Change a bulb. Change the world.
Every light fixture in my house has a bulb in it. I don’t have a problem with darkness — in fact, sometimes you might come over to find that I have no lights on at all, only umpteen candles scattered about and a fire in the grate — but I hate dim, poorly-lit rooms where the bulbs are so weak (or so missing) as to make the light ineffectual. Light is supposed to make things brighter, not dingier.
But even though I turn off lights in any room I’m not using, sometimes I feel guilty about being less than energy efficient. Sometimes I worry that I’m a right-wing Bush administration crony who believes global warming is a load of hooey. Surely, surely there’s a way I can have my light and my conscience too.
Fluorescent light bulbs have come a long way, baby. They’re cheaper now. They’re available at your local hardware store. You can put your makeup on under their light and trust that you don’t look like you just stepped out from under the big top.
Most importantly, they conserve an amazing amount of energy (75 to 80 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs), and they last long enough to make the scroogiest Scrooge proud.
So, me, I am changing my bulbs. It’s the first step towards a bright, guilt-free existence. And if I do it, and you do it, and your neighbors do it, well… the journey to a billion CFLs begins with one bulb.