Commander’s Action Line: Turn out the lights Published Sept. 24, 2009 72nd Air Base Wing TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Q: I was wondering if we could start a campaign for people to turn off lights in rooms that they are no longer using -- simply put little signs on the wall above the light switch? As an adult I now understand my father always saying "turn those lights off, if you had to pay the electric bill..." I just think we could save a lot of money as well as natural resources if everyone cooperated A: Thank you for your interest and thank you for being the one that turns off the lights. The Air Force and Tinker are putting great emphasis on reducing our energy usage and efforts like yours help us meet our goals. Putting small signs at light switches is an effort that has been used before. While it may help at first, the signs quickly become "part of the scenery" so the benefit is only temporary. Making energy conservation a part of what we do every day is something that we are stressing in our upcoming October Energy Awareness Month activities. You have already taken energy conservation to heart and are ahead of the game. We applaud you for it.The Air Force actively cultivates good environmental stewardship through multiple policies and programs. We'd like to recommend that you formally submit your campaign concept to the IDEA Program via the IDEA Program link on the Tinker Web page. This will allow your idea to be properly vetted and considered for implementation, not only at Tinker, but Air Force-wide. Tinker's IDEA Program Manager, Donna Davis, 739-2004, is standing by to assist you.