Sunday, November 15, 2009

Recycling - It All Comes Back To You


I don't think it's any secret that I have a passion for environmental stewardship. No act is too small to improve one's carbon footprint on the planet. Therefore, I am pleased to announce a local Recycling Awareness Event that will be held in my Treasure Valley, Idaho community on November 21, 2009.

Motivated by the AmericaRecyclesDay.org coalition, this grassroots Recycling Awareness event will be held at Silverhawk Realty in Fruitland, Idaho from 10 am to 2 pm. The event will focus on recycling resources in the Payette County area. There will be information available about the environmental and fiscal impacts on our community and planet, resulting from more aggressive recycling by everyone.

Silverhawk Realty has graciously offered to host the event, and Western Recycling will be there with some of their collection bins. There will be additional information about recycling options in the general area of Payette County.

America Recycles Day slogan this year is, "It all comes back to you". So, take the pledge and make a difference in our community and our future. It's a Win-Win for you and the planet!

LED Light bulb vs CFL Light bulb


Previously, I've posted about the environmental importance of phasing out the use of regular incandescent light bulbs and moving to more energy efficient CFL light bulbs. But, as progress marches on, so does the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the LED light bulb.

Initially, an LED (light emitting diode) light, was most commonly a little red light that emitted from different products. It was often the illumination of time, but as time also marches on, so does the LED light bulb.

Now that technology has figured out how to 'cluster' the LED's to improve the quality of the focused light beam, they are becoming more advanced and not so cost-prohibitive. To compare the cost of the incandescent bulb, CFL light bulb and the LED light bulb, the folks over at Eartheasy.com have posted a great comparison chart.

Anyone can start the transition from regular incandescent light or CFL lighting, over to the LED light bulb, in small steps. One way to start and get paid for doing it, is to recycle your old Christmas light strings at Home Depot and receive a coupon towards Christmas LED light bulbs. Phillips is also offering a rebate through December 31, 2009, for the purchase of LED light bulbs, as well as CFL light bulbs.

Check out the comparison chart at Eartheasy.com for excellent information on the value of CFL light bulbs vs LED light bulbs. Even at a slightly higher cost up front, LED light bulbs overall, appear to be the long-term winner.