"It ain't easy being green"

[Wowza]

Okay, here's my $.02.

I've worked as an auto insurance adjuster and have been to several tow yards where vehicles are covered in crime scene tape and blood and gore are still readily visible and easily smelled. To Tim's point, right after people learn about being a pedestrian, they should be required to walk around a tow yard like that and look at all the damage, in terms of vehicles, and in human lives affected.

As a cyclist here in the great state of Texas, I know what its like to fear for my life while on two wheels. Reflective vests are great, but I don't think it's a matter of being seen. Cars and trucks see us just fine, they just may not care about splattering a biker. I've taken to wearing an American flag cycling jersey. That way, I get those rednecks where it hurts. They have to think about the benefit of bagging points for getting a cyclist vs. the hell they'd have to pay for desecrating a flag.

[tim]

Originally Posted by Jolly Well

Well said. the hit and run tape thats been on the news all weekend is sickening - where the two cars are flying down the wrong side of the road until one of them hits a 70+ year old man at full speed - without stopping...

Operation Lifesaver, an educational program of the railroad industry uses some VERY effective actual video of trains hitting people to get the point across about rail safety.

Victim is paralysed from neck down (last I heard) and no arrests in the hit & run (also as of my last update)...

All too typical.

[Jolly Well]

Here is the link to the news about hit & run. Pretty disturbing after the fact, as nobody even went to the old man who was hit - rather going about their way all the while navigating around him.

Chief: 'We No Longer Have Moral Compass' - Connecticut News Story - WFSB Hartford

[Sir Toony Van Dukes]

I can't give up the car. I live 8 miles from work, which theoretically is close enough to bike, but the only roads that connect my community to the larger metro DC area are major roads without sidewalks. There is no way I want to ride my bike along side cars going 55mph (assuming they obey the speed limit)

Last spring, I put my deposit on the smart fortwo. At the time, I had a 25 mile commute and really considered it more a novelty than a way to go green. After switching jobs, I began to think I wouldn't need the car, but when gas prices started going back up, I knew it would be a way to save money. I still have my Trailblazer, but put most of my miles on the fortwo which gets 2.5 times better miles per gallon.

An electric car might be nice, but I don't think they are practical yet. I don't think any of our electrisity comes from hydro, wind, or solar yet. The batteries are still expensive and I am sure they have issues with disposal when they wear out.

I was surprised to hear that the new green light bulbs contain mercury and are considered a toxic spill if they break. In my mind, that doesn't sound like the best, green solution.

[tim]

I don't like green light.

We need communities which are more walkable, less spread out, and which don't require driving a distance to get everywhere. If nothing else, I imagine that the rising gas prices will eventually move us in this direction.

[Sassy Frass]

On the other hand gas prices could decline after the presidential election.....?

[Markie]

Toony, I get tired of hearing about the mercury issue with CFL lamps.I think there are lots of good reasons why CFL is not the future. Mercury is not one of them

They do contain mercury, yes. Any fluorescent or neon lamp does. Mercury is what produces the main light in them, the fluorescent phosphors turn that mercury line in to other colors of visible light. That's the basic principle of the fluorescent lamp.

The amount of mercury for this is MINIMAL. One broken fluorescent lamp does not equal an environmental hazard. It does need to be carefully cleaned up, but not THAT carefully - the broken glass and phosphor coatings are also risks here. Handle with care.

Disposal of fluorescent lamps (and ideally, ANY lamp) should be by recycling it. The mercury (and all other components) can be reclaimed in this way. On the other hand, if you live in an area powered by coal-fired power, the mercury emissions from producing an extra 50W of electricity over the service life of a fluorescent lamp are GREATER than the mercury in a fluorescent lamp and that mercury is a direct environmental release that cannot be reclaimed.

*NOW WHY I DON'T BELIEVE SELF-BALLASTED DROP-IN CFLS ARE THE ANSWER*

1. They're cheap and you get what you pay for. They generally produce poor quality light. The color temperature isn't ideal, the spectral energy distribution curve is very uneven, and the color rendition is poor. It's a step above the old cool white lamps, but inferior to good lamp technology... including good fluorescent tech.

2. Most aren't dimmable. Even the ones with dimmable ballasts don't look natural when dimmed, because unlike black body sources they don't drop in color temperature (get "warmer") as they dim.

3. They aren't suitable for fully enclosed fixtures - they overheat and fail prematurely.

4. They aren't suitable for cold-area operation - they take far too long to warm up and produce light.

5. They're too big.

They have appropriate applications, and I use them where they're appropriate. I also use encapsulated halogen (including the more efficient IR-halogen when available) where appropriate, and conventional fluorescent lighting where appropriate. I am looking at adding cold cathode fluorescent lighting and LED lighting to my house too. All these technologies can be used in harmony as part of a balanced, aesthetically pleasing, energy efficient lighting plan.

"Ban the bulb" type deals and mass conversion to self-ballasted CFLs are a bad thing; but not because of mercury. Because they don't work well or look good in many applications.

[saphireSue]

For years I worked with brain injury patients [45% are MVA].. instead of taking people to car lots to look after the aftermath, takem to rehab. and see what it takes to rebuild a life that will never be the same again, both cyclist and motor vehicles need a lesson here. [I could tell you stories you wouldn't believe]
I had a guy on a bike grap the luggage rack on my car just as the light change, he wasn't holding on good and fell, luckily he knew enough to fall the away from traffic.

[Markie]

Oh, for what it's worth on going green, I'm sitting here under the light of two Philips TL850 32W fluorescent tubes. The fixture is mounted across a corner of my bedroom (I'm using a plug-in shop light type fixture so I can pull it and take it with me when needed, it's rigged up to a nearby plugin and hung with chain and carbiner hooks I can pull down - not the most aesthetically pleasing setup, but wonderful for what it does and very easy to transport).

The light is amazing for art and graphics design work. 5500K CCT (correlated color temperature) - the same as natural daylight. 90CRI - color rendition with 90% similarity to a black body source. Flicker free with totally natural shadows since it's mounted in a corner and aimed in, and in a corner that prevents any glare on my computer screen.

It works fantastically well, is more efficient than plug-in self-ballasted CFLs, and works far better. It's my artwork and computer light - it's the closest to the color of daylight I can get in my house. I also have three encapsulated halogen lamps in a conventional fixture for mood lighting when I'm not working, on a programmable dimmer switch - great for going to bed, I hold the button for a couple seconds and it slowly fades the lights off over 30 seconds.

I use self-ballasted CFLs in a couple places. I even have 3 conventional incandescent lamps - installed outside in exterior lighting.

Lighting is something I do know well, and it's all about a balanced lighting plan. In almost every case, I can come up with a more aesthetically pleasing lighting setup for a house (I've done it for a lot of friends), that is much more comfortable to work under, and uses significantly less electricity. Such a plan usually DOES include a few self-ballasted CFLs, but only in limited usage places such as closets and crawlspaces.

Also, I don't worry about my electricity consumption compared to other energy use, because I know my electricity is completely green - hydro.