Comments on: 60,000 CFLs and Counting http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/23/60000-cfls-and-counting/ News & commentary on sustainability, activism, urban planning, politics, and our world. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:32:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Cady Lister http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/23/60000-cfls-and-counting/comment-page-1/#comment-2855 Cady Lister Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:24:28 +0000 http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/23/60000-cfls-and-counting/#comment-2855 Are there grants available to local governments to provide CFLs to local residents? install in gov't buildings? if so, what are they? Are there grants available to local governments to provide CFLs to local residents? install in gov’t buildings? if so, what are they?

]]> By: You’re Either with Us, or You’re with the CFLs : Red, Green, and Blue http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/23/60000-cfls-and-counting/comment-page-1/#comment-520 You’re Either with Us, or You’re with the CFLs : Red, Green, and Blue Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:09:39 +0000 http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/23/60000-cfls-and-counting/#comment-520 [...] Ecolocalizer: 60,000 CFLs and Counting [...] [...] Ecolocalizer: 60,000 CFLs and Counting [...]

]]> By: Kristina Richardson http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/23/60000-cfls-and-counting/comment-page-1/#comment-308 Kristina Richardson Tue, 27 May 2008 14:14:20 +0000 http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/23/60000-cfls-and-counting/#comment-308 Most CFLs today on the market contain less than 5mgs of mercury and there are CFL options out there that contain as little as 1.5mgs of mercury- which can hardly be called a “significant amounts of mercury” considering that many item in your home contain 100s of times more of mercury including your computer. Mercury levels in CFLs can never be “nonexistent” since mercury is a necessary component of a CFL and there is no other known element that is capable of replacing it. But CFLs actually prevent more mercury from entering the environment. According to the Union of Concerned Scientist, “a coal-fired power plant will emit about four times more mercury to keep an incandescent bulb glowing, compared with a CFL of the same light output”. Most CFLs today on the market contain less than 5mgs of mercury and there are CFL options out there that contain as little as 1.5mgs of mercury- which can hardly be called a “significant amounts of mercury” considering that many item in your home contain 100s of times more of mercury including your computer. Mercury levels in CFLs can never be “nonexistent” since mercury is a necessary component of a CFL and there is no other known element that is capable of replacing it. But CFLs actually prevent more mercury from entering the environment. According to the Union of Concerned Scientist, “a coal-fired power plant will emit about four times more mercury to keep an incandescent bulb glowing, compared with a CFL of the same light output”.

]]> By: Honey, I Shrunk the CFLs: Crazy-Small New Bulb from SYLVANIA : CleanTechnica http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/23/60000-cfls-and-counting/comment-page-1/#comment-304 Honey, I Shrunk the CFLs: Crazy-Small New Bulb from SYLVANIA : CleanTechnica Fri, 23 May 2008 22:27:25 +0000 http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/23/60000-cfls-and-counting/#comment-304 [...] “60,000 CFLs and Counting“ [...] [...] “60,000 CFLs and Counting“ [...]

]]> By: Shirley Siluk Gregory http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/23/60000-cfls-and-counting/comment-page-1/#comment-169 Shirley Siluk Gregory Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:58:11 +0000 http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/23/60000-cfls-and-counting/#comment-169 Hi Debbie: I'm not sure of CFL recycling efforts in South Africa, but I would check with your local municipality to see whether there's a program in your area. You can also ask the store where you bought the CFLs if there are any recycling programs available. A useful resource for those in the U.S. and Canada is <a href="http://www.lamprecycle.org/" rel="nofollow">LampRecycle.org.</a> It has lots of information and resources about CFLs and safe disposal/recycling. Hi Debbie: I’m not sure of CFL recycling efforts in South Africa, but I would check with your local municipality to see whether there’s a program in your area. You can also ask the store where you bought the CFLs if there are any recycling programs available.

A useful resource for those in the U.S. and Canada is LampRecycle.org. It has lots of information and resources about CFLs and safe disposal/recycling.

]]> By: Debbie http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/23/60000-cfls-and-counting/comment-page-1/#comment-167 Debbie Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:18:34 +0000 http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/23/60000-cfls-and-counting/#comment-167 Hi there! I live in South Africa and am a "green home" profiler. I have CFLs installed all over my home and recommend them to my clients. One huge problem! They apparently contain mercury and to date I have not found out if we have any way to dispose of these in this country once they need to be replaced. Any suggestions? Debbie Scrimgeour Hi there!

I live in South Africa and am a “green home” profiler. I have CFLs installed all over my home and recommend them to my clients. One huge problem! They apparently contain mercury and to date I have not found out if we have any way to dispose of these in this country once they need to be replaced. Any suggestions?

Debbie Scrimgeour

]]> By: Shirley Siluk Gregory http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/23/60000-cfls-and-counting/comment-page-1/#comment-163 Shirley Siluk Gregory Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:41:44 +0000 http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/23/60000-cfls-and-counting/#comment-163 Thanks for the interesting perspective from a real "light bulb person," Rudy. As I said above, I do understand the concerns about the mercury in CFLs -- maybe there's a better way we can find to dispose of them? You raise an interesting point that has bothered me as well, Matthew: I've long suspected many so-called "green" products actually have larger carbon/environmental footprints than we believe, especially when you factor in waste (the old product the green one replaces) and tranportation (as you say, many of these products come from China). (Freakonomics writer Daniel Hamermesh offers an interesting perspective on this in a commentary today on <a href="http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/24/the-consequences-of-being-green/" rel="nofollow">"The Consequences of Being Green."</a>) I've actually been trying to find out what the full carbon/environmental price of a CFL from China is compared to the energy-efficiency benefits it provides, but haven't yet seen any quantitative data on the subject. Has anybody else? Thanks for the interesting perspective from a real “light bulb person,” Rudy. As I said above, I do understand the concerns about the mercury in CFLs — maybe there’s a better way we can find to dispose of them?

You raise an interesting point that has bothered me as well, Matthew: I’ve long suspected many so-called “green” products actually have larger carbon/environmental footprints than we believe, especially when you factor in waste (the old product the green one replaces) and tranportation (as you say, many of these products come from China). (Freakonomics writer Daniel Hamermesh offers an interesting perspective on this in a commentary today on “The Consequences of Being Green.”)

I’ve actually been trying to find out what the full carbon/environmental price of a CFL from China is compared to the energy-efficiency benefits it provides, but haven’t yet seen any quantitative data on the subject. Has anybody else?

]]> By: Matthew Bergin http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/23/60000-cfls-and-counting/comment-page-1/#comment-162 Matthew Bergin Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:06:27 +0000 http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/23/60000-cfls-and-counting/#comment-162 One of the characteristics of a fluorescent bulb is that it doesn't like to be switched on and off repeatedly. Doing so will severely shorten it's life expectancy. In an office or factory where the lights stay on for long periods they work very well, but most household applications are short cycle so I wouldn't expect to get very long life from any CFL used in a home environment. These bulbs also consume much more energy to manufacture than the incandescent bulb which will tend to offset any energy savings. The reason they are selling so cheaply is that most of them are being manufactured in China where the hazardous byproducts of their construction are being dumped untreated into the environment. One of the characteristics of a fluorescent bulb is that it doesn’t like to be switched on and off repeatedly. Doing so will severely shorten it’s life expectancy. In an office or factory where the lights stay on for long periods they work very well, but most household applications are short cycle so I wouldn’t expect to get very long life from any CFL used in a home environment. These bulbs also consume much more energy to manufacture than the incandescent bulb which will tend to offset any energy savings. The reason they are selling so cheaply is that most of them are being manufactured in China where the hazardous byproducts of their construction are being dumped untreated into the environment.

]]> By: Rudy http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/23/60000-cfls-and-counting/comment-page-1/#comment-161 Rudy Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:48:22 +0000 http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/23/60000-cfls-and-counting/#comment-161 As someone who sells <a href="http://bulbster.com/lightbulbs/index.php" rel="nofollow">light bulbs</a> for a living, I am less enthusiastic than most about compact fluorescent bulbs. This is due to the fact that the ones currently available contain significant amounts of mercury. If one of these bulbs should break inside of a person’s home, it could cause a challenging disposal situation. It is my belief that the technology should progress to a point at which the mercury levels are low or nonexistent before people changeover their entire homes. Another consideration is that as these bulbs burn out, they will most likely be thrown away as though they are normal rubbish and landfills will have incredibly high levels of mercury in their soil as a result. As someone who sells light bulbs for a living, I am less enthusiastic than most about compact fluorescent bulbs. This is due to the fact that the ones currently available contain significant amounts of mercury. If one of these bulbs should break inside of a person’s home, it could cause a challenging disposal situation. It is my belief that the technology should progress to a point at which the mercury levels are low or nonexistent before people changeover their entire homes. Another consideration is that as these bulbs burn out, they will most likely be thrown away as though they are normal rubbish and landfills will have incredibly high levels of mercury in their soil as a result.

]]> By: Shirley Siluk Gregory http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/23/60000-cfls-and-counting/comment-page-1/#comment-160 Shirley Siluk Gregory Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:36:46 +0000 http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/04/23/60000-cfls-and-counting/#comment-160 I understand your concern, Matthew: this is kind of "damned if you do, damned if you don't" territory. At least the long life of a CFL might give us time to establish some alternative, safe, clean method of disposal; I tend to believe that climate change is the more immediate, pressing matter to address today. I understand your concern, Matthew: this is kind of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” territory. At least the long life of a CFL might give us time to establish some alternative, safe, clean method of disposal; I tend to believe that climate change is the more immediate, pressing matter to address today.

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