Earth Day...........

[cypressgirl]

What did you do for Earth Day? I worked in the yard for 4 hrs., came into a house that was set on 74 degrees, and turned it down to 70. It was 87 outside and I was hot. OK.......I'm not into carbon footprnts. But I do turn the water off while I brush my teeth.

BTW........B.O. keeps the Oval Office at 72. I also turned mine up to 72 after I cooled off. I guess we have more in common than I knew.

[loria]

things i do routinely-
1) don't idle in my car--it;s better for your car and better for your bottom line and better for the air!. 2)switched out bulbs for CFLs, 3) we replanted native plants in our schools gardens, 4) kids in school are doing composting for said garden--we had an event today (but i was at work)
i ride a bike to the train to commute to work--i must say that i do this in nice weather, my husband does this every day--in blizzards even.

oh and i keep the house at 68 (or less) during the times we are here--it is down to 60 at night and when we are not here (programmable thermostat).

i serve on a panel that did a carbon footprint (via ICLEE) in our town
i am not sure of the net worth of any of this, but i do think that we can act locally and make huge changes

[Teresa_Rae]

I was really into CFLs until I broke one a few weeks ago and practically had a HAZMAT situation on my hands. I'm joking. Kind of. I wasn't thrilled about having to throw away the shirt I was wearing when it happened.


Here are the clean-up instructions if you have a breakage...

Because CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, EPA recommends the following clean-up and disposal
guidelines:

1. Before Clean-up: Air Out the Room
Have people and pets leave the room, and don't let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.

2. Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces
• Carefully scoop up glass fragments and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with
metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass pieces and powder.
• Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.
• Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

3. Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug:
• Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a
sealed plastic bag.
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
• If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
• Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic
bag.

4. Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding, etc.:
• If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside
the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be thrown away. Do not wash such clothing or
bedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.
• You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken
CFL, such as the clothing you are wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not
come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.
• If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the bulb, wipe them off
with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for
disposal.

5. Disposal of Clean-up Materials
• Immediately place all clean-up materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area for the next normal trash
pickup.
• Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.
• Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states do not
allow such trash disposal. Instead, they require that broken and unbroken mercury-containing bulbs be taken to a
local recycling center.

6. Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rug: Air Out the Room During and After Vacuuming
• The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a
window before vacuuming.
• Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after
vacuuming is completed.

http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/p ... ercury.pdf

[loria]

have you broken a thermometer (in past years)
same thing.
contain and bag and bring to your recycler
no big deal.
as for the EPA that's a lot of legal shiz, but you knew that.

[DaveS007]

I put all three vehicles in the driveway and let em idle while I broke out the Harley for the first time this spring and got her just a purring. I used the truck all day for driving around and doing errands.
I turned the hot tub up from 101 to 102, can't stay in as long but it feels good. I turned up the pellet stove and got all the black stuff billowing out of the pipe so I can clean it for summer shut down. OH yea, turned on my outside landscape lighting early too, just for personal enjoyment cause it makes the house look cool as dusk approaches. I have carbon coupons too. If you send me $1,000 I'll send you the coupon and you can use your cars and lights too.

[soxfan22]

Here is something I read on the subject in the Globe last year...

By Beth Daley
Globe Staff / February 26, 2008

Compact fluorescent lamps - those spiral, energy-efficient bulbs popular as a device to combat global warming - can pose a small risk of mercury poisoning to infants, young children, and pregnant women if they break, two reports concluded yesterday.

But the reports, issued by the state of Maine and the Vermont-based Mercury Policy Project, urged homeowners to keep using compact fluorescents because their energy-saving benefits far outweigh the risk posed by mercury released from a broken lamp.

They said most danger could be avoided if people exercised common-sense caution, such as not using compact fluorescents in table lamps that could be knocked over by children or pets and properly cleaning up broken bulbs.

The US Environmental Protection Agency and the states of Massachusetts and Vermont said yesterday that, based on the Maine study, they are revising their recommendations for where to use compact fluorescents in a home and how to clean up when one breaks.

"Using compact fluorescent bulbs is still the brightest idea out there," said Michael Bender, director of the Mercury Policy Project, a nonprofit organization that works to eliminate mercury use. "The message is: People should not be afraid but informed and prepared and learn how to dispose of them properly."

The two reports constitute one of the most comprehensive examinations of the dangers posed by the lights, which use about 1 percent of the amount of mercury found in old thermometers.

Mercury is needed for the lamps to produce light, and there are no known substitutes. No mercury is emitted when compact fluorescents are burned, but a small amount is vaporized when they break, which can happen if people screw them in holding the glass instead of the base or drop them.

Mercury is a naturally occurring metal that accumulates in the body and can harm the nervous system of a fetus or young child if ingested in sufficient quantity.

For the Maine study, researchers shattered 65 compact fluorescents to test air quality and cleanup methods. They found that, in many cases, immediately after the bulb was broken - and sometimes even after a cleanup was attempted - levels of mercury vapor exceeded federal guidelines for chronic exposure by as much as 100 times.

There is no federal guideline for acute exposure. Some states, including Maine, use the chronic exposure level as their overall standard, while others, such as California, have chosen higher levels for acute exposure. Still, the mercury vapor released by the bulbs in the Maine study exceeded even those higher levels.

"We found some very high levels [of mercury] even after we tried a number of cleanup techniques," said Mark Hyland, director of Maine's Bureau of Remediation and Waste Management. He said levels were the lowest if the room was well ventilated after breakage.

The study recommended that if a compact fluorescent breaks, get children and pets out of the room. Ventilate the room. Never use a vacuum, even on a rug, to clean up a broken compact fluorescent lamps. Instead, use stiff paper such as index cards and tape to pick up pieces, and then wipe the area with a wet wipe or damp paper towel. If there are young children or pregnant woman in the house, consider cutting out the piece of carpet where the lamp broke as a precaution. Place the shards and cleanup debris in a glass jar with a screw top and remove the jar from the house.

Disposal regulations vary from state to state, with some requiring broken compact fluorescent light bulbs, to be disposed of as household hazardous waste. Most states allow intact compact fluorescents to be thrown away, but some - such as Vermont, Minnesota, and California - ban disposal in trash, according to Bender.

Some stores, such as Ikea, have set out recycling containers for fluorescent bulbs. In Maine, Hyland says, some 200 retailers are participating in compact fluorescent recycling.

Massachusetts is also ramping up a compact fluorescent recycling program and in May will ban disposal of any intact compact fluorescent lamp in trash. However, broken ones - because their mercury would probably have been vaporized - may be thrown away.

Sales are skyrocketing for compact fluorescent lamps, which use about 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs, as consumers become more aware of global warming and the long-term cost savings. More than 290 million compact fluorescents carrying the EPA's "Energy Star" label sold last year, nearly double the number in 2006. Compact fluorescents now make up 20 percent of the US light bulb market, and sales are all but guaranteed to grow: A new law requires lights to become much more energy-efficient starting in 2012.

According to the US Department of Energy, if every household replaced just one light bulb with a compact fluorescent, the United States would save more than $600 million each year in energy costs and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equal to 800,000 cars.

But compact fluorescents can contain from 1 to 30 milligrams of mercury, according to the Mercury Policy Project. The nonprofit cited a New Jersey study that estimated that about 2 to 4 tons of the element are released into the environment in the United States each year from compact fluorescents. That number is expected to grow as sales do. In comparison, about 48 tons of mercury is released into the environment by power plants each year, according to federal statistics.

"People should continue to support CFLs until there are mercury-free alternatives available," said Cindy Luppi of Clean Water Action, a local advocacy group.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articl ... lbs_break/

I believe I also read (but cannot find) an article last year that stated that in VT and ME, you must take these to a recycling disposal center at the town transfer station. Great, you're saving the world with the bulbs, but then you have to get into your combustion engine car to drive to the transfer station to dump these nasty bulbs.

I'm all set. Cut out a piece of your carpet? Gheeez!

[soxfan22]

Also, yesterday the Boston Red Sox wore green uniforms. For those not familiar with baseball, the Sox wear Red, White, and Blue. As I was watching last night's game, I wondered, "how much energy was wasted by having those green caps and green jerseys specially manufactured for Earth Day?".

Seems the cause might have been better served had the Sox played the Twins in the dark.

The Red Sox ownership/management is ultra-liberal. And that's fine with me - as long as they keep bringin' home the championships!

[Connie]

The moped is officially ready to go. We'll take it on short trips to the stores and errands. If it's a nice day, I'll drive it to work, which is about 4 miles away from my home. I can drive back streets so that works out well.

I believe in "If it's yellow, let it mellow". Now, that only works in our bathroom. Daughter won't do it, but it saves ALOT of water.

Turn down that shower! Even a little bit helps.

We recycle everything that goes out the door, easy.

Turn off the water when you're brushing your teeth, that's a big waste.

Unplug things that you aren't using in your home.

Turn off your computers when not in use, big waste and it's better for your computer to take a break.

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[Chet]

Every day I bike to work.
We use CF bulbs.
Turned the heat to 68 after our first gas bill.

Ok, here's my rant...keep a couple of cloth bags in the car for grocery shopping. Last year as a Day Of Service effort, we helped clean up Marvin Gaye Park in SE DC. I spent most of the afternoon in the creek pulling plastic bags from the banks, branches, and in the water. When the clerk at the grocery store asks "paper or plastic", NEVER say plastic.

"Americans throw away 100 billion plastic shopping bags per year. Each of those bags can take up to 1,000 years to decompose, cutting plastic bags out of your life will make a huge difference."

[loria]

Fact: A warm engine runs more efficiently than a cold one. That is why I always let my 5.9L V8 warm up for a couple of munities.

Fact: Mercury is much more toxic to the planet than CO2.

fact idling is bad for your car and actually your engine really doesn't need to warm up--check it out/

[DELETED]

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[chrisn]

The boy child made us turn off all the damn lights last night for about 5 minutes. Every last light in the house while I was perusing swimsuit selections by mail order.

Tomorrow we're going to go see Earth at the theater. Be a nice change from all the smut I'm usually watching

[loria]

Here is something I read on the subject in the Globe last year...

By Beth Daley
Globe Staff / February 26, 2008

Compact fluorescent lamps - those spiral, energy-efficient bulbs popular as a device to combat global warming - can pose a small risk of mercury poisoning to infants, young children, and pregnant women if they break, two reports concluded yesterday.

But the reports, issued by the state of Maine and the Vermont-based Mercury Policy Project, urged homeowners to keep using compact fluorescents because their energy-saving benefits far outweigh the risk posed by mercury released from a broken lamp.

They said most danger could be avoided if people exercised common-sense caution, such as not using compact fluorescents in table lamps that could be knocked over by children or pets and properly cleaning up broken bulbs.

The US Environmental Protection Agency and the states of Massachusetts and Vermont said yesterday that, based on the Maine study, they are revising their recommendations for where to use compact fluorescents in a home and how to clean up when one breaks.

"Using compact fluorescent bulbs is still the brightest idea out there," said Michael Bender, director of the Mercury Policy Project, a nonprofit organization that works to eliminate mercury use. "The message is: People should not be afraid but informed and prepared and learn how to dispose of them properly."

The two reports constitute one of the most comprehensive examinations of the dangers posed by the lights, which use about 1 percent of the amount of mercury found in old thermometers.

Mercury is needed for the lamps to produce light, and there are no known substitutes. No mercury is emitted when compact fluorescents are burned, but a small amount is vaporized when they break, which can happen if people screw them in holding the glass instead of the base or drop them.

Mercury is a naturally occurring metal that accumulates in the body and can harm the nervous system of a fetus or young child if ingested in sufficient quantity.

For the Maine study, researchers shattered 65 compact fluorescents to test air quality and cleanup methods. They found that, in many cases, immediately after the bulb was broken - and sometimes even after a cleanup was attempted - levels of mercury vapor exceeded federal guidelines for chronic exposure by as much as 100 times.

There is no federal guideline for acute exposure. Some states, including Maine, use the chronic exposure level as their overall standard, while others, such as California, have chosen higher levels for acute exposure. Still, the mercury vapor released by the bulbs in the Maine study exceeded even those higher levels.

"We found some very high levels [of mercury] even after we tried a number of cleanup techniques," said Mark Hyland, director of Maine's Bureau of Remediation and Waste Management. He said levels were the lowest if the room was well ventilated after breakage.

The study recommended that if a compact fluorescent breaks, get children and pets out of the room. Ventilate the room. Never use a vacuum, even on a rug, to clean up a broken compact fluorescent lamps. Instead, use stiff paper such as index cards and tape to pick up pieces, and then wipe the area with a wet wipe or damp paper towel. If there are young children or pregnant woman in the house, consider cutting out the piece of carpet where the lamp broke as a precaution. Place the shards and cleanup debris in a glass jar with a screw top and remove the jar from the house.

Disposal regulations vary from state to state, with some requiring broken compact fluorescent light bulbs, to be disposed of as household hazardous waste. Most states allow intact compact fluorescents to be thrown away, but some - such as Vermont, Minnesota, and California - ban disposal in trash, according to Bender.

Some stores, such as Ikea, have set out recycling containers for fluorescent bulbs. In Maine, Hyland says, some 200 retailers are participating in compact fluorescent recycling.

Massachusetts is also ramping up a compact fluorescent recycling program and in May will ban disposal of any intact compact fluorescent lamp in trash. However, broken ones - because their mercury would probably have been vaporized - may be thrown away.

Sales are skyrocketing for compact fluorescent lamps, which use about 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs, as consumers become more aware of global warming and the long-term cost savings. More than 290 million compact fluorescents carrying the EPA's "Energy Star" label sold last year, nearly double the number in 2006. Compact fluorescents now make up 20 percent of the US light bulb market, and sales are all but guaranteed to grow: A new law requires lights to become much more energy-efficient starting in 2012.

According to the US Department of Energy, if every household replaced just one light bulb with a compact fluorescent, the United States would save more than $600 million each year in energy costs and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equal to 800,000 cars.

But compact fluorescents can contain from 1 to 30 milligrams of mercury, according to the Mercury Policy Project. The nonprofit cited a New Jersey study that estimated that about 2 to 4 tons of the element are released into the environment in the United States each year from compact fluorescents. That number is expected to grow as sales do. In comparison, about 48 tons of mercury is released into the environment by power plants each year, according to federal statistics.

"People should continue to support CFLs until there are mercury-free alternatives available," said Cindy Luppi of Clean Water Action, a local advocacy group.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articl ... lbs_break/

I believe I also read (but cannot find) an article last year that stated that in VT and ME, you must take these to a recycling disposal center at the town transfer station. Great, you're saving the world with the bulbs, but then you have to get into your combustion engine car to drive to the transfer station to dump these nasty bulbs.

I'm all set. Cut out a piece of your carpet? Gheeez!

thanks for that info--good to know.

[cypressgirl]

I wonder how much all our best intentions will help when countries like China and India are doing nothing.

I can't see them cutting out a piece of carpet if they break a light bulb.