Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs

One very simple way to reduce your carbon footprint is to switch to compact fluorescent lightbulbs. CFLs use far less energy than conventional bulbs and they last much longer, which is great for saving money and the planet! Be sure to look for the Energy Star logo. Changing a lightbulb may not seem like a big deal, but every little bit helps!

Check out Amazon.com's CFL store.


From ConsumerEnergyCenter.org:

Illuminating facts about fluorescent bulbs

We really can Change the World by changing just one light bulb. If each household changed one standard bulb for one compact fluorescent bulb, California could:

• Reduce energy use by up to 616 kilowatt hours of electricity in one year. That's enough energy to light all the households in Sacramento for 690 days-or almost two years!


• Save $74.7 million a year on household electricity bills.


• Reduce garbage by keeping up to 110 million (yes, 110 million) bulbs out of the trash. Each fluorescent bulb can last up to 10 times longer than an ordinary bulb, so think of all those bulbs that won't be thrown away.


• Keep 974 million pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2)-the most common gas that creates global warming-out of the environment. That's 450 pounds of CO2 saved from the atmosphere with each fluorescent bulb. Greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, are produced by the power plants that light your home. If every household changed just one bulb, it would be about the same as:
  
  
  • Removing 85,000 cars from California's roads for one year.
  
  
  • Filling 32.5 billion basketballs with CO2. Placed side by side, the basketballs would stretch for 4.6 million miles.