for more info on CFLs:
http://www.environmentaldefense.org/page.cfm?tagID=632
ALSO,
I found a great article in monday's wall street journal concerning energy efficiency and saving money while saving ourselves.
"a consumer's guide to going green" highlights many ways to cut energy costs in your life as well as gives a bunch of interesting (and correct) information. i highly recommend reading this one.
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119463269049588171.html
for example, "in california, [sic] utility rebates and volume discounts have driven down the cost of a four-pack of 25-watt compact fluorescents to about $2... prices have gotten so low that some CFLs pay for themselves in energy savings the first month." hear that california?
among many other points, the article also mentions the need for americans to simply cut back on waste and offers suggestions on how to do it. i was thrilled to see this mentioned. and come on, how easily can we adjust to this idea? just don't use as much crap! reuse bags at the grocery store, use refillable water bottles, try out cloth napkins at home. actually, this seems like another great opportunity for feedback - if you've got ideas on how to cut back consumption, ways you reduce your waste, let the group know!
"the EPA says solid waste, per person, has nearly doubled to 4.4 pounds a day from 2.7 pounds in the last 35 years - filling up landfill sites and wasting materials that could be reused to save natural resources and energy."
4.4 lbs/person/day!?! i'm gonna be watching my habits closely and i urge everyone to do the same. hey here's another idea, when you're all out buying a CFL this week, don't take that plastic bag the clerk will try to give you to carry the bulb from the register back to your car. little things, they'll all add up.
6 comments:
here is what the the GOV says about CFL's:
http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf
i think the section at the ends makes people hesitant
about buying CFL's.
Mike Pomponi
i wasn't aware of the disposal information, but i had heard of the mercury issue.
take precautions to not expose yourself directly to mercury - careful when you're installing those bulbs everyone!
interesting that this would come up, since the mercury emissions from coal plants (among other sources like chemical spills and such) have been contaminating arctic waters and becoming integrated into arctic food chains for years now. as a result, many arctic natives are suffering from mercury poisoning because their food sources (predominantly marine life) are so heavily contaminated with mercury. another environmental injustice in the arctic? i think so!
consider this quote from that same website:
Coal-fired power plants are the largest man-made source because mercury that naturally exists in coal is released into the air when coal is burned to make electricity. Coal-fired power generation accounts for roughly 40 percent of the mercury emissions in the U.S.
EPA is implementing policies to reduce airborne mercury emissions. Under regulations EPA issued in 2005, mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants will drop by nearly 70 percent by 2018.
The use of CFLs reduces power demand, which helps reduce mercury emissions from power plants.
Although you don’t want to purposefully break a CFL in your home, the dangers are not as bad as the media has hyped it to be...and the reduction of mercury from the use of CFL’s will greatly lower the amount of mercury in our environment, even if a certain percent of the bulbs do break. Here is what you should do if one does break:
"Most mercury in CFLs is in solid and vapor form," says Mark Kohorst, senior manager of environment, health and safety at the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). To avoid inhaling mercury vapors, the EPA advises opening a window as soon as the bulb breaks and leaving the room for at least 15 minutes before starting to clean. Once you start:
• Never allow children or pregnant women near the spill area.
• Always wear rubber gloves; you should never touch mercury with your bare hands.
• Remove all metal jewelry, which might attract mercury magnetically.
• If the bulb breaks on hard flooring, use a piece of stiff paper to scoop up the broken glass and powder. Avoid using a broom that could stir up dust.
• Damp mop hard surfaces to pick up any remaining dust.
• If the bulb breaks on carpeting, use sticky tape to pick up the powder, dust and smaller pieces of glass. Vacuuming could disturb the dust and pose an inhalation risk.
• Afterwards, shine a flashlight to double check the area for missed spots.
• Seal all the rags, paper and tape, as well as the light bulb remains, in a plastic bag. Double bag it, and dispose at a household hazardous waste site. See www.earth911.org for one in your neighborhood.
• Wash your hands well and leave the room.
• Leave the window open and turn on a fan to air out the room for at least 24 to 48 hours.
• If you've touched mercury or are concerned about your exposure, call the Poison Control Center at 800-222-1222.
Because they contain so little mercury, broken bulbs usually don't need to be cleaned up professionally. The Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health recommends seeking professional help when mercury spills are larger than two tablespoons, which is a much higher amount than that contained within CFLs.
Source: by Sarah Lipman
For The Green Guide:
Ferris
For those of you who are worried about the mercury content of CFL's, I broke one the other day and haven't died yet.
Beside CFL's the majority of household cleaning products are toxic to some degree. Toxicity of CFL's barely weighs in when considering what we are exposed to on a daily basis.
James, here's an interesting fact as well. Not only has the amount of waste produced per person increased significantly but 80% of waste in a typical landfill is paper product. There has been a small movement to incinerate this burnable waste and use the heat to heat buildings or produce electricity through heat engines.
*Energy Saving Tip*(It will make your wallet feel good too) Weatherize your windows this winter. Most hardware stores sell a cellphane type product that you tape to the inside of your windows and shrink to fit with the heat of a hairdryer. It creates a air buffer to insulate your home from cold leaky glass windows.
-AB
I just read pretty much the same thing on a Florida Dept of Environmental Protection site from a paper called Remediation of Indoor Airborne Mercury Released from broken flourescent bulbs. Dont use a vacuum cleaner to clean it up, for sure. Open a window immediately and leave the room. Wait a while before you clean it up. You can use duct tape to help pick up pieces.
These bulbs are very fragile. You want to be careful transporting them home and screwing them in and out. Maybe consider not using them in rooms or spaces like closets where there is no window right there. The mercury vapor will start to fill the room within a minute according to this website, so you want to open a window to start to let it out right away. Like a hallway, I dont think I would use one there.
Cathie
Jimmy,
I already have three in my house and has the lights burn out I am replacing them with the energy efficient bulbs CFL.
Mrs. Lopez
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