Are CFLs Green?

“You know, those CFLs aren’t that green,” my brother-in-law declared.

My husband and I were helping him move into his new house and talking about lighting.  We, like so many of us, have dutifully replaced our incandescent bulbs with CFLs.  You know, because “they” told us to.  So, I didn’t say anything to my brother-in-law. I just kept moving boxes and thinking, “What are you talking about?”

After visiting “Google University,” I’m deciding that Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) are green!  And they are not green.  Why can’t anything be simple?

CFLs are green.

CFLs use up to 75% less electricity than an incandescent light bulb.
They also last up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.

CFLs are not green.

4 to 5 millimeters of mercury is contained in
each CFL. This amount fits on the tip of a ballpoint pen.

CFLs contain mercury.  You know, that silver liquid previously used in glass thermometers? The mercury is required to make the lamp efficient.  There’s between four and five millimeters of mercury in each CFL. That’s enough to contaminate 6,000 gallons of water, but it’s small enough to fit on the tip of a ballpoint pen.  If the CFL breaks, you will be exposed to mercury.  Mercury is toxic in high doses and can cause brain damage, liver damage…all kinds of neurological problems.  Yet, there’s really not enough mercury in a CFL to cause damage.  But, there’s evidence out there that some have suffered from broken CFLs.  The government has deemed it safe to use, but the EPA wants you to take precautions.  The EPA says that if a CFL breaks in your house, you must first clear the room of all people and pets and on your way out, open a door or window. If the central air is running, shut it off. Stay out of the room for five to ten minutes. Then, you can go in and clean it up. (They have a step by step guide for this. I’ll put a link at the bottom of this post).  This does not sound green to me. Also, you have to dispose of a CFL properly because if you don’t, you are putting mercury into our landfills.  Not a lot per CFL, but over time it would be a problem.  That’s not green.

No, wait, CFLs are green.

The EPA estimates the U.S. is responsible for the release of 104 metric tons of mercury emissions each year. 40% of these emissions come from coal-fired power generation. Mercury released into the air is the main way that mercury gets into water and bio-accumulates in fish.  From what I gather, the other portion of these emissions comes from electricity. The logic is that because CFLs use less electricity than incandescent bulbs, we are emitting less mercury when we use CFLs.  So that’s green.

No, wait CFLs are not green.

Researchers are testing CFLs emissions of ultraviolet radiation, electrical hypersensitivity and electromagnet hypersensitivity because there's evidence that they may cause health issues in these areas.  Well, that’s disturbing. (I just moved my lamp, affixed with a CFL, a few more feet away from my desk…)

So, what’s a consumer to do? Well, here are some choices:

1. Buy CFLs and recycle them when they are finished.  Home Depot offers recycling.  (I also looked into how these are recycled. Link for this is below).
2. Don’t drop them. Just don’t. And if you do, get out of the room and then check the epa.gov website for what to do next.
3. Stop buying CFLs and switch to LED or Halogen.  Yep. Those don’t have mercury.
4. Go back to buying incandescent light bulbs.  The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007, signed by President George W. Bush on December 18, 2007, requires “regular” light bulbs to use less energy… “In January 2013, bulbs as bright as current 75-watt incandescents will not be able to use more than 53 watts.”

Helpful Links:

• How to Clean Up a Broken CFL, EPA guidelines 
• How CFLs Are Recycled 
• Where to Recycle Your CFLs 

Other references used for this blog post:

• http://sustainability.asu.edu/practice/what-you-can-do/cfls.php
• http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/cfl-disposal-and-recycling.html
• http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=are-compact-fluorescent-lightbulbs-dangerous
• http://www6.homedepot.com/ecooptions/stage/pdf/cfl_recycle.pdf

Some Pros and Cons of Joining a CSA

CSA Organic Vegetables

A First Hand Account of Being a CSA Member

It’s June! What are you doing to purchase vegetables and fruits this summer?  My friends and I often purchase our local vegetables through a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).  

A CSA is, basically, a group of individuals who pledge to support a farm in the spring and then reap the benefits at harvest time.  

Last year, I joined Groundworks Organics out of Junction City, OR. I paid $500 in March 2011 and enjoyed organic, “local” produce for five months (June-Nov).  The box of food is more than adequate and I actually divided my box with my neighbor.  (Truthfully, I would have been challenged to eat the entire box of produce with my family of three before the next week’s delivery!)  For $20 a week, a farm within 100 miles of our town delivered a 10 gallon Rubbermaid tote full of produce, picked that morning.  The containers were piled at a designated location. I drove there, marked my name off a clipboard and took my box.   (Or, I took bags and transferred the produce into my bags). 

My CSA introduced me to garlic whistles, taught me how to cook beets, and provided me with sweet, organic berries.  Here are more benefits of membership…

The pros of joining a CSA are, as I’ve experienced them:

• 1Supporting a local farm. I live in the high desert where it’s difficult to grow produce.  I have adopted a locavore philosophy that embraces food grown within 100 miles of my town.
• Receiving a weekly newsletter with recipes and information about produce I’ve not used before (eg. garlic whistles)
• Putting affordable, organic, local food on my family table
• Receiving a discount at their booth at the weekly local farmer’s market
• Invitation to visit the farm and learn how they manage it
• Eating in season. I now know strawberries grow in June and early July and that’s when I eat them, freeze them and can them.  Rarely now do I buy or eat them out of season.

Some of the cons of a joining a CSA are:

• What you get is what you eat, or give away or throw out (God forbid!).  If you don’t like turnips or potatoes or you want more fruit, your CSA box can be as much a source of irritation as a source of inspiration.  Make lemonade out of lemonade? Sure! But turnip-ade?
• How much basil can you eat, freeze or make into pesto? Our CSA had basil almost every week one summer. It was good. However, even though we split it between two families, no one wanted to see another basil plant for the rest of the year.
•  If you leave town frequently in the summer, a CSA may not work for you.  You receive a credit for the time you are gone that you must use before the season ends. However, the number of credits you receive are limited, depending upon your CSA. My neighbor and I were always able to work this out, but it takes a little creativity.

All in all, a CSA is wonderful adventure. You learn a lot and enjoy quality produce.  That said, I did not renew my CSA this year. I’ve challenged myself to go to the Farmer’s Market weekly and do my shopping.  (That always sounds so magical at the start of the season, but I do tend to lose my enthusiasm later in the summer).  If I had not made this challenge to myself, I would have joined again this year.

Many CSAs sign up members in the late winter/early spring, but it may not yet be too late! 

How to find a CSA in your area: www.localharvest.org/csa

Still not sure if a CSA is right for you? 

Visit this informative blog for more input: www.robbwolf.com

Let's Talk

Are you a CSA Member? Why or Why not?  
Do you have any questions about CSAs that I might be able to answer or get answers for you?
Please jump over to my blog and share your questions and your comments.  

Ignorant or Informed Consumer: your milk may not need to be organic or rbST free

I try to buy organic milk. The reasons for buying organic milk have as much to do with my family's health as with how the farm land and animals are managed. I have the impression that cows that produce "organic" milk are healthier and so is the land around them.  There are no pesticides being used in their environment. There are no hormones being given to the cows.  As I write this, however, I have to admit that I haven't researched one bit of information regarding organic milk, rbST or "regular" milk.  My conclusions are based on hear-say and impressions that I have of the industry. 

I found this article today when I was reviewing my Twitter feeds over tea.  The blog entry is "The Smoke and Mirrors of Milk Marketing."  Now I'm both a consumer and a marketer, so this has my attention.  The author, Terry Etherton, says that farmers of rbST are being cheated.  "In a nutshell, some dairy processors and retailers have been willing to use deceptive labeling campaigns to exploit consumer ignorance, and raise the suspicion that some milk (i.e., organic or rbST-free) might be safer or healthier than other milk (i.e, conventional), and charge a whole lot more!


Uh. Am I an ignorant consumer or an informed one? Are advertisers and marketers exploiting me?  Etherton blogs that rbST is safe. He also blogs that we organic purchasers are not buying the milk we think we are, being fleeced I guess. 

It so happens that on Tuesday of this week, I researched the price of organic milk at Safeway and Fred Meyer.  At Safeway, 1/2 gallon is $3.29.  One gallon is $5.99.  At Fred Meyer 1/2 gallon is $2.99 and one gallon is $5.48.  I didn't even look at non-organic milk, but I think it's about $2.49 for one gallon.

Terry Etherton's blog entries around this subject is a good example of why I am blogging about groceries and food.  I want to be an informed consumer; not a victim of advertising.  As consumers, it's challenging to take the time to research this stuff and so that's what I'm here for - to research it, learn from it and share it with you. 

Here's a link to Terry Etherton's blog: http://blogs.das.psu.edu/tetherton/2008/04/01/food-costs-increase-and-the-smoke-and-mirrors-of-rbst-free-milk-marketing-rolls-onand-onand-on/  (Dr. Etherton is a Distinguished Professor of Animal Nutrition and Head of the Department of Dairy and Animal Science at Penn State University).

Ignorant or Informed Consumer: your milk may not need to be organic or rbST free -- I'll find out and let you know...


So, I don't have time today to look into this any further. The kids are out of school today and tomorrow and I'm lucky I got this much written.  They've been in here just about every ten minutes asking for empty boxes, then tape, then scissors...you know.  Here's the deal. I am going to make this rbST my next research project. If you, my dear reader, have any information to share with me, please comment below or send me an email. Thanks.
~ Katrina