Ok, I'll say it: I don't like CFL bulbs

We have all heard how the new CFL light bulbs are the end all be all. You can't go more than an hour watching TV without seeing a commercial for them or someone referencing how they are going to single handedly save the world. Honestly, it is a bit ridiculous - it's a stinking light bulb. Will they save you money? I guess. Is the cleanup and disposing of them a pain in the butt? Absolutely. This is taken verbatim, copy-paste from the EPA website describing what to do if you break one:

Fluorescent light bulbs contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing. EPA recommends the following clean-up and disposal below.

Before Clean-up: Air Out the Room

• Have people and pets leave the room, and don't let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
• Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
• Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.

Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces

• Carefully scoop up glass pieces and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
• Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.
• Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug

• Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
• Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
• If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
• Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.

Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding and Other Soft Materials

• If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be thrown away. Do not wash such clothing or bedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.
• You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, such as the clothing you are wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.
• If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the bulb, wipe them off with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for disposal.

Disposal of Clean-up Materials

• Immediately place all clean-up materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area for the next normal trash pickup.
• Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.
• Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states do not allow such trash disposal. Instead, they require that broken and unbroken mercury-containing bulbs be taken to a local recycling center.

Future Cleaning of Carpeting or Rug: Air Out the Room During and After Vacuuming

• The next several times you vacuum, shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system and open a window before vacuuming.
• Keep the central heating/air conditioning system shut off and the window open for at least 15 minutes after vacuuming is completed.

On top of this, you can't even throw the bulbs away! You have to return them to a recycling center or someone that will do it for you (such as Home Depot). Um, pass. They also cost too much for me to think about switching out all my light bulbs at once.

And by the way, haven't we been told for the last few decades how evil mercury is? I don't remember my light bulb ever having this strong a potential to give me cancer before....

So, will I be getting CFL bulbs? Nope. I will just wait for a huge drop in price on LED or whatever the next tech to come down the pipeline is. I will help the Earth in other ways, such as by eating a lot of beef. Oh, wait; that's apparently bad, too. I give up.

I'm all for being a good steward of the Earth but this whole "Go Green or we are all doomed" stuff is getting annoying. I mean, it is to the point where I've put my copy of Silent Spring in my basement next to my paint thinner and bug sprays just to mock it.

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