Cheap-chicken ad from KFC hides true cost of food; here’s a tastier, low-cost alternative. Read more…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfPAjUvvnIc

www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1G1Kve3s20

Award-winning documentary investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century -- The World Water Crisis.

What does that mean in terms of actual cash savings.  An average of $190 in saving per year and more than a $1000 over the lifetime of the bulbs.  Earlier this year I went to our local home improvement store and bought two “family pack” sized sets of 24 60-watt equivalent CFL’s, and replaced all the lights in our home.  41 lights total, which will be about $260 in savings for us every year.  To calculate your savings click here.

How do CFL’s impact the environment?

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, if every U.S. household replaced just one regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb, it would prevent 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, the equivalent of taking 7.5 million cars off the road.

The impacts of reducing energy consumption are massive.  But not only in terms of raw C02 outputs but also everything from the environmental degradation caused by mining coal to filling up landfills with incandescent light bulbs (roughly 6 football fields piled 50 feet high each year).

Many people complain that CFL’s just don’t provide the same quality of light as incandescent bulbs.  Here are a few tips I learned:

1. Not all CFL’s are the same: There are different bulbs for different uses.  To select the best fit for your needs, click here.
2. Pick a higher rated CFL than advertised: For main house lighting I chose slightly larger bulbs – typically 100-watt equivalent.  Then for less prominent lighting (bathrooms, halls, lamps, etc) I used standard 60-watt equivalent.
3. Keep a few incandescent lights: One or two lamps installed with warm or daylight incandescent bulbs can change the mood of the room.  They don’t need to be on all the time, but when the occasion calls they balance out CFL’s with out compromising environmental or cost savings.

Opponents of CFL’s typically cite the CFL’s one Achilles heal – mercury.  While the arguments have been long and heated the realities are that CFL’s contain less than 4 milligrams of mercury, of which only 11% remains when the light bulb expires.  On the other hand, electricity from coal plants is one of the primary contributors to mercury pollution.  By reducing energy consumption through the use of CFL’s, the net effect can actually reduc mercury pollution by a significant portion.

For more information on CFL’s as well as stat’s visit these sites:

One Billion Bulbs:  A site dedicated to promoting CFL’s.  Some cool stats on impacts to date.

Energy Star: More info

NPR:  A different opinion on the subject

CFL Trends Globally:  How governments and nations around the world are responding

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz3tPxUFGbY

I rather informative, spiffy, and entertaining video of where stuff comes from and where it goes.

I will be adding to my growing list of topics, issues in environmental conservation, sustainable living, anthropogenic impacts on the planet, and so on.  Tara and I have been back in the States for a little over a year now and have been slowly adapting lifestyle changes that value the planet and promote sustainable living.  I’ll be including that ongoing saga here; while not always easy or in concert with our disposable-instant-gratification culture, I’m hoping that our green’ness updates will inspire you with practical ways to do the same.