I was excited to tell you this story a few days ago and as I was finally getting around to it today, a news story came out that made me think of it again, but alas, I always have to look things up to make sure I get it right and this time, doing so sort of derailed me.
First, if you are a fairly new reader, you must know. I am very concerned about mercury contamination - air, ground, water, seas - food! I did a project on it during my MPH program - (there is a link "Good Fish Bad Fish" on the side panel - or maybe it just says Fish). I learned about power plant emissions, but also that mercury was in some household products. Thus we need to be mindful to not put batteries, cell phones thermometers and such - into our trash OR recycle bins. Instead, they are to be taken to special collection sites, OR put out when your community has special hazardous pick up days.
That was my back story - here is today's news.
A few weeks ago as I was looking at the Duke Energy website where I pay my power bill I noticed that I qualified for FREE CFLs - Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs. I know that they are expensive because I have bought them once or twice. I know that they use much less energy and will last a lot longer than regular bulbs or incandescent bulbs that most of us have used. They are good for the environment - they use less energy -and they are good for your budget- once you pay for them initially. This free offer was ideal and I accepted.
My bulbs arrived last week - so many more than I need really. The instructions said to go ahead and change out the old for the new now, not to wait until my other bulbs went bad because the energy efficiency was so great as to make up for any waste of discarding the others.
[I have changed two lamps so far, but do not have a ladder to get the ceiling lights - sigh.]
Today I heard that the beloved Easy Bake oven which cooks with the old fashioned light bulb was going to have to revise its methods because congress has banned the incandescent heat producing bulbs. I imagine we will have time to make the change and I imagine that many of us will receive free offers - and whoever makes them is likely tickled to death.
But the caveat - the CFLs contain mercury. AAAGH!!!! What that really means however, is we need to be very careful with them. Mercury is a neurotoxin - re: think of the mad hatter. This is the same type of mercury as in a thermometer - so be mindful. Do NOT put these in the trash or recycle bin as you could cause harm to a person and to our planet.
I guess they are still a good thing. I also appreciate getting them for free - however, (I just went and looked) the note card that tells me to change the bulbs today gives a web address to access for disposal instructions. There is no warning about the bulbs no advice for what to do with the old ones. What if a person doesn't know what I know and what if a person doesn't know how to use the computer? That was pretty reckless - not really an opinion either - that was dumb. People need to know not to put them in the trash...
Gee - I had such fun times with that easy bake oven :)
