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Local Group Plans to Pitch In On Global Eco-Work DayWednesday, October 06, 2010
Sunday is October 10 (10/10/10), a day designated by the environmental group 350.org as a “Global Work Party,” a day in which groups around the world will be organizing activities to reduce carbon emissions. So far, there are 6,227 events scheduled in 185 different countries – and Rose will be co-hosting one of those events in Williamsburg. Rose ordered 3,500 compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to be delivered to his for-profit business, Williamsburg Event Rentals, which he plans to take to six or seven local hotels (and possibly some low-income residences) and switch for the old incandescent sort. He’ll also have 500 on hand at his office so folks in the community can stop by to trade in their old incandescent bulbs and get CFL’s for 50 cents apiece. According to Energy Star, if every American replaced just one light bulb with a CFL, we’d save enough energy to light more than three million homes for a year, which equates to more than $600 million in annual energy costs and would prevent the release of 800,000 cars worth of greenhouse gas emissions. Rose, who runs two nonprofits in the community including the new eco-nonprofit Eco Discovery Park, says he’s been a fan of 350.org founder Bill McKibben for quite a while now. Recently he watched McKibben give a talk about Global Work Party Day, “and I thought, you know, we should do this here.” The plan is to get teams of volunteers to switch the bulbs between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and then the group will meet up at Prince George Street’s Second Sunday Art and Music Festival at 3 p.m. to pose for a picture to send along to 350.org’s website and to celebrate a job well done. The Obamas will be participating in “Global Work Party” day, too, by installing solar panels on the First Family’s living quarters at the urging of over 40,000 people who signed a petition asking the President to do so. “The White House did the right thing, and for the right reasons: they listened to the Americans who asked for solar on their roof, and they listened to the scientists and engineers who told them this is the path to the future,” said McKibben. “If it has anything like the effect of the White House garden, it could be a trigger for a wave of solar installations across the country and around the world.” Rose says since this is somewhat last-minute plan, he’s still in need of 20 to 30 adult and junior volunteers to make up the CFL-switching teams. Also, he encourages people in the community to come visit Prince George Street between 3 and 6 p.m. Sunday to help the teams celebrate. To learn more, visit the web page here or email steve@williamsburgeventrentals.com.
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Local entrepreneur and do-gooder Steve Rose is joining forces with the Williamsburg Climate Action Network to participate in a global eco-project day this Sunday.
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Comments
Quoting kbar:
Mercury is a toxic metal associated with contamination of water, fish, and food supplies, and can lead to adverse health affects. A CFL bulb generally contains an average of 5 mg of mercury (about one-fifth of that found in the average watch battery, and less than 1/100th of the mercury found in an amalgam dental filling). A power plant will emit 10mg of mercury to produce the electricity to run an incandescent bulb compared to only 2.4mg of mercury to run a CFL for the same time. The net benefit of using the more energy efficient lamp is positive, and this is especially true if the mercury in the fluorescent lamp is kept out of the waste stream when the lamp expires.
All fluorescent lamps do not contain the same amount of mercury. Philips lamps with Alto Lamp Technology, for instance, contain less mercury than conventional fluorescent lamps. Philips claims the bulbs have the lowest amount of mercury of any bulb on the market at less than 3.8 mg per bulb. To achieve this, Philips uses a specially developed mercury capsule which ensures the exact amount of mercury is placed in a tiny glass capsule which is attached to the lamp cathode.
Handling and Disposal of CFLs
The mercury in compact fluorescent bulbs poses no threat while in the bulb, but if you break one:
- open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more
- use a wet rag to clean it up and put all of the pieces, and the rag, into a plastic bag
- place all materials in a second sealed plastic bag
- call your local recycling center to see if they accept this material, otherwise put it in your local trash. Wash your hands afterward.
Burned out CFLs can be dropped off at Home Depot and Ikea stores. Another solution is to save spent CFLs for a community household hazardous waste collection, which would then send the bulbs to facilities capable of treating, recovering or recycling them. For more information on CFL disposal or recycling, you can contact your local municipality.
Quoting kmempta:
Please also make the public aware that they contain mercury and should not be disposed of in regular household trash. Save them in a box for quarterly hazardous chemical drop at your recycling center.