David,
Excellent reminders. My husband & I tend to have an issue with forgetting to turn off those unneeded lights! I find myself following behind him as he goes from room to room & vice versa. We've done quite well otherwise. Lighting is an easy & fairly inexpensive way to get started going green. The expense to switch over is recovered quickly.

Smiles..Kathy

Hey David,
Great advice!!! We changed over to CFL's about a year ago. I think there are two incandescents left in the whole house -- outdoor spots that are on a motion sensor (helps keep the deer and bears away)...
Saves on electricity too, until we have enough funds to put in photo voltaic panels and other alternative solutions.
cheers
goose

I AM glad there's a Green wave 'a-comin, at last.
But we have to look at the whole picture with each decision we make. I realize that CFs are more sustainable but they are ALSO radioactive and contain mercury! (Oh, how unpopular to say what is true). Mercury exposure is risky business, especially for famlilies with children. We should examine these issues and see what we are willing to risk, or not.. it starts with educating ourselves and taking a step back to make calculated, thoughful choices. It's a shame that we even have to choose between contributing to global warming OR using mercury-laden, radioactive bulbs in our homes but this is the reality we are all facing right now. Namaste.

I am a big fan of going green. I have one problem though with getting the right "green" lightbulb that will work on a timer for my outside lights. Any suggestions?
Thank you

Hi all,

I'll try to quickly answer both goose's and Forest's questions.

Regarding goose's CFL question, yes, CFL's do contain some mercury. The good news is that (1) it's harmless so long as the bulb is intact and (2) the amount of mercury is very small (and diminishing with newer versions of the bulbs) and is more than offset by the diminished amount of mercury put into the air by the reduced need for coal powered electricity generation. To explain that a bit, one of the primary sources of mercury in the environment is a byproduct of burning coal, and 50% of the electricity in the US is coal generated. Since CFL's use less electricity, we end up with less mercury in the air from power generation, and the diminished amount is more than the mercury in the CFL.

The mercury in CFL's, as with any mercury, is problematic if the bulb is broken or not disposed of properly. If one breaks in your home, the EPA says to clean it up carefully, avoiding touching it, and NOT using a vacuum (since that can put it into the air through the vacuum's exhaust). See http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm.

Recycling CFL's is becoming easier and more stores are starting recycling programs. One place to check is www.earth911.org, or your local government.

I'm not clear about Forest's question. I think any standard socket CFL should be able to work on a timer. Can you describe the problem you're having?

David Bergman
Columnist, Going Green Blog

Would love to go green but my partner is very sensitive to fluorescent lighting. what can i do???

Hmmm, how is your partner sensitive to fluorescents? Is it certain types of fluorescent bulbs? Have you tested it with the newer electronic ballasted fluorescents?

The ballast is a piece of hardware, sort of similar to a transformer for a low voltage fixture. Sometimes it's built into the bottom of the bulb (that's the solid white part at the base of screw-in CFL's) and sometimes they are in a separate area of the light fixture.

Older fluorescent lights had magnetic ballasts, which caused the bulbs to cycle or flicker at a much more noticeable rate. (They're also what made them buzz annoyingly and start with a flicker.) The newer electronic ballasts are virtually noiseless and cycle so fast that most people can't notice it. Plus they're more energy efficient.

If you're feeling a bit devious, you could try a secret test by putting a CFL in a fixture that has a lampshade so that your partner isn't aware that the bulb has been changed -- and then see if he or she notices. I'm suggesting that because a lot of people "think" they are sensitive to fluorescent (though your partner may truly be sensitive) because of earlier bad experiences.

If your partner is indeed sensitive to newer high quality CFL's (and I'd be curious to know about that) then your options are probably using dimmers with incandescent bulbs (see the post that started this thread), or using halogen bulbs (which are a bit more energy efficient than regular incandescent), or trying LED's. Those, though, are still pretty expensive. I'd give them a couple more years before buying a lot of them.

Hope that helps,

David Bergman
Columnist, Going Green blog

Like many people I am interested in lowering my energy usage. However, are you aware that the low energy fluorescent lamps contain mercury? These bulbs should not be placed in your regular trash when they burn out. They should go into your local household hazardous waste program.

Bill is correct about the mercury in CFL's. For additional info, please check out my Oct 30 post above.

David Bergman
Going Green Blog

And a timely additional note: right after posting a reply to Bill's comment about CFL's, I read that Ikea has just started CFL recycling. They'll accept any CFL that you bring in.

The excuses not use CFL's are becoming fewer!

David Bergman
columnist, Going Green Blog

I saw at Home Depot dimmable CFLs, but they are tiny (like chandelier bulbs). Any hope of big, dimmable CFLs?

Yes, in fact you don't need to hope because they exist. Philips has been making a dimmable version of their Marathon CFL for years (http://www.nam.lighting.philips.com/us/ecatalog/cfl/pdf/p-7016.pdf)and some other companies make them as well. You can see an assortment of choices at EFI: http://www.energyfederation.org/consumer/default.php/cPath/2050_25_44_169

David Bergman
Columnist, Going Green Blog