ABSTRACT

Some of the most important things in life are taken for granted, and nowhere is this truer than with light. Since man first beheld the rising sun in the east, the natural illumination of our world has been the most predictable aspect of the human experience and thus the most apt to be taken for granted. However, in some regards, human evolution can be measured against how we have used technology to transform light from the most passive element of our environment into something active, reactive and even interactive. In the process, light has become more than illumination. In this chapter, we will look at some important milestones marking light's path from human evolution to sustainable revolution, the role Philips Lighting has come to play in this transformation, challenges facing the modern lighting industry as well as the world we live in, and what the future promises. In a sense, a new revolution is at hand.