I wrote about the European incandescent-light-bulb-ban about a year ago.

According to ENERGY STAR:

If you have ever had to recycle the bulbs, you know how much of a hassle it can be. Since the bulbs have mercury in them, I hope that you don’t just throw them in the trash. I’ve been stockpiling the bulbs and waiting for a good time to recycle them and now is as good of a time as any, as we’re moving houses and need to move the bulbs.

According to Wikipedia (although no source is cited), only about 3% of CFL bulbs are recycled or disposed of properly.

The NY Times recently ran an article about Home Depot offering compact fluorescent bulb recycling, as the article states, “creating the nation’s most widespread recycling program for the bulbs.”

The article also mentions that 75 percent of the nation’s homes are within 10 miles of a Home Depot. With Home Depot stepping up to the plate, I’m hoping that others follow, such as Lowes. Menards (at least in MN) also offers free CFL recycling. Several other hardware stores also offer bulb recycling. Check with your local store for participation.

The EPA has a page on recycling the bulbs as well.

I broke a CF bulb a few weeks ago and was happy to find out that the amount of mercury in a CFL is relatively small.

But if you do break a bulb, the EPA also has lists some directions to follow. The key item to remember is to leave the area for at least 15 minutes (and research via Google what to do next).

Technorati Tags: recycle, compact fluorescent light bulb, CFL, Home Depot, green

If you have any interest in cars or going green, I highly recommend checking out the article.

In summary, Johnathan Goodwin, out of Wichita, Kansas, has been experimenting for the last few years and blows away most cars on the market currently in regards to fuel efficiency, performance and emissions.

Johnathan Goodwin can get 100 mpg out of a Lincoln Continental, cut emissions by 80%, and double the horsepower. Does the car business have the guts to follow him?

Goodwin is doing precisely what the big American automakers have always insisted is impossible. They have long argued that fuel-efficient and alternative-fuel cars are a hard sell because they’re too cramped and meek for our market.

As he points out, his conversions consist almost entirely of taking stock GM parts and snapping them together in clever new ways. “They could do all this stuff if they wanted to,” he tells me, slapping on a visor and hunching over an arc welder. “The technology has been there forever. They make 90% of the components I use.” He doesn’t have an engineering degree; he didn’t even go to high school: “I’ve just been messing around and seeing what I can do.”

“Detroit could do all this stuff overnight if it wanted to,” he adds.

He (Goodwin) is a virtuoso of fuel economy. He takes the hugest American cars on the road and rejiggers them to get up to quadruple their normal mileage and burn low-emission renewable fuels grown on U.S. soil–all while doubling their horsepower. The result thrills eco-evangelists and red-meat Americans alike: a vehicle that’s simultaneously green and mean. And word’s getting out.

I applaud Goodwin’s ingenuity, including cracking GM’s anti theft system in MacGyver like fashion to swap out engines. I understand that saving the environment isn’t a simple process, but seeing what others are doing makes me wonder what the big auto makers are up to.

Goodwin also provides a 3 step approach to help ween us off of gasoline.

1) roll out diesel engines, much as Europe has already begun to do (some 50% of all European cars run diesel)

2) diesel-electric hybrid cars

3) produce electric hybrids that run in “dual fuel” mode, burning biodiesel along with hydrogen, ethanol, natural gas, or propane.

There are also some interview videos on YouTube, including an interview with Media Talk out of Tampa Bay:

You can also watch one of his cars, a 1965 Chevy Impala with 800 horsepower that gets 30 MPG, smoke a Lamborghini. This was from a Pimp My Ride episode on MTV:

Technorati Tags: Johnathan Goodwin, auto, car, green, horsepower, diesel

Now that I have an HDTV, I’ve been focusing my TV watching on all thats hi-def. Anything nature or travel related is great. As are sports.

I was happy to stumble upon “The Green” which is touted as television’s first regularly- scheduled programming destination dedicated entirely to the environment.

In particular, I was watching the Big Ideas for a Small Planet series.

Addressing some of the most important issues facing humanity, this original documentary series from Sundance Channel focuses on environmental topics with interviews with forward-thinking designers and features on green products and alternative ideas that may transform our everyday lives.

If you haven’t checked out the series, it is definitely worth your time.

Check out the New Belgium clip here.

You can also download the episodes through iTunes from the link on the site.

Be sure to support the companies that go green, and hats off to Robert Redford, the Sundance Channel, Lexus and other sponsors for supporting the project.

I think projects like this can go a long way for the organizations involved. So, for that, New Belgium Brewing Company, I raise my glass.

Technorati Tags: green, environment, beer, New Belgium Brewing Company, Sundance Channel