The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday kicked off a campaign to get U.S. consumers to switch to energy-efficient light bulbs as a way of reducing energy spending and greenhouse gas emissions.

Yup. Real leadership.

The agency wants every U.S. household to change at least one traditional bulb to an Energy Star bulb, collectively saving $600 million a year in energy costs and preventing enough greenhouse gas emissions to equal what is spewed from the tailpipes of 800,000 cars.

At the end of the article, a White House flunky babbles a bit more about leadership - and new building codes. The new building codes will “evolve” in the United States the same way they have for years. We’ll eventually get around to copying and adopting European building codes.

Meanwhile:

Wal-Mart Stores announced it has surpassed its goal to sell 100 million compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) by the end of 2007. Over the lifetime of the CFLs, Wal-Mart estimates that these energy-saving bulbs will have the effect of taking 700,000 cars off the road, or conserving the energy needed to power 450,000 single-family homes.

Looks like Green Power is making things green faster than anything done by Congress or the White House.