I recently discovered a new Yahoo site called “18 Seconds.Org“, but it is probably easier to get there by going to http://green.yahoo.com. The site is designed to encourage people to switch their incandescent bulbs compact fluorescent bulbs to save energy and money.

Thanks to Paul Stamatiou for pointing this out. As a right-wing conservative, you might already think I’m betraying the cause by pointing this out, but I don’t think so. Here’s why.

I really like the way Yahoo put this together. Very steady and careful. They explain the danger of the mercury in CFL bulbs and how to dispose of them properly. They picked an environmental issue that now allows for actual cost savings immediately (rather than theoretical savings over a 10-year period - as with solar panels). They picked an issue that even people of a modest income can take part in (read: you don’t have to buy a $25,000 Prius). And they do it in a communal way to encourage people to take pride in their community at the local level.

As a conservative, I’m all for realistic energy-savings, which is why I support off-shore drilling in Alaska and Florida, windfarms (even in upscale coastal areas - sorry, rich people), nuclear power, and legislative mandates to force large fleets (like commercial city bus lines) to use methanol and other fuel-alternatives. Just in case you are wondering about that last one, most city bus lines are subsidized by the government anyway. I wouldn’t support mandates against wholly-private fleets, but would support mandates that give government subsidies (or equivalent tax breaks) to private fleets to encourage them to convert their heavy equipment to better fuel alternatives.

Having said that, I don’t support the “SUV’s equal Satan” movement in this country, or buying an overpriced vehicle that has the power of a golf cart. I’ve noted that some of the new hybrids are starting to at least resemble a car - in terms of power and performance. We’ll get there someday.

Why do I support these energy-saving things? Have I gone green? Am I going to join Al Gore in some kind of eco-quest to save the world? No way.

But, I do think the United States should become as independent from foreign oil as soon as possible. The best way to do that is to reduce energy consumption at home quickly. Some fruits on the left throw out loopy ideas like riding bicycles everywhere, or everyone buying 40mpg vehicles. But that isn’t in the world of reality.

That’s why I like Yahoo’s push for CFL bulbs. I personally hadn’t realized that they had improved so much from when they first came out. I’ll be replacing almost all the incandescent bulbs in my home this month with CFL’s. The exception will be my reading lamps - reading under a fluorescent for a lengthy period of time can be bad for you. I exclusively use GE’s Reveal bulbs for reading.

The only negative thing on Yahoo’s new site is their auspicious claim that using CFL will reduce global warming, by reducing greenhouse emissions that would have been burned by coal. Sure, burning less coal will reduce emissions, but throwing in the junk science and alarmist trend of global warming is an eye-roller for those in the know. Their arguments for switching are plenty strong without resorting to eco-terror, and unproven terror at that.

Technorati tags: energy, lightbulbs, environment, ecology, power, electricity, saving money
Posted in: Saving Money