Panama's Bombillo Project
(costaricapages.com) Many environmental practices common in North America and Europe and not often found in Panama. In Panama you won’t find blue boxes for recycling, people burn garbage including Styrofoam, and conserving electricity is not very common, especially with big businesses.
The government of Panama has recently begun a new program that will not only reduce energy consumption, but also reduce the electricity bills for residents. The initiative is called Operacion Bombillo. Government employees will go door-to-door in Panama and replace 6-million incandescent light bulbs with compact florescent bulbs.
Each household in the Republic will be given up to 10 florescent bulbs in exchange for their less energy efficient and more costly incandescent bulbs. 3-million of the bulbs will be given to residents in Panama City, in the first phase of the project, which has just begun. The remainder will be handed out in the interior provinces in the first part of next year.
Panama has purchased these light bulbs from a Cuban company. Using florescent bulbs as opposed to incandescent is said to reduce energy consumption by 80%. They also last about 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
This project will not only leave a little extra money in the wallets of Panamanians, but it will also alleviate some of the strain on Panama’s energy supply. It’s great to see the government of Panama taking steps to reduce the environmental footprint the country makes, as well as helping out residents who can certainly use some help in these financially difficult times.
