Unless you've been under a rock for the last couple of years, you've heard of CFL's. Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs, which look like a pig's tail, are the rage among those that are doing what they can to conserve energy. According to the government's ENERGY STAR program, if every American switched just one incandescent bulb to a CFL bulb, it would save $600 million in annual energy costs, save enough energy to light 3 million homes and create a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equal to the amount created by 800,000 cars. That is tremendous!
ENERGY STAR also states that while a CFL bulb uses 75% less energy than a standard incandescent bulb, it also lasts up to ten times longer. Some experts state that up to 90 coal fired power plants could be eliminated in the United States if all incandescent bulbs were replaced with CFL's.
The one downside to CFL's is the fact that they contain small amounts of mercury (4 mg - enough to cover the tip of a ballpoint pen). They don't pose any danger during use, but responsible disposal does become necessary.
To help meet this challenge, Home Depot has started a CFL recycling program. If your CFL burns out, just take it into Home Depot and they will do the rest. How simple is that? You can also visit Home Depot's ECO Options website for information on purchasing other environmentally friendly products for your home. If you accidentally break a CFL, go to this site as well to learn how to safely clean it up. There is additional information on disposal of CFL's at www.lamprecycle.org and www.earth911.com.
Many countries are now mandating the use of CFL's. Our country is the largest single user of energy in the world. Consequently, our government should pursue a CFL-mandate policy soon. If the government made use of CFL's mandatory, we could be on track to energy savings in no time.
If you'd like to support the use of CFL's, fire off an email to your Congress person or to President-elect Obama. Go to MORELINX for access to sites where you can make this happen.
Happy Energy Saving!!
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