I am confused.
In our efforts to become green, my significant other and I have been diligently reading about the topic of saving the planet and listening to the so-called experts' discourses as to how this should be achieved.
What I want to know is this: Have we been sold a 'bill of goods' regarding the use of CFLs?
Everywhere I turn, this and that expert are exhorting the public to switch to a CFL source for indoor lighting. "Oh," they say, "you will save hundreds of dollars per year and you will help our country become less dependent on foreign fuel sources."
The fact that homeowners will save dollars is non-contestable. And, don't get me wrong, I am all for saving money, especially in the horrible economic mess our nation and world, for that matter, finds itself in. What I do find highly troubling is that these CFL bulbs contain mercury. Enough so, that each bulb and package contains a warning. I quote from the bulb that I am looking at as I type, "Contains mercury. Dispose according to Local, State, or Federal Laws. See www.lamprecyling.org"
You can certainly accuse me of being naive and uninformed. I had no idea that these CFL bulbs contained mercury and, I would be willing to bet, neither do many other consumers that are switching on a daily basis because the 'experts' are encouraging - no - pushing regarding this matter.
Have you heard one consumer or environmental reporter/consultant mention the mercury ingredient? I have not. Furthermore, not one report or article I have read has been accompanied by any information concerning how to properly dispose of the CFL bulbs.
I visited the EPA government web site to learn about how to dispose of the CFLs. As I read the guidelines, I had to wonder how many consumers will simply toss the bulbs into the trash, where the mercury will be unleashed into a landfill and, ultimately, be absorbed into our soil and water sources. How is this environmental progress? Have we not traded one problem for yet another? Have we not rushed into a traffic lane where the gas may be domestic but the soil on which we drive is so poluted that we cannot stop to smell the roses for fear of mercury polution?
As I sit at my desk, typing under the light of a CFL, I have to ask myself if we have not been duped into buying a phony bill of goods?
Ancora imparo
