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"It's Not Easy Being Green"
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At this point I'm actively praying that re-incarnation does not exist. After watching Frontline and Nova this week about global warming and the relatively unknown whopper global dimming, our government's inaction (both the Democrats and Republicans) has me once again disgusted and depressed.
"They didn't know back then that lead in paint was bad for you" or "they didn't know that aerosol sprays would create holes in the ozone layer". Well, to any person of the future living in Road Warrior/ Waterworld-esque conditions due to our disregard of this planet, if your computers are still functioning and you can find this post from years gone by, I've got disappointing news for you: WE DO KNOW about global warming and most of us aren't doing anything about it because we might not be here to get hit with the really bad stuff, you will.
Sheryl Crow is my hero for the week. I've always dug her music, and this month she went on a tour of college campuses with Laurie David to speak about global warming to try and rally the youngins. Brava Brava!
So... I've always hated fluorescent lighting. My lair is dark with a lot of colored lights and such, but I just broke down and bought a bunch of fluorescent bulbs for the few brighter spots in my pad and I have to tell you, they're not bad. They've really improved on the quality of the bulbs quite a bit.
OK everybody, here's your super easy Assignment Green for this week: replace two incandescent light bulbs with five dollar fluorescents. If a vampire like me doesn't turn to ashes, neither will you. Like Sheryl says, A Change Would Do You Good.
The Spin I'm In: It's So Easy Being Greener |
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Another Green World |
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Dr. Greenthumb |
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Green Door |
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Green Onions |
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Heaven Is a Place On Earth |
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Green |
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Green River |
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A Change Would Do You Good |
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Spotlight
Donita!
Rock and Roll!
Donita — The Kermit song was one of my all-time faves as a kid. Thanks so much for the enormous smile. :)
I been switching to flourescents as my old bulbs die, but I have to say, I think my house is getting darker.
Green Earrings ~ Steely Dan
Why doesn’t Bush just sign that funding bill and then put one of his stupid signing statements on the bottom saying that he doesn’t have to listen to the law anyway?
Already there, Donita! We’ve replaced most of our high-use bulbs with CFLs. And there’s been a noticeable difference in the electric bill.
Here’s another thing you can do: Wash your clothes in warm or (better yet) cold water. Along with the oven and the air conditioner, your hot-water heater is the biggest energy hog in your house. (Besides, if you use cold water and dry ‘em flat, you’ll find that you can easily wash a lot of things, such as fine woolens, that are normally considered “dry clean only”.)
Lou Costello @ 5
and “Greenflower Street”
I’m moving again later this year and when I move I am replacing all the bulbs in the new home with fluorescents. My brother recently switched to them and he saw a drop in his electric bill.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 3
Hi Christy- I’m such a softie. That song always makes me cry.
Phoenix Woman at 7 — We got a “blanket” for our water heater and it has made a world of difference for us in the winter. Our basement gets cold, but the banket realy helps to hold the temperature constant without any extra energy expenditure. You can find them at Lowe’s or Home Depot. (Plus, we do wash a lot in cold water, too.)
OH BOY!
I love this song. Sesame Street came to TV the last year I was in high school, I think.
Now if I could find the Bert and Ernie song about the lambies….
Georgesimian @ 4
I’ve been doing this too and I haven’t really noticed that much difference. The only difference I’ve noticed is that the “color” of the light in the room is more blue with flourescents. I think you get more of a yellow or orange glow from the old incandescent ones. I don’t mind the change at all…and more importantly the wife hasn’t complained!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Yc93s4ZWA0
“Think About
> Your Troubles”
I have recently been switching over to compact fluorescents. One local store sells a 4 pack of 60 watt equivalents for $10. As GS in #4 says above, they don’t really seem to be as bright as a 60 watt bulb, though thats fine for some lights. At the grocery store, the cost goes up a lot as the watts go up. I wound up getting some 75 watt and 100 watt equivalents off ebay for a similar $2 each with shipping. IMHO they are also a bit dimmer than 75 watters and 100 watter. Dunno if the different wavelengths make similar lumens seem less effective. Regardless, start switching over and don’t be surprised if you need to move the “equivalent” wattage up a bit. I think the “100 watt” CFs are still only 23 watts.
Flourescents are a little tricky. They take an extra second or two to come on, and then another ten seconds to get up to full speed. Mrs. Zhiv doesn’t have that kind of patience and likes to turn on the battery of make-up incandescents instead, and turning off lights isn’t really in her skill set either, so it’s an interesting transition.
But the big thing to highlight (hmm) with flourescents is DISPOSAL. They last a long time, yes, but they contain mercury and you shouldn’t throw them in the trash. Very important to get the word out on this, as the effort picks up steam. Hopefully by the time this new giant generation of lights burns out 5-8 years from now people will get it. One of my first batch of CFs just went out and I was carrying it around last week like it was radioactive, and still haven’t figured out what to do with it.
Phoenix Woman @ 7
These tips are great. I want to incorporate more Assignment Greens into my posts.
Green Day - Brain Stew
I switched two regular bulbs plus four task-lights to flourescent sometime back, and I’m waiting for them to go out before replacing the overhead lights in the other two bedrooms (since I only use those when I’m cleaning anyway)..but I still hate the “feeling” I get from flourescents. I’m one of those people who opens every curtain in the house first thing in the morning, I NEED the light - I’d live in an ALL GLASS HOUSE if it was possible.
Has ANYONE found a flourescent bulb that really DOES look like sunlight? Please let me know, because if I ever find one, I’ll happily change every single lightbulb in my house!
Nothing but flourescents (squigglies, as they’re known locally) in our house, save for one tiny bulb in the attic.
The squiggs really dropped our electric bill down. They do make my skin twitch a little, though…;)
“Green is the Color”-Pink Floyd
Shouldn’t it be Green Floyd then?
zhiv @ 16
Some local recycling, I would expect, should take them away. If not, try http://www.lightbulbrecycling.com/
Marie Roget says:
(squigglies, as they’re known locally)
Love it…gonna use it!
Atikar @ 13
I think those wattage comparisons are what screwed me. And my wife HAS complained.
zhiv @ 16
Hmm, interesting dilemma.I didn’t know about that.
RonD @ 21
Yo RonD,
What album is that on?
A new Floyd song is not something I expected to learn on FDL today…
Georgesimian:
And my wife HAS complained.
Ask her if she wants the terrorists to win! /snark
Actually, I’ve told my wife that we’ll save money for buying more shoes and that worked pretty well.
maunga @ 35
Wasn’t there a movie about that?
CA requires that 50% of all wattage in kitchen remodels be provided by “high efficacy luminaires”, i.e. fluorescent. This translates to less more than 50% of light fixtures being incandescent, due to the wattage differential.
Al Green!
When I saw the title of the post, I thought it was going to be a riff on how the Chimpenfuhrer looked on TV this morning during his presser with the Japanese PM, given that his podium, jacket and hair were all the same shade of green…
On Green Dolphin Street - Bill Evans
egregious @
22
EPU’d from below in case you missed it:
POETS’Day = P*ss On Everything Tomorrow’s SaturDay. :})
Green Door — from 1957!
Check out The Veils — Barry Andrews’ (XTC) son. They are touring for a month from June7!!
Donita
what a relief. I think I’ll choose to go flourescent over the “one square a day” lol
From the wayback machine;
Green Tambourine
By: The Lemon Pipers
(Leka - Pinz)
1968
Drop your silver in my tambourine
Help a poor man fill a pretty dream
Give me pennies, I’ll take anything
Now listen while I play
My green tambourine
Watch the jingle jangle start to shine
Reflections of the music that is mine
When you toss a coin you’ll hear it sing
Now listen while I play
My green tambourine
Drop a dime before I walk away
Any song you want I’ll gladly play
Money feeds my music machine
Now listen while I play
My green tambourine
Listen and I’ll play . . .
?Que pasa, Green-go?
dakine01 @ 34
In its original form it was Piss Off Early, Tomorrow’s Saturday, and kiddos it is F-L-U-O-R-E-S-C-E-N-T. We are not Bushies here…… so we do not say Nuclular either.
“it’s not easy being green” always makes me cry… :^(
Green Green
The New Christy Minstrels
Written by Minstrel members Barry McGuire and Randy Sparks
Peaked at # 14 in 1963
CHORUS
(Green, green, it’s green they say)
(On the far side of the hill)
(Green, green, I’m goin’ away)
(To where the grass is greener still)
a-Well I told my mama on the day I was born
“Dontcha cry when you see I’m gone”
“Ya know there ain’t no woman gonna settle me down”
“I just gotta be travelin’ on”
a-Singin’
CHORUS
Nah, there ain’t nobody in this whole wide world
Gonna tell me to spend my time
I’m just a good-lovin’ ramblin’ man
Say, buddy, can ya spare me a dime?
Hear me cryin’, it’s a
CHORUS
Yeah, I don’t care when the sun goes down
Where I lay my weary head
Green, green valley or rocky road
It’s there I’m gonna make my bed
Easy, now
I think fluorescent lightbulbs are an excellent demonstration of how energy efficiency can also make economic sense. Starting years ago, I’d buy a couple fluorescents to replace high-use bulb areas in my house…at the time they were $12 or so each, and the light wasn’t great, but I just liked them better than buying, replacing, and throwing out a serious of incandescents.
Now, geez, I can get a 4-pack of 60-W equivalents from Home Depot for just over eight bucks. That’s all that’s in my house now. To amuse myself, I write the date I installed them on the base, so when I have to replace it I’ll know how long it’s been there.
“Green Day” by Green Day, of course!
nicelyput @ 36
I know! I was pretty shocked when I heard about Sheryl Crow’s plea to use one square of TP per bathroom visit. I was thinking, wow, now THAT’s dedication. Turns out she was “only joking my dear”.
Kestrel Bright Eyes asks about “sunlight” flourescents. I don’t recall much selection among compact fluorescents. There are a few different “color” standard fluorescent bulbs at the home supply places. An industrial supply (MSC or McMaster Carr), or possibly a graphics supply, will have a much larger selection.
I love the light emitted by those fluo bulbs, easier on this readers eyes.
The same handling care you give to Halogen lamps bulbs should be given to the twisty bulb, oil and acids on your fingers will decay the glass.
I’m also looking At Ms. Crow in a different light, her Rove/touching incident, and her succulent “I am teh people” retort made my week. Being an old “prog” fan, the whole Kevin Gilbert/Crow thing still resonnates.
The Veils are an interesting sounding band.
Okay, it’s Friday and it’s been a long week…time to ROCK IT OUT!
Crank up some GREEN DAY!
Don’t want to be an American idiot.
Don’t want a nation under the new media
And can you hear the sound of hysteria?
The subliminal mind fuck America.
Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alien nation.
Where everything isn’t meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We’re not the ones who’re meant to follow.
For that’s enough to argue.
Well maybe I’m the faggot America.
I’m not a part of a redneck agenda.
Now everybody do the propaganda.
And sing along to the age of paranoia.
Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alien nation.
Where everything isn’t meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We’re not the ones who’re meant to follow.
For that’s enough to argue.
Don’t want to be an American idiot.
One nation controlled by the media.
Information age of hysteria.
It’s calling out to idiot America.
Welcome to a new kind of tension.
All across the alien nation.
Where everything isn’t meant to be okay.
Television dreams of tomorrow.
We’re not the ones who’re meant to follow.
For that’s enough to argue.
Long time lurker, first post: We are switching as the old burn up. I also have a difficult transition to the slower starting, but my bride will never get into it.
OT but has anyone ever attended a committee meeting of any kind without a printed agenda and a set of minutes printed after the meeting? How can high power (or so they think they are) attorneys meet and have none of the above to document their time and billable hours? Someone should ask Gonzo why he would allow such sloppy work.
Bush had green hair today on C-Span and it wasn’t even St. Patrick’s Day.
maunga @ 39
The version I have is how I first learned it. First Friday I was in tech school in the USAF, instructor came in and wrote POETS’Day on blackboard. We all looked at each other. We looked at the folks who had been in the real AF and were cross-training, and no one knew what it meant. Then he told us and we cracked up. Been using it ever since.
Neil’s Greendale too.
Re: mercury in CFLs
From General Electric’s FAQs:
There is currently no substitute for mercury in CFLs; however, manufacturers have taken significant steps to reduce mercury used in their fluorescent lighting products over the past decade.
I looked it up because I’d just posted an item about changing bulbs from incandescent to CFL and somebody asked in the comments.
We switched over to the CFL’s this past year. I don’t know what other people are saying about less brightness. The ones we’re using, Phillips 60W, are blinding! Also, no lag. Flip the switch, they’re on. I used to have bulbs in all three of my office’s ceiling fan lights. Not anymore! One is enough!
Big drop in our electric bills since we switched.
We replaced our ac system a couple of years ago with a much more efficient model, and not just energy-wise. It works so much better that we can set the thermostat higher in the summer and still be comfortable. In the winter, we can eschew using heat more often than not (an advantage to living in South TX). Most of the time, the house gets plenty warm by noon from the sun alone, and stays warm into the early part of the night. We usually run the heat only then, and turn it off in the a.m. If we run it at all. I sleep better when it’s on the cool side, anyway.
The combination of the new ac unit and better thermostat use gave us a sizeable drop in electric bills. It’s been enough that the savings will cover the cost of the unit in a year or two. Yes, it made that much of a difference.
So a few painless changes have actually saved us a ton of money. Can’t argue with that.
Rob in Akron @ 49
Lurk no more baby!
dakine01 @ 51
Did they teach you the dying cockroach too?
KestrelBrighteyes @ 19
There are many types of flourescent bulbs;
White, White-Bright, White-Cool,White-Daylight, White-Neutral, White-Soft, White-Warm.
Use the Google to find out more.
raven @ 41
I ass-u-me that is the same Barry McGuire from Eve of Destruction fame? The one joined with McGuinn in the Mama and Papas song Crique Alley?
?
Donita Sparks @
44
There’s an old Army joke about how to use one sheet to save TP.
Linkmeister @ 53
I knew Lieberman was toxic, but this seals the deal.
raven @
56
Missed that one, I’ll bite…
Georgesimian @ 6
The flourescent lights and mention of Bush reminds me of the opening scenes of Joe and the Volcano. Joe Hedaya is sitting in a windowless office at one of those hideous metal desks, barking at the phone. Meg Ryan is “typing” on a manual typewriter hunt and peck style.
Hedaya: “I know he can get the job, but can he do the job? I did not say that. I did not say that. If I had said that I would be wrong. I know he can get the job…”
We know Bush can get the job…
dakine01 @ 51
Man. My tech school didn’t teach that. Which one did you attend? I was at Keesler.
Funniest work acronym I ever had was when I worked at Lockheed Missle & Space Command = LMSC. We said it stood for Let’s Make Some Coffee. It was apt. More apt than I care to admit.
Best job I ever had, bar none.
Bustednuckles @ 59
Dying cockroach (sorry PETA): (upper and lower abs) Lie flat on your back with your legs straight, heels just off the ground, and arms extended above your head. (Be careful not to arch your lower back.) Lift your legs while simultaneously raising your chest and reaching for your toes (your body makes a “V”shape). Return to starting position.
Looks like Abramoff gave up JD Hayworth, according to TPM. He’s from my alma mater and spoke at my graduation. Wasn’t really polically aware at the time, but he really bugged me then.
ABC and a some msgop talking heads were repeating gooper spin -
Democratic candidates flew to the debate in private planes they are green hypocrites.
LJ/Aquaria @ 64
Shepherd AFB, Wichita Falls in early ‘77. Accounting & Finance school
dakine01 @ 60
I’m affraid to ask, but sock it to me.
Missed that one, I’ll bite…
My DI didn’t miss it!
Donita Sparks @ 69
Ha. Rangers
zig alert
LCD lighting is highly efficient(more so than florescent bulbs) and long lived. Right now it is very expensive so it is on used in very high end decors but this is mainly a manufacturing scale-up issue. My (wild ass) guess is that the actual toxic content of the LCD’s is very low although I do not know what the toxic or energy requirements of their manufacture is. If these two issues end up making LCD lighting look clean this might be an interesting area where direct government intervention might make sense. Tax credits, code requirements, research funding could bring the costs down rapidly and have a big impact.
Hi T-Sorry for the delay. “Green is the Colr is on the album “More” (1969)
LJ/Aquaria @ 64
One of my coworkers at Lockheed told me when the company was called Lockheed Aeronautican Systems Company (LASC - pronounced lassie) he submitted a logo for the company with Lassie on it.
I bought 6 fo 20$ canadian and while they look horrible kind of like office lights but I’m committed and will get used to them -
I’m convinced that the only way to bring about real change is to force corporations to be good citizens like the rest of us - who here has ever gotten away with not paying a parking ticket? last I heard, exxon still hadn’t paid for the Valdez spill - if you or I had not paid our parking tickets since 1989 we would be in jail - crimianls and venal, greedy people are pocketing the nation’s wealth for their own purposes - 10% own 70% of everything - that ain’t right but how do you fight them? they own the media and can shovel propaganda about global warming and obscure the issues endlessly - and they have the current admin in their pocket!
I know-Preview is my friend. “Green is the Color” is on the album “More”.
Not in this lifetime Bud.
*g*
Former GOP rep. from AZ, tomato head J.D. Hayworth is next under the Abramoff Bus.
Fish in a barrel now that Gonzales has been neutralized.
-GSD
Donita Sparks @ 69 offers a laugh-in moment:
Take one sheet TP. Fold it in half then fold it again. Should now be a small square. Tear a little piece off the square at the corner where the solid line of paper meets the fold. Save the pice torn off as it is important for later.
Open the sheet and there should be a hole in the center. Stick bird finger through hole. Use finger to clean self, then pull sheet over finger cleaning it. Use the little piece torn off previously to clean finger nail.
I told ya it was an Army joke…
GSD @
79
He needed the facelift money.
Bustednuckles @ 78
I pulled that off runners world, for us it was actually the bicycle thing where you went up on your shoulders and elbows and peddled (sp).
GSD @ 79
Isn’t it interesting that the name “Gonzales” has become a pundit slur? Against Dems? (slapping of hand on forehead.)
Instead of watts, you should be checking out lumens, which is the measurement of brightness (not watts, which is energy used). Also, if you want your light to resemble incandescant, you should look for the temperature in Kelvin, which measures the color temperature. 2700 is good for that. If you want cool/blue, go for 5000. It seems that every lamp sold has a different configuration, so it’s worth your time to check them out.
To replace these incandescents use:
100 watt = 1650 lumens = 25-30watts
75 watt = 1375 lumens = 19-25w
60 watt = 1100 lumens = 15-20w
On daylight fluorescents:
The best ones I’ve seen that are affordable and available are Ott-Lites. The commonest are 13W, which you can find at Office Dep*t at a good price, along with lots of lamps that will take the bulbs (you don’t need a brand-name fixture). They’re advertised in needlework magazines a lot, and they do make a difference. (They make high-intensity incandescents look like candlelight!)
dakine01 @ 80
Take one sheet TP. Fold it in half then fold it again. Should now be a small square. Tear a little piece off the square at the corner where the solid line of paper meets the fold. Save the pice torn off as it is important for later.
Open the sheet and there should be a hole in the center. Stick bird finger through hole. Use finger to clean self, then pull sheet over finger cleaning it. Use the little piece torn off previously to clean finger nail.
I told ya it was an Army joke…
Roger that.
raven @ 71
I learned it at ROTC summer camp ‘73, but it was from a Ranger instructor.
The real problem here is no longer the usa. China is now the leading poluter partly because of industry moving there to aviod enviromental laws here. We all share the same air eventualy so any fix has to include every country on the planet. This was the major flaw in the kyoto treaty. That and the fact that almost no country on the planet has been able to meet its demands.
OT: In response to a question if his investigation conflicts with those of Congress Scott Block is making the claim that his office is the only office with jurisdiction over Hatch Act violations. his claim is that for this reason there is no conflict. However, it sounds like setting the stage for stonewalling some of Waxman’s investigations.
Donita: I fixed it.
All my bulbs are CFLs and it’s really cool to know I am spending one sixth on lighting my house and that chances are I won’t have to replace one of those bulbs for 10 years.
Can we not afford to cut the energy we use for light five sixths?
dakine01 @ 87
There were times when one piece would have been nice.
I can’t be the only one who’s been doing most of these energy-saving, clean water- saving, recycling and conserving actions since the late 60’s, can I?
KestrelBrighteyes @ 19
Yes — Try Ott Lites, they’re ‘Full Spectrum’ fluorescent bulbs. They’re recommended for those who do embroidery and beading.
I told ya it was an Army joke
I 1st heard this from a russian who laughed as he told me but assured me this is essentially what was done on the eastern front during the war - although not a sheet of TP but rather a mall square of cardboard - Igor thought it was all about Russian ingenuity all the way down to cleaning the crap from out under the fingernail -
Fluorescents are great and they are all I use. However, they have to be disposed of properly, at least here in CA. A new law was passed in February 2006 which makes it illegal for California residents and businesses to throw away fluorescent bulbs in the trash. The purpose of the law is to keep toxic mercury and heavy metals from entering our air and water.
I would suggest mailing used ones to the Bush Brush Ranch if you have no other disposal options.
Light up! I actually found my linky to Joe and the Volcano. Interestingly it was uploaded only just last month. Perhaps by one of you firepups or another American in need of levity during these headline heavy days. enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z6qRuKlKVY
Has anyone read about this anywhere else? Is this accurate? I don’t like the image and I would hope that the dems would have more sense.
2008 Candidates Rely on Private Jets
By JIM KUHNHENN
Associated Press Writer
April 26, 2007, 6:44 PM EDT
WASHINGTON — A flock of small jets took flight from Washington Thursday, each carrying a Democratic presidential candidate to South Carolina for the first debate of the political season.
For Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama, Chris Dodd and Joe Biden, it was wheels up shortly after they voted in favor of legislation requiring that U.S. troops begin returning home from Iraq in the fall.
No one jet pooled, no one took commercial flights to save money, fuel or emissions.
All but Biden, who flew on a private jet, chartered their flights — a campaign expense of between $7,500 and $9,000.
(continues)
Another way to save energy is to construct a house underground. Im not kidding. The earth itself will insulate you. Of course this doesn’t work for track housing, but there are designs out there for houses that look more like bunkers than homes. BONUS, you survive the nuclear war. :-)
sumpl @ 93
I was born in the late 60’s so I cannot claim to have been doing these things since then…however…I have been doing them since Jimmy Carter told us all to put on a sweater and turn off that light [Remember Jimmy?]