Uh-oh
Electric co-ops rely heavily on the government�s ENERGY STAR program for recommendations on how co-op members can save energy and money. So Kentucky Living paid attention to reports of problems with ENERGY STAR products.
We asked the organization that represents us in Washington, D.C., to look into the criticisms and send a report we could pass along to you.
We printed that report in this issue. The short version of what it says is that ENERGY STAR has become a well-known and useful program. However, it does not test the products it brands with the ENERGY STAR label. That missing step leaves the program open to fraud and abuse, says a government watchdog agency that conducted a nine-month investigation of ENERGY STAR.
The Environmental Protection Agency, which created ENERGY STAR, responded properly. The EPA said it took the criticism seriously, and would make improvements to fix the problems.
ENERGY STAR can be a valuable guide to help all of us be as efficient as possible in using energy. Kentucky Living will print further developments in this story, so you can continue to trust ENERGY STAR products.
The Whistle Stop on track
Kentucky Living had its own fiasco you can read about in this issue. In the April issue we printed some bad information about The Whistle Stop restaurant in Glendale. Not only is the eatery open, it received the most votes for non-franchise restaurant as part of the Kentucky Living Best in Kentucky recognitions. The Lighthouse in Sulphur Well received the next most votes.
There�s no worse feeling related to a publication than to know you�ve said something untrue to a wide audience, and there�s no way to take it back. It hurts those involved in the story. It hurts the credibility of the magazine.
To address those two issues, we�ve given The Whistle Stop far more attention in the magazine than we gave to the original mistake, so that as many people as possible will know it�s open for business.
And we�re changing many of our workflow and fact-checking procedures to make as sure as we possibly can that what you read in Kentucky Living is correct.
