has to pay a janitor to replace each of those light bulbs twice a year.

The school supplies energy data on all aspects of its power plant to professors, who in turn frequently assign students to examine energy issues on campus, including energy surveys of dormitories. One result is that the many papers on the subject are funneled to the engineers, who sometimes implement their cost-saving ideas.

Last month, the school replaced all its old washers and dryers with 357 new, more efficient machines that save $110,000 in electricity costs - and 11 million gallons of water, says Paul Ruskin, a spokesman for the Office of Physical Plant at Penn State University's main campus in University Park. The school is also retrofitting classrooms with sensors that detect the carbon dioxide students breathe out - which in turn adjusts ventilation systems to the needed level. "We've seen a definite increase in interest among students in saving energy," he says.

To Lovins, the key is weaning a nation from its dependence on oil imports with a new generation of ultralight automobiles made from ultrastrong carbon fiber. Powered by hybrid and eventually fuel-cell technology, such vehicles would vault the US ahead of other nations technologically and help it "win the oil endgame," he says.

"Some day our cars will be made of carbon fiber materials that weigh half as much and are twice as strong," Lovins adds. "We'll fly on airplanes that have better engines, but are lighter and more aero-dynamic. Cars and planes will still look the same, but the greater efficiency and lower fuel costs will pay for themselves."

This would be great news to Rosenberg - but she's not willing to wait for carbon fiber cars - she and her friends want more hybrid choice today.

In the meantime, her group is calling for a "mom-cott" of monster SUVs.

"We want a hybrid in every driveway next year," she says. "We want to accelerate the pace of this transition technology, here, today. We don't want to have to wait decades."

One way to measure a nation's efficiency is its energy "intensity" - how much fuel it takes to produce $1 of goods and services. Nations have generally improved their efficiency from 1980 to 2002, but progress varies:

• The US saw dramatic progress, reducing its energy intensity 35 percent.

• China experienced the largest drop among large nations - down 66 percent - mostly because of its mushrooming economic growth.

• Saudi Arabia has gone the other direction, with energy intensity rising 130 percent.

Source: Energy Information Administration

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