Chances are you've heard a lot about global warming and environmentalism of late, but it's also likely a lot of that information was focused either on scaring you into paralysis or putting doubt in your mind as to whether there is even a problem. I aim to do neither of these things. Rather, my goal is to provide simple tips, suggestions, and information for the curious conservationists like myself who would like to be doing something to help but may not know exactly what.

One energy-saver that you have probably already heard of is the Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb, or CFL. There have been several news reports claiming the mercury in these bulbs is highly dangerous. These reports cite the story of a broken bulb in a child's bedroom that resulted in a cleanup costing several thousand dollars. Though bulbs have been broken and costly cleanups have been suggested as a remedy, it has been admitted that those suggestions were misinformed and incorrect. The amount of mercury in a CFL is less than that found in a common thermometer and, while dangerous if inhaled or ingested, is not as frightening as such stories would have you believe. It is interesting to note, also, the amount of mercury emitted into the air by a coal power plant to light a regular bulb is greater than both the mercury used to light a CFL over the same time period and the mercury contained in the bulb combined, though regulations will reduce the former in the coming years. Should you break a bulb, Energy Star (a joint program between the Dept. of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency) offers simple cleanup instructions on their website (http://www.energystar.gov).

Unfortunately, the presence of mercury in the bulb does mean that you should not throw the bulbs away as you might a normal bulb, making disposal an issue. However, there are at least 6 free drop-off sites for mercury-containing items in Cuyahoga County, and many services for which you can pay. For more info on the drop-off sites, contact the County Solid Waste District at 216-443-3749.

According to Energy Star, CFLs use one-third the energy of a typical bulb and last approximately ten times as long! While the bulbs may appear initially more expensive they will, in fact, save money in the long run. Not only will you be saving money by buying fewer bulbs, but the more efficient bulbs will cost you less on your electricity bill as well. Thus, One Billion Bulbs (an online site that aims to educate people about CFLs and tracks members' bulb changes in a quest to reach one billion, http://www.onebillionbulbs.com) estimates that each bulb replaced will be equivalent to $10.95 saved per year, based on energy prices in the area last year and an average use of four hours per day. And, for the environment, the bulb will result in 156.6 fewer pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to 1% of a car or 2% of an acre of forest. Similarly, Home Depot estimates that a bulb will pay for itself within ten months and save $45 in energy costs over its lifetime.

This might sound like a small impact, but consider the results if each household in Lakewood changed one regular lightbulb to a CFL. One bulb changed by each of our approximately 26,500 households would result in a savings of $290,175 per year, while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 4,619,700 pounds (the equivalent of removing 265 cars or adding 530 acres of forest). Now consider what would happen if each household changed ALL of their bulbs: Our city alone could achieve results equivalent to removing more than a thousand cars from the road or planting several thousand acres of forest and save more than a million dollars!

With this in mind, there is a Lakewood, OH group on onebillionbulbs.com that everyone is encouraged to join: http://www.onebillionbulbs.com/Group/LakewoodOH. For every member of the group who posts their purchases of CFLs, the site will calculate the savings both in dollars and in carbon dioxide since the installation of the bulb and will add it to the total for the city so that we can see our progress.