Learners possess certain attributes that distinguish them from the learned. They anticipate rather than react to change. Some call that vision. They become essential facilitators of change within their altered environment. They can skillfully communicate the new and technically esoteric with a clarity that leads to understanding and advocacy. Organizations
Vehicle-to-home technology is gaining traction, with over 630,000 bidirectional electric vehicles on US roads, allowing owners to use car batteries to power homes during outages and save on energy costs. General Motors plans to make all new EVs bidirectional by this year, and a UK trial found that 78% of
Registration is now open for the DesignLights Consortium’s (DLC) two-day Summit in October. Taking place October 26 – 27, 2026 at The California Endowment in Los Angeles, “Next Gen Lighting: Controls, Integration and the Environment” will gather energy efficiency specialists, lighting and controls manufacturers and distributors, decarbonization advocates and other
The LEDucation Trade Show and Conference for 2027 has moved its dates from April 6 and 7 to April 13, 14, and 15. The event will still be held at the New York Hilton Midtown, but will expand from a two-day event to a three-day event. Light + Intelligent Building
Crusoe, the AI factory company, announced the development of a new, dedicated AI factory campus in Abilene, Texas. Supporting large scale AI workloads for Microsoft, the 900 MW site includes two new buildings and an onsite power plant to support grid resilience. The new campus is located adjacent to Crusoe’s existing Abilene
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose slightly last week, signaling a labor market that remains steady despite ongoing economic uncertainty. New data from the U.S. Department of Labor for the week ending March 21 shows initial jobless claims increased by 5,000 to 210,000. The four-week moving average was
Seven out of 10 oil-and-gas executives surveyed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas think the price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI), which flirted with $100 in the last 2 weeks, will finish 2026 below $80. But with the war with Iran “wreaking havoc” in commodity markets,
The Trump Administration is committed to winning the AI race. It is demonstrating that leadership by issuing a comprehensive national legislative framework that addresses the most pressing policy topics that AI presents. This framework addresses six key objectives: Protecting Children and Empowering Parents: Safeguarding and Strengthening American Communities: Respecting Intellectual
The SATCO|NUVO LED Beam Selectable Linear Highbays deliver powerful, configurable illumination for high-ceiling commercial and industrial environments. Each fixture features selectable beam distributions of 45°x100°, 65°x95°, or 90°x90°, providing precise control for aisle, general, or wide-area lighting layouts. All models offer 3CCT selectability (3000K/4000K/5000K), multiple wattage options across four lumen
Choose LEDVANCE and cut energy use up to 90 % while slashing SKU counts with field‑selectable wattage, CCT and optics. Every fixture is backed by rigorous testing, North‑American service teams and more than a century of lighting expertise. Certified LEDVANCE hazardous location LED luminaires are engineered to deliver uncompromised safety, durability,
Audio is enriching lives, making listening experiences more immersive. Semiconductors are making premium recording equipment and high-quality entertainment production accessible to more people. But it’s also quietly improving your life, enabling more affordable and higher-performing electronics. Audio appeals to our emotions by immersing us in sound, but it also keeps
Agentic AI showed us the capabilities of autonomous AI systems in workflows. Now, physical AI is poised to show us the capabilities of autonomous systems in the physical world, but not without help, as noted in various sessions at Nvidia GTC 2026. Physical AIis an embodied system that uses sensors to process and understand its surroundings. Consider tools like autonomous vehicles that use
These CCT and wattage selectable luminaires are tough enough for almost any wet or dusty location. Featuring a one-piece body, end-to-end wiring, and 0-10V dimming down to 10% for extra energy savings, they install in minutes. LEDVANCE Dual Selectable Extruded Vapor Tight combines modern scale design with ease of installation
Sollum Technologies announced the launch of the SF-INFINITE™️ fixture, strengthening its leadership in lighting technology for commercial greenhouses. The SF-INFINITE is the most advanced dynamic LED lighting fixture. It consolidates Sollum’s roadmap in Greenhouse lighting represents one of the most capital-intensive infrastructure decisions that growers must make. Traditional systems often restrict operations
Kenall Lighting introduces the SimpleSeal CSSETO, a troffer series for cleanrooms with walkable plenum spaces and composite modular ceilings. It features a true flat, flush top surface that supports safe, efficient top-side maintenance without disrupting processes below. Dual-side serviceability gives the CSSETO the flexibility that cleanroom spaces need; maintenance can
The plan for 2026 is to post a business case study every month for your pleasure and learning experience. I promise you that the analysis of these case studies is the best you will ever find. You will learn from decisions made by the most successful businesses we all know
1. Creative Opening – your first impression 2. Meaningful Content – sharing what you know 3. Compelling Close – your lasting impression You owe your audience a good performance and it’s directly related to your preparation. If you give a dynamic performance, you have nothing to worry about but if
How creative are you? Well, Marketing NOW demands it when you communicate with your customers. They do not have time for gibberish. One of the most creative is Guerrilla Marketing, an unconventional, low-cost communications strategy that relies on creativity, surprise, and high-impact interactions with your target customers. Connecting with your
Manufacturers know what they produce. Engineers know what they specify. Contractors know what they install. But distributors sit at the intersection of all three. The distributors see which products move through their warehouses. They hear the questions contractors ask at the counter. They learn which installations go smoothly and which
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming products, processes, and decision-making across industries, bringing enormous opportunity alongside a new category of risks around safety, bias, drift, data governance, and regulatory compliance. Rapidly evolving regulations like the EU AI Act all present challenges that traditional quality systems weren’t designed to handle. Download our
As lighting systems evolve from simple illumination devices into connected infrastructure, the industry is placing more emphasis on open, interoperable standards. While many control platforms still rely on proprietary hardware and software, open standards are becoming increasingly relevant. A significant player in standards is Zhaga-D4i (zD4i). It combines a standardized plug-in interface
NAED’s Government Relations department is keeping our members updated about current happenings in D.C. The latest Washington Wire is here, recapping permitting legislation, the White House’s new National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence, a shift in leadership at ENERGY STAR®, and what NAED and its MoU partners are doing on Capitol Hill.
The U.S. Department of Labor announced the launch of “Make America AI-Ready,” a free artificial intelligence literacy course that will help American workers learn the basics of AI simply by texting “READY” to 20202. The course is uniquely designed to deliver bite-sized learning content and daily challenges to users entirely
The Statue of Liberty was made with copper but due to oxidation, it turned green.
When the “Lady in the Harbor” first arrived in New York in 1886, she didn’t look like the mint-green icon we know today. In fact, for the first twenty years of her life, she stood as a towering, metallic beacon of reddish-gold. Designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and engineered by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the statue was a gift from France to America. To build her, Bartholdi chose copper for three practical reasons:
When she was unveiled on October 28, 1886, her skin—made of 300 copper sheets roughly the thickness of two pennies—shone with a bright, metallic brown luster. The transformation from “penny-colored” to “patina-green” wasn’t planned. Bartholdi actually expected the statue to age into a deeper, darker red. However, the unique environment of New York Harbor—a mix of salt air, moisture, and industrial pollution—triggered a process called oxidation.
The Timeline of Change:
While we now view the green color as iconic, it actually serves a vital structural purpose. The layer of verdigris (the green patina) acts as a protective shield. It seals the copper underneath, preventing the metal from further corrosion and weathering. By the time the color fully changed, a new generation of immigrants had arrived in America seeing a green statue.
