In 2010, The Morton Arboretum deployed an industry-leading sustainable lighting system, generously donated by Molex Incorporated. Transcend RM2 lights operate more efficiently and consume less electricity than conventional incandescent or fluorescent lighting. LED lights have a long life span and are not manufactured with mercury or other toxic substances that are environmental and health hazards if not disposed of correctly. The lighting installation is one component of the Arboretum’s leadership in identifying green practices, techniques and products.

Assuming 50 halogen lamps are replaced with Transcend modules, the annual energy cost would be reduced by a whopping 91 percent while the annual cost of operation, such as labor and materials, would decline 86 percent, and mercury usage would fall 90 percent, according to figures from Lumenique, LLC, of Germantown, Wisconsin, a consultant on the Arboretum lighting project.

Molex, a longtime Arboretum supporter, “is committed to energy efficiency and sustainable technology, all of which dovetails with the Arboretum’s 88-year history of greening,” says Mike Picini, Molex vice president of Solid State Lighting.

At the Arboretum, Kris Bachtell, Vice President of Collections and Facilities says, “As a world leader in conserving trees, we continue to look for new ways to further our commitment to conservation and sustainability. We are pleased that Molex is partnering with us in these important efforts.”

Reporters and the public are invited to see and learn more about the next generation of solid state lights, which do not have moving parts, glass that could break, plasma, gas, or electrical filaments. Existing lighting systems may require special parts, expensive tooling, and assembly processes. But the ultra-efficient Transcend RM2 is as easy to incorporate into a lighting system as screwing in a conventional light bulb. And unlike existing LED systems, the Transcend modules are fully recyclable.

In the Arboretum’s Ginkgo Room Restaurant, crews replaced 30 existing light track fittings and transformers with simple, multi-socket lamp holders fitted with the Transcend spot modules. These small, interchangeable modules address some of the barriers to widespread adoption of LED technology, providing precise heat and current management and the necessary optical design for superior illumination. The modules’ unique format allows lighting fixture manufacturers to convert their current designs for LEDs and be ready for future LED technology advances.

Transcend modules dissipate heat efficiently and “produce a nice quality of light,” Bachtell says.

SHARE ON...

digg

facebook

reddit

del.icio.us