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  • From: Joseph Wright <josephonboard@yahoo.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] CFLs bad for another reason, too
  • Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2010 06:16:47 -0800 (PST)

I just wanted to chime in and state that the EPA/DOE program Energy Star
states, "If the bulb goes to a landfill, overall emissions savings would drop
a little, to 4.0 mg." This is due to decreased energy usage of coal for
creating electricity(not a problem if we use not polluting sources of
energy). So, even factoring in the bulb fracturing in the landfill and
polluting that landfill we still save 4.0 mg of mercury, which is about
100%-200% of the content of that bulb that doesn't go into our environment.

In addition the article states, "if all 290 million CFLs sold in 2007 were
sent to a landfill (versus recycled, as a worst case) – they would add 0.16
metric tons, or 0.16 percent, to U.S. mercury emissions caused by humans."
http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/promotions/change_light/downloads/Fact_Sheet_Mercury.pdf

However, you don't have to throw it in the landfill. You can take it to a
recycling center where they will(hopefully) recycle it. I know of 5 locations
in the state of Alabama that I can take my CFLs to. Or, I can just visit my
local college and the college kids usually hold a recycling drive 2 or 3
times a year and they will take them to one of those locations.

http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/wastetypes/universal/lamps/live.htm

I have nothing to comment regarding radio frequency because I haven't read
enough about it to have an opinion.

I also wanted to say that hopefully this issue will be moot in the next 5
years or so because of the increased efficiency of LED lights. The new LEDs
that are coming out get about 100 lumens/watt versus a CFL which is 60
lumens/watt. If we drive them at a lower amperage then they get can get up to
160 lumens/watt. Within the next 5 years we will have light bulbs that use
less than 1/3 of the energy of a CFL to put out the same amount of light and
they don't contain any mercury and are much easier to recycle. You also won't
have any frequency issues because it is a steady light emittance and you can
add other colored LEDs(which lowers the efficiency slightly) to make it a
warmer light color that would be equivalent to an incandescent. Ok, no more
ramblings from me.
http://www.cree.com/press/press_detail.asp?i=1289396994146

Joseph

--- On Tue, 11/16/10, paul wheaton <paul@richsoil.com> wrote:

> From: paul wheaton <paul@richsoil.com>
> Subject: Re: [permaculture] CFLs bad for another reason, too
> To: "permaculture" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Date: Tuesday, November 16, 2010, 10:06 PM
> The thing that bugs me the most is
> the eco minded folks support it.
> Everything about it seems to be the very thing we are
> generally
> against.
>
> Yes!  Please post it on your facebook page!  I
> think this is gonna be
> a long and uphill thing of persuading our friends. 
> Friends are
> seriously dug into embracing CFL as an eco thing.
>
> On Tue, Nov 16, 2010 at 8:37 PM, carolyn anderson <cschampagne@gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > Excellent article.  Thank you so much for posting
> this.  I have been trying
> > to get some backup for my rants against CFL's for
> years, and have had little
> > or no support from anywhere.  Good to see that
> somewhere in the world, the
> > information is being shared.
> > I'm going to post this on my facebook page!
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Nov 16, 2010 at 7:26 PM, paul wheaton <paul@richsoil.com>
> wrote:
> >
> >> Somebody sent me this and I put it in the
> article:
> >>
> >>
> >> http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=aa7796aa-e4a5-4c06-be84-b62dee548fda
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On Tue, Nov 16, 2010 at 5:34 PM,  <SArjuna@aol.com>
> wrote:
> >> > I may have mentioned this here before.  
> CFLs all create radio
> >> frequencies
> >> > that are very harmful to health.    You can
> read more about this at <
> >> >
> www.magdahavas.com/category/electrosmog-exposure/lighting>
> >> >
> >> > The mercury released from breaking one is not
> supposed to be a big deal,
> >> > but I was recently present in a room where
> one was broken and two days
> >> later
> >> > my kidneys hurt like hell.    I felt very
> poisoned   until I took quite a
> >> bit
> >> > of chlorella and turmeric.
> >> >
> >> > Shivani Arjuna, Wisconsin
> >> > www.LifeEnergies.com
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > .
> >> >
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