Those silly looking light bulbs

[Ninjara]

Yeah.  You know the ones I'm talking about.  They're supposed to last like forever....they're curly-shaped, and they cost a lot.

     Well, while the darn things may be energy efficient or whatever, they aren't totally a 'green' thing.  But then, maybe they were never advertised as such, come to think of it.

    My big gripe is, why the big push to change the light bulbs to save energy, when the blasted things contain mercury and have to be disposed of in a conscientious manner?  Small as the amount may be, there is so much mercury in our environment now, we have to think twice when downing tuna these days.

    Of course, that never stops me when I find myself sitting in a sushi bar.  I figure the sake will take care of it in some strange way.  

    Anyway, if we're going to tackle one of the world's problems, I wish to heck it wasn't adding to one of the world's other problems. *grumble, grumble*

[Raphael]

Personally, it irks me that they're putting the onus on the 'small guy' to make these changes. Yes, everything we do helps, and all that...but, really, what good is me changing 3 lightbulbs in my house, if a company, like IBM or Xerox or Walmart, is wasting electricity worldwide? (I'm not saying they are, those were just the first three companies that popped into my head)

[Leonardo]

No one can get through the world without killing something (be it even just germs or bugs or plants) or destroying things (such as eating an apple or lettuce). My gripe is to agree about the "do gooder" aspect when what's replacing "the problem" isn't really any better.

[Ninjara]

I'm not sure I follow you, Leo.....but I think what you're saying is it's some sort of yin-yang thing, right?  No good without evil, two sides to everything,.......right?
  And as long as one is working toward the banner of Good, eventually the scales will tip, and Bad will be a lesser thing?  Sort of?

    I see that aspect too.

    I dunno.  I had to vent.  After reading the back of the box.....because it wasn't posted anywhere on the front.....and given my idealistic bent.....

    On the other hand.....as a kid I used to break open thermometers and play with the mercury that came out of them.   And nothing happened.....
   Uh, well, nothing that I can point a finger to anyway.  Unless it's my just being warped in general. lol

[Leonardo]

I'm saying people shouldn't just jump on things with the attitude of "I'm saving the environment" without having eyes open and being honest about things.

For example:
Oil or coal as a fuel source = bad.
Ethanol as a fuel source for instance, has some nasty byproducts.
Wind generators in some areas apparently can devastate migrating birds.
Hydroelectric often has impacts to fish and other animals, often means drastic changes to rivers....

Eating vegetables, good?
But be honest, because there's exploitation of workers, fertilizers and pesticides that end up in water sources going to the oceans or lakes, animals and bugs that get killed....

All we can do is make the best choices along the way, because there is no perfect solution to anything.
And that includes light bulbs that may burn longer and use less energy, but have mercury and so are worse as a waste product in the end.

And then there's the new thing of the canvas lunch bags made in China they gave out to kids and are now recalling because they have lead in them. To the point of even saying don't just throw them out, they're considered hazardous waste.....

whew!
Rant thread!!!

[Aignatius]

Not to mention people going out and buying more gas efficient cars when it actually takes more resources and pollution to build new cars... unless you already need a new car because the other is just plain worn out, it's going a bit backwards to trade the gas/diesel SUV in for a hybrid, so that you look eco-chic.

The solution that many have pointed out that makes the most sense to me is to just not consume so much. Turn off the lights when you leave a room, don't drive more than necessary, don't waste stuff. Americans are eventually going to have to learn to live more frugally because the earth may not be able to sustain the world's population if everyone lived like the average American.

[Aignatius]

In buying stuff, I was reminded of a comment somewhere of living "plastic-free".  So-- what does one use? Wood? Paper, metal, ceramic, stone, brick, animal hair, and textiles? And how does the environment sustain a growing population that might also choose to be plastic free? And in so making this choice, don't you have to throw away whatever plastic you currently have, including your car? That only makes sense if a few people do it, really. Like the communities that eschew personal material gain, like the Hutterites, or most modern conveniences, like the Amish... who prefer to live plainly.

I doubt anyone here will want to do that, because it involves getting rid of your action figures and DVDS, and so forth. Mm... nah. Not acceptable.  

Addendum: found the blog, which clarifies a number of things about this movement:
http://plasticfree.blogspot.com/

Can't say I agree with this person is saying some plastic is not biodegradable. All plastic breaks down, in fact everything breaks down if its exposed to the elements long enough. And in only a few years. The only problem I see with some plastics is the "outgassing" that happens with new stuff, it can cause breathing problems for some folks if it occurs in enclosed places.

[Leonardo]

It's a reminder than any idea taken to extremes, is...well...
extreme.

[Aignatius]

I suppose that sort of thing falls into the category of people who have too much time on their hands? Or something... it's all I can do to remember to turn lights off when I leave the room.