*Sigh* So here we are…the brave souls who set out to save Planet Earth. We have instituted policies requiring citizens to sort their refuse into designated bins for the purpose of recycling, thereby reducing waste. We have begun turning agriculture into a fuel industry (despite our own plaintive wails over the “starving” people of the planet). We have come a long way as a species, you and I, in our regard for our host. Funny how arrogance always has a way of creeping in…
The internet is a great place, it really is, for people to share ideas (or to trade barbs over the same). It is also a valuable tool in getting people to connect with those ideas to save the environment. Websites are prolific, offering purportedly good ideas to homeowners seeking to either save money on energy or to reduce their carbon footprints, or both. Alas, the information is coming too fast, faster than the research available to advise caution.
The Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb (CFL) was portrayed as the best invention since the Wheel, a device that would let us enjoy the illumination we had become accustomed to with the incandescent lamp, but at a fraction of the cost. Additionally, since we’d had exposure to fluorescent lights for years, the CFL was attractive because it did not require special fixtures, with ballasts, to utilize them. The other benefit recently touted was that by saving all of this energy, we’d reduce Global Warming. Man, what a slam dunk!
Well…those of you old enough to remember will recall the dangers of mercury, a neurotoxin at high exposures. Years ago, mercury was the big scare and it was going to kill us all. Remember?
Here comes the bad news…these CFL’s contain small amounts of mercury and cannot be simply tossed in the trash. No, they require special handling when disposal becomes necessary. And how many have been sold? Reportedly, almost 300 million were sold in 2007 in the U.S. alone.
The global warming alarmists have succeeded in creating a huge market for these bulbs and indeed, people have been happy with the savings they have seen and the longevity of the bulbs themselves. What happens next could be interesting. When these bulbs, which tout a 7 year life-span, begin to burn out, people will then scramble for ways to get rid of them.
I smell another tax code in the making…
-Woody
