[XCSSA] Solar and Green events in SA

[xcssa@xcssa.org]

On May 14, 2007, at 8:07 PM, xcssa-admin@xcssa.org wrote:

>> FYI.. Those new compact fluorescents contain gaseous mercury...  
>> Highly toxic.
>> Trade CO2 for heavy metals leeching from landfills. ;)
>
> Tradeoffs.  There has been progress in reducing the amount of  
> mercury in fluorescents.  You also have to remember that most of  
> your electricity (and none of mine, haha) comes from coal plants  
> that toss the mercury and other deadly stuff right into the  
> atmosphere where you're breathing it right now.  Coal plants  
> release lots of foul stuff, not just CO2.  Theoretically,  
> fluorescent lamps are supposed to handled as toxic waste and put in  
> special landfills with no leakage to groundwater.  In some cities  
> they have special procedures for that.

First, those CF light bulbs last a lot longer than incandescents, so  
the mercury issue isn't as bad as it might seem at first. I think  
I've only had to replace one or two (in two houses) that died early.  
The few that made too much noise just got swapped to locations where  
the noise didn't matter.

And don't forget how much radioactivity those coal plants release  
into the air. But since they're not "nuclear", their radioactive  
emissions are absolutely unregulated. Nuclear plants keep their  
radioactive waste out of the air. (and even what waste they do have,  
is really a "waste" that they don't reprocess it because of that  
idiot Jimmy Carter)

  - Bruce -