Greening Your Lights

By Coco Clayman Cook

Do you remember as a child there was always one adult who constantly reminded everyone in the house to turn out lights when they left the room? Now more than ever it is important for all of us to adopt this attitude. By turning lights off when we leave a room we can substantially lower our electricity bill and our carbon footprint.

Another way to help the environment is to pick five light bulbs in your home to convert to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs). Ideally, these should be bulbs that are frequently used but not in high traffic areas. For instance table lamps are not a good place to use CFLs but ceiling fixtures that have a glass cover are ideal as sometimes found in a bathroom.

CFL light bulbs are more expensive than regular light bulbs but they last longer if used properly. They tend to be very fragile though and have a very specific clean up regimen if you do break one. Never under any circumstances vacuum up a broken CFL light bulb. Always pick up any debris with a damp paper towel.

Changing five light bulbs and using these bulbs properly can substantial lower the amount of pollution in our environment.