Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs) use 75 percent less than their incandescent counterparts. Besides, this energy-saving light bulb lasts up to ten times longer and prevents over 450 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions from polluting the atmosphere. A single CFL can save you more than $80 over its lifetime depending on local electric rates. Yet, the small amount of mercury contained in these CFLS has gotten numerous Americans to worry about their health and the environment.

This mercury allows the CFL light bulbs to be an efficient light source. CFLs contain an average of 4 milligrams of mercury sealed within the glass tubing. By comparison, older thermometers contain about 500 milligrams of mercury which equals to the amount of mercury in 125 CFLs! Besides, a Compact Fluorescent Light is responsible for 5 times less smokestack mercury emissions than an incandescent light bulb. On top of that, the average mercury content in CFLs has been dropping to 1.0-2.5 milligrams per light bulb. And yet, this very small amount of mercury is a major issue for most people.

Most mercury vapor inside CFLs becomes bound to the inside of the light bulb as it is used. What is left of the mercury – about 14 percent – is released into air or water when it is sent to a landfill and assuming the light bulb is broken. Let’s face it, the dangerous tons of mercury emissions which pollute the water and the fishes come from coal-fired electrical power, not CFLs.

The CFL might not be perfect but if you try not to break it and make sure to recycle it, it’s a great improvement over incandescent light bulbs. Indeed, if you recycle your CFLs properly, the mercury can be recaptured. Remember mercury is an element found naturally in the environment. It is not a deadly virus! Mercury emissions in the air come from both natural and man-made sources. Click here to read more

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After Earth Hour, it is high time to start thinking of a greener way to put light in you life! With the economic crisis it is also high time to save money. You might think going green is a necessity to protect the earth, but that it is expensive. Think again. Reducing electricity costs while protecting the environment is easy. A LED (light-emitting diode) light bulb which uses half the energy of a compact fluorescent bulb (CFL), contains no hazardous mercury or lead and lasts for up to ten years of daily use is exactly what you need.

The newbie we recommend is the new GeoBulb recently introduced by C.Crane. The Geobulb will soon be available on Greenzer, but in the meantime you can find it here. It uses only 7.5 Watts of power to produce as much light as a 60-watt incandescent bulb. No mercury or lead, the GeoBulb uses only about 10% of the power of incandescent bulbs and about half of a comparable CFL. It generates very little heat and is an eco-responsible way to light up your life. The GeoBulb costs Click here to read more

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