16th Street Forum

Question: How many years does it take an environmentalist to change a light bulb? Answer: Seven, but only if he's using energy-efficient compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. Though slightly more expensive, low-mercury CFL bulbs use less energy and last longer than standard light bulbs. Replace four standard bulbs with the CFL ones, and you'll prevent the emission of 5,000 pounds of carbon dioxide over the life of the bulbs, according to the Center for the New American Dream. The center, which has a "Turn the Tide" campaign (www.newdream.org/tttoffline/actions.php), also estimates that you'll save $100 on your energy bill over the same time period. Though consumers complained of the harsh quality of early CFL bulbs, more recent models have softened the light. A 25-watt CFL bulb emits the same amount of light as a standard 100-watt bulb. And these days, CFL bulbs are sold almost everywhere standard light bulbs are sold.

Comedienne Lily Tomlin tells a story about buying a wastebasket: "The cashier put it in a bag. I brought it home. I took it out of the bag. I crumpled up the bag and tossed it in the wastebasket." The joke works because of its absurdity -- Tomlin generates trash even as she buys a receptacle for the trash -- but also because it taps into a larger truth; each year Americans use an estimated 100 billion plastic shopping bags. Reusablebags.com, a Web site dedicated to reducing the use of disposable shopping bags, estimates that most plastic shopping bags wind up in landfills, where they take 1,000 years to decompose. So next time you're at the grocery store, consider bagging your goods in reusable canvas bags instead of paper or plastic. If you currently bring home 10 grocery bags each week that's a saving of 520 plastic bags each year.

Arsenic, mercury and lead are the kinds of toxins that lead to emergency phone calls to the poison control hotline, but did you know that they might also be in your old cell phone? The EPA estimates that 700 million cell phones containing 250,000 tons of toxic waste already have been discarded in American landfills. Next time you get a new cell phone, try donating your old one instead of tossing it. The National Zoo has partnered with Eco-Cell, a nonprofit based in Louisville, Ken., to collect visitors' unwanted cell phones, batteries and accessories. Eco-Cell will donate up to $15 to the Friends of the National Zoo for every working cell phone collected -- working phones will be refurbished and passed on to low-income people, while "dead" phones will be recycled according to EPA guidelines. Not planning a trip to the zoo? Call Eco-Cell at 888- 326-3357 or visit their Web site (www.eco-cell.org) to learn how to donate a phone.

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1. Get rid of stuff by giving it away via Freecycle (Freecycle DC is at groups.yahoo.com/group/FreecycleDC ). The Freecycle Network is an international collection of free listservs aimed at reducing landfill waste by making one person’s trash another person’s treasure.
   
2. Get rid of junk mail. A good place to start is by contacting the Direct Marketing Association to request that your name be placed on a “do-not-mail” file.
   
3. Visit the Green Guide (www.thegreenguide.com) to find environmentally friendly cleaning products.
   
4. Replace four standard bulbs with compact fluorescents, and you’ll prevent the emission of 5,000 pounds of carbon dioxide over the life of the bulbs, along with $100 on your energy bill.
   
5. Eliminate 20 miles of extra driving a week, by using public transport, consolidating errands, etc., to eliminate nearly 1,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
   
6. Skip the screensaver, which is actually an energy waster. Instead set your computer to “sleep mode” so that the screen goes blank when not in use. Or better yet, turn off your monitor. “Smith University estimates that 30 monitors set to sleep mode represent a reduction in emissions and energy consumption equal to taking one car off the road.”
   

# posted by Lee J Rickard @ 12:34 PM