You go green girl.

Rafi — Totally agree we need more educational efforts out there — and not just educational efforts, but just simpler mechanisms for proper disposal.

Dude — in 1994 I was still a minor and didn’t get to pick out my own lightbulbs –

But, I would still say that widespread distribution of CFLs without a public education campaign (and an effective redemption system) is still asking for a whole lot of trouble. It’ll be like MTBE all over again.

I want a waste management plan, that’s all.

I would never advise someone NOT to get a CFL. But they need to know what to do with it if it breaks or burns out (albeit, in several years from now).

I guess I’m most worried about a tendency I see in today’s environmental movement that pretends there are simple solutions to all our problems.

A few examples:
-Carbon offsets don’t really reduce your carbon footprint
-Hybrid cars still create smog and congestion
-Even electric cars generate smog, unless you are charging from nuclear, solar, wind, or hydro power (and these all have environmental consquences too).
-Consumerism generates waste, even if you are consuming recycled, organic, fair-trade stuff.
-Building “green” buildings, which are part of a sprawling subdivision in what used to be open-space (Hello, UC Merced!).

It’s the difference between having the tools to be green (a hybrid car, a CFL), and knowing how to use them (carpool, don’t leave the lights on all the time).

I am turning into a negative nancy here, and I don’t want to pretend that each of those things mentioned above aren’t steps in the right direction. But I see them more as partial mitigations for bad behavior, not real improvements. And some things you simply cannot mitigate.

I have much more hope for your car-free life and 100-mile diet, which are REAL lifestyle changes and have IMMEDIATE impact on the environment. I wish those ideas were as popular as CFLs….

–Rafi