A Complete Waste of Space

I'm not a fan of the global warming liars, nor the "greenies". Mainly because their (alleged) good intentions end up going far beyond reality. A perfect example is CFL (Compact Flourescent Light) bulbs. Anyone who has a clue knows that all flourescent bulbs have mercury in them. Now I get that mercury in fish is a bad thing. The latest mandate from this administration is that all incandescent bulbs be phased out by 2014. Ok, I get that CFL's use less electricity and last longer. But their light output sucks in comparison. Buy a 100 watt bulb, both incandescent and CFL and tell me which produces brighter cleaner light.

Don't get me wrong, I'm running CFLs in the Master Bathroom. My fixture is big enuf that I have a whole bunch of bulbs so I can actually see. The color of the light could be better, especially since I prefer the clear incandescent bulbs' color and brightness. I have light fixtures low in each of my hallways and I tried the CFL's. Even the 150 watters don't light worth a damn. So I went back to 100 watt incandescents.

Now here's the part that I'm complaining about. How many people are going to recycle these bulbs? Home Depot has a recycling box inside so you can drop your bulbs in the box and have them (safely) disposed of. But what happens when they break? Or, how about when I changed 6 flourescent bulbs in my kitchen this A.M.? I have 3 48" double light fixtures in my kitchen, in a custom built light box. I like it bright in my kitchen when I'm working in it. The kitchen has a north facing window with a patio cover on the other side that 42' long. Even in the mid day summer sun the kitchen doesn't get bright enough to keep me from cutting off a finger when I'm cooking.

I checked the Home Depot box, it's 32 inches tall. These bad boys aren't going to fit:



So what are my options? For now, they'll go into the same box the new ones came out of. Hopefully while they're stored in the house I won't break one. But what comes next when I use the other 4 bulbs and the box is full of dead ones? I'll tell you what happens, the 48" box will fit nicely into my outside garbage can. They'll end up in a landfill, mercury and all. And that's what pisses me off. I was born and raised in Arizona, I have a little bit of an idea how important water is here (in the desert). Especially water without mercury in it. Home Depot won't take the bulbs.

We get a mandate from on high about how this or that will be better for the environment and in the not too distant future every housewife in America will be throwing CFL's into the trash, just like they did with their dead incandescent bulbs. And you ask why? Guys, how many of you see a throng of women in home improvement stores? Guys, how many of you are going to remember to take down a dead light bulb for recycling? Hell, I recently had to go to Compton California and I bought a really nice Estwing axe just in case someone needed cutting. I drove to Home Depot to buy bulbs this a.m. and my keys and wallet were on the counter right next to the axe, which I forgot......................

Get my point?

Rant off.

you're right, Ruggie, about the light thing. Environmentally responsible should include NOT dumping a bunch of toxins back into the environment after you've saved some electricity. Do I have an easy answer, no.
Good to see that rant mode can be turned off, though.....

Solar powered candles.
There, that was easy.

How about "solar" powered heaters for you R_D?

Lots of solar power around these parts, Fud. And yes, some folks do use it to heat their homes.

Must be very "cool" when ya got 3 feet of snow on the panels and a cloudy day.....

Hey Ruggie whats up with the poinsettia dude it almost looks pink this time of year she should be as red as red

My kitchen is now entirely LED.
LED "bulbs" in the first generation were nothing but expensive toys.
In two years they have made massive steps.
Still expensive though LED lights will replace everything
in a few years.
My kitchen is brighter with a total of 53 watts LED than
450+ of incandecent lights.

Problem here is it is a total of $250 worth of lights.
Life span is a big + at over 10,000 hours they
can last a lifetime of use.

LED and OLED are the future, just to expensive for now.

HH

fatman wrote:Hey Ruggie whats up with the poinsettia dude it almost looks pink this time of year she should be as red as red

The red one is out back, it's almost dead. That's what color that particular poinsettia is, they had yellow and orange ones as well. I typically don't buy stuff like that but I buy cuz my grandmother used to love them and she died this month, 6 years ago. They remind me of her and it makes me smile so I buy them.

fatman wrote:Hey Ruggie whats up with the poinsettia dude it almost looks pink this time of year she should be as red as red

At least he got rid of the ghay place mats from a couple years back.
Those had me questioning his "orientation" if ya know what I mean.