Reduce fossil fuel burning by reducing electricity consumption.

 Use CFLs 

Using a 25 watt compact fluorescent bulb (CFL) for a year instead of a 100 watt incandescent light bulb will reduce your carbon dioxide emission by 193 pounds and provide a similar amount of brightness.

(5 hours per day use and 1.43 lbs carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour. )

By 2012 the incandescent 100 watt bulb will be extinct.  Federal energy legislation passed in December requires higher energy efficiency CFLs and halogen lamps to replace the light bulb that produces more heat than light for a given amount of energy.  Though they cost more they save on the electric bills and last much longer.

Since CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, there is some concern about breakage and disposal.  The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has released a set of recommendations for clean up of broken CFLs.  They can be found at http://www.maine.gov/dep/rwm/homeowner/cflreport.htm

Broken CFLs placed in a sealed glass jar and any worn out bulbs should be disposed of at a Universal Waste Collection Center or participating retail store.  A list of municipal collection sites and more information about CFL disposal can be found at this Maine Department of Environmental Protection web site:
http://www.maine.gov/dep/rwm/homeowner/fluorescent.htm#first-level-nav#first-level-nav

Sponsored by the President’s Council for Environmental Sustainability