I try...I really try. I drive a hybrid, have a metal energy saver roof, recycle almost everything, use cloth shopping bags, mulch and compost my yard waste and ...well, you get the idea.

And then something like this comes along!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=e-LOtKIIKcg

 

I find it funny that most thing that we think of as going green...actually hurt the environment more. Time had an article on various "green" measures and how their intentions actually harmed the environment. We need to use some common sense.

 

Like most 'green' problems, the issue is very complicated and requires a great deal of study to determine a best approach. 'Common sense' says that replacing an incandescent bulb with a CFL that contains mercury is a bad idea. Well how bad of an idea is it to use 5 times the energy over a 10 year period? What's the relative environmental impact of the production and disposal of a single CFL? Speaking of environmental impact, how do you compare mercury to air pollution of coal power plants? Cost to clean up? The area of effect? The threat level?

These aren't easy questions to answer and few people have the expertise to do the analysis. I doubt common sense would come up with the best plan. If it could, we probably wouldn't be in trouble in the first place.

 

fyi, i switched my house to cfl (a while ago). I am refering to other great ideas such as ethanol...what a waste of effort, when there are better alternatives.

 

We have been using these bulbs and tubs for years and now all of a sudden we find they have mercury in them. What has happened over the years to these old bulbs? It is like this for alot of things, pay a fee for disposal , but no place to take it! H

 

If it true that these bulbs are only produced in China and will be required for eveyone to use I think it's pathetic and incomprehensible. I know I'd pay a little more for something that is American made.

 

Nuclear power.

 

Mind you, he didn't say incandescent bulbs were made in the US. It is just fun to point out when we're buying things made in China.

It is also a little short sighted to want to exclusively buy American. You need to remember that our mortgage market is being propped up by foreign investment from Asia. If we don't buy their products, they can't invest in us.

 

I never said I wanted to buy exclusively American. Basically my statement was if our only option was from purchasing ONLY from China that I would pay a little more for a product if it was made in the US. I don't have a problem with foreign investment as I make sure to have a portion of my retirement portfolio invested in foreign investments.

It is absolutely absurd to require the US population to purchase an item that is only manufactured in a country where our foreign relations are not exactly the most stable.

 

I think "going green" is just the newest thing and people are finally getting the fact we waste so much here in the US. I mean........you would not have to worry about "going green" if you had been practicing all these things all along. If we as Americans just didn't waste or be typical "consumers", we would all be better off. It's really just that simple. It shouldn't take gas to reach $4/gal, "global warming" or numerous other issues that have been around for many years to bring about change. It is something that should encompass everything we do, all the time. It doesn't just mean driving a hybrid...........it's really how you live your life everyday that counts.