Life Cycle: Look into the Light

Life Cycle is a series of posts addressing the impacts of everyday things.

If you ask Simran about compact florescent light bulbs, she may crack one open and cut you. Not really, that would scatter mercury, but she is loca for the light bulbs.

People give you this whole rap about how easy saving the planet is. Change a light bulb and save the world. Yes and no. How about we consider it a start rather than an end destination?

Lighting accounts for about 20% of our electric bill. Traditional bulbs burn heat rather than light, so are extremely inefficient. Compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs) are 80% more efficient and can last up to 10 times longer than a traditional bulb. Last December, Congress voted to phase out the inefficient incandescent. By 2012, the 100-watt bulb will be history.

In the interim, environmentally-minded folks of all ilks are heralding the bulb. The virtual Stop Global Warming march reminds us swapping out three incandescent bulbs for CFLs will save us 300 lbs. of carbon dioxide and $60 a year. The Coalition On the Environment and Jewish Life suggests installing CFLs for Hanukkah as a way to redefine "energy-stretching light" and reflect environmental stewardship. Students in Pennsylvania sell light bulbs instead of candy to raise money for their schools. (Simran prefers candy.)

If you haven't changed your bulbs, get with the program. The light is a lot prettier than what you remember from your high school cafeteria.

Everybody's doing it. But not everyone understands why.

The biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the country is power plants, and about half of our electricity comes from coal - a dirty, abundant, relatively cheap fuel source. Coal fueled our industrial revolution and helped the United States accrue her wealth. (And now Western nations have the audacity to ask developing nations to curtail their coal usage, just as they're accruing their wealth - necessary, but riddled with imperialistic undertones.) No wonder no one wants to take authentic action until 2050.

Let's put climate change aside for a moment, because Simran and Sarah actually live in a red state where not everyone's convinced that the globe is getting hotter. Global warming or none, changing your bulbs still makes common sense. Not only because they are cheaper in the long run, but because coal-fired plants are the leading cause of smog, acid rain and mercury contamination. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, in one year an average coal-plant generates:
* 170 pounds of mercury, where just 1/70th of a teaspoon deposited on a 25-acre lake can make the fish unsafe to eat.
* 225 pounds of arsenic, which will cause cancer in one out of 100 people who drink water containing 50 parts per billion.

Although there's mercury in CFLs, we generate more of the stuff when we use inefficient incandescents. This is why small changes like weather stripping your house, turning down the thermostat and improving insulation make a difference. Even cleaning out your lint tray will reap financial and energy savings.

We don't want coal plants in Western Kansas or anywhere else (nor does our Governor or our Health and Environment Secretary). Yet, despite what we know about the environmental and public health dangers of coal, as of July 1, 17 more coal plants were being built and another 66 were actively pursuing permits. Wyoming and West Virginia produce the most coal, but don't think you're off the hook of if you live elsewhere. Pollution migrates, and climate change has no boundaries.

So change your bulbs. Dispose of them properly when you're done (Home Depot and Ikea will take them back). Remember that small is beautiful and the little things count. Feel empowered with the knowledge that, if each American household swapped out one 60-watt bulb, the energy saved would be the equivalent of powering all the homes in Delaware and Rhode Island. In terms of the greenhouse gases not emitted as a result of using CFLs, changing that one bulb is equivalent to taking 1.3 million cars off the road.

But don't stop there. Our lights are only as good as our energy. Lobby for renewable energy. Pay a little more for green power, if your utility offers it. Elect officials who actually represent your best interests - and hold them accountable once they're in office. Help them see the light.

This post was written by Simran Sethi and Sarah Smarsh. Thanks to the University of Kansas School of Journalism, Lacey Johnston for research assistance and thegarnetgirl for the image. Excerpts of this series can be found on Green Options.

Comments

[Simran Sethi - Huffpost Blogger]

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The sky's the limit, Dunadan! Thanks for your support and comments.

[chris4750]

Safe seafood is available though! For the first time there is a company that doesn"t rely on only the age or location of the fish caught to claim that it is lower in mercury than FDA action levels. Safe Harbor guarantees that the fish it certifies is lower than FDA action levels because it tests every large fin fish released under the Safe Harbor brand. For the first time I am 100% confident about the safety of the seafood I eat and buy for my family. All their mercury certification levels are available online, along with details about their testing process and where their product is available at http://www.safeharborfoods.com
Check them out and enjoy the health benefits of seafood without worry!

[Simran Sethi - Huffpost Blogger]

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Thanks for the tip. Chris. I do need to point out that while we mentioned mercury in this post, there are a host of chemicals in the sea that we need to be aware of and concerned with. Remember, when flushing or rinsing or throwing something away, "away" is a place.

Safe Harbor tests for mercury which is laudable as long as sufficient oversight mechanisms are in place. I'm skeptical. The info on their website talks about a "proprietary technology" that manages to circumvent the lab and allows for rapid, large-scale testing.

As for mercury, I like Dr. Jane Hightower's assessment from an interview she did with The Associate Press I found from a CBS link:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/11/22/tech/main657105.shtml
Hightower's 2002 study of mercury in her patients really brought the issue to light.
She says, "We are just starting to realize as physicians the effects of this chemical soup we live in. We really have to ask, why are we poisoning ourselves?"
She also referred to some trouble spots in the world. For example, the Mediterranean Sea which she called "a toilet that no one has bothered to flush."

[malehrman]

I have been following this series with great interest the past few weeks and I must say that each post gets better. I think the diversity of topics has been perfect. My generation is ready for the challenge of tackling climate change and writers like Simran and Sarah are a great inspiration to us all. Glad that HuffPo is giving them a voice and can't wait for it to reach even further.

[Simran Sethi - Huffpost Blogger]

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Thanks for reading! We're taking you through an entire day so by the time we get you in bed the writing should knock you to the floor :)

[rigdenpoet]

Thanks for this Simran. Great talking points for something I already do, but need to learn to talk to others about. Is it okay to become one of those annoying people who go into people's homes (invited) and disses their lightbulb selection?

Keep writing. HuffPo is better with you on it!

[Simran Sethi - Huffpost Blogger]

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Rigdenpoet, thanks for the love. I can't advocate you being a guest who disses the bulbs in people's homes. Change your own, maybe buy some CFLs for folks as gifts and lightly, gently encourage. If you came into my home after I'd invited you and was all preachy, I wouldn't invite you back.

[rigdenpoet]

Thanks for the simple advice Simran, and the great tips for what to say to others about it. I think i'm becoming one of those annoying people who'll go into people's homes for dinner and diss their lightbulbs.

Keep writing! Huffpo is better with you on it.

[feistynyc]

Another great post. And thank you. My bulbs are already changed out, so i feel pretty good about this one. (Except the floodlight way up at the top of the house, and I'll change that as soon as i figure out how to get up there.)

You'll have to excuse me now -- I'm still thinking about your last posts -- so I have to go back to stressing about my morning coffee and bathroom visit.

[Simran Sethi - Huffpost Blogger]

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Feisty, You have the best screen name ever. Prepare to stress about many more items. And then give yourself a big pat on the back for doing the best you can. Anything is better than nothing! Thanks for the love.

[smallball]

"if you ask Simran about compact florescent light bulbs, she may crack one open and cut you. Not really, that would scatter mercury, but she is loca for the light bulbs."
- Hilarious start to another wonderful post! LOL!

[Rhenatan]

Great post.... we're switching over to CFLs in our new home... but so many of our lamps and fixtures still have the old incandescents (which we're waiting to burn out -- does that even make sense?) PLUS we have loads of the old ones left over from Home Depot run ten years ago and the ones that the previous owners left in random closets and drawers. What to do with the old (but still unused) incandescents?

[Simran Sethi - Huffpost Blogger]

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Great question, Rhenatan. I suggest donating them to a local non-profit or school if you aren't planning on using them yourself. They have already been manufactured so even though they're inefficient, it's best to use them up rather than just tossing them. And LED technology is getting better and cheaper by the day so I wouldn't stock up on CFLs just yet. Buy 'em as you need 'em (whichm with CFLs, won't be often!)

[Kamlesh]

Great article Simran. I am changing all my lightbulbs right now. I am happy to hear we in the USA are also phasing out the older bulbs. I beleive Australia did this a while ago and i was impressed with the foresight. Thanks for all your good work. If your numbers are right i changed 10 bulbs and that would be 13 million cars of the road, who said one man or woman couldnt change the world!!!

[Simran Sethi - Huffpost Blogger]

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Kamlesh, You are spot on about Australia and about small acts changing the world. I do get frustrated with the small fixes that seem to obscure the bigger policy changes that need to occur but this is one dramatic instance where a small change makes a huge collective difference. Congrats to you for being an eco-hero!

[heathermerete]

Ok, so I've been a CFL slacker. Because I live in a rented apartment, I'd been telling myself that it was an unnecessary hassle to switch the bulbs"not to mention all the light fixtures out in the hallways and communal spaces. Clearly, not my problem

Oh, but then I read this: "In terms of the greenhouse gases not emitted as a result of using CFLs, changing that one bulb is equivalent to taking 1.3 million cars off the road." I had no idea that one small action could have such a huuuge impact.

I'm running out to McGuckins (my local indie hardware store) this weekend to buy a bunch of CFLs, not only for my own apartment, but for the hallway lamps as well.

[Simran Sethi - Huffpost Blogger]

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Did you change your bulbs, slacker? :)
I have lived in rentals since I moved out of my parent's house 2 decades ago. When the lights burn out, I replace them with CFLs.
I've lived in my current abode for two years and have not had to replace my CFLs yet. . .and these are the ones I put in high usage areas like the bathroom and kitchen!

[elephantwaylon]

Thanks for another great post, Simran. Glad someone so in-the-know is posting on HuffPost...this blew me away:

"...as of July 1, 17 more coal plants were being built and another 66 were actively pursuing permits. Wyoming and West Virginia produce the most coal, but don't think you're off the hook of if you live elsewhere. Pollution migrates, and climate change has no boundaries.

So change your bulbs."

How do we effect change? Gore just called for a man-to-the-moon parallel project of epic proportions...weaning ourselves offa oil etc in 10 years...and it seemed like America yawned, if they took notice at all. It's thanks to folks like you and Sundance the Green and Planet Green and Gore, Summer Rayne Oakes, Treehugger.com, grist.org that the Green Movement is happening...that green is suddenly cool...but how to we really effect the mainstream? Even my idol, Senator Obama, is supporting crazy stuff like ethanol thus far, right? What's it gonna take to save our earth, and ourselves?

[Simran Sethi - Huffpost Blogger]

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Elephantwaylon, you are very kind. Thank you.

How do we effect change? We do what's difficult. I am not convinced our politicians are yet able to push away the hands that feed them. And it makes me really sad.

We are going to have to engage in stronger grassroots activism a la the civil rights movement. One of my heroes, Dennis Shulman, was inspired to run for office in NJ because he saw the need for change. He's a Rabbi and a therapist - not a politico. But he told me in a recent interview what I so firmly believe to be true: "The people who love this country have changed it." You can find out more about him at: http://shulmanforcongress.com/ and I will be posting about him soon.

Until then, change the light bulbs, and then work on changing the system. . .

[Dunadan]

Thanks for persisting in your quest to educate and inspire us, Simran. The United States needs to address the pollution/global warming challenge with the greatest urgency. Our country will have to play catch-up with many other countries that are already making greater energy efficiency and reduction of carbon emissions their priority. Imagine if we put our concerted efforts towards solutions with our collective willpower, energy, knowledge, and imagination? The sky is the limit.