Did you know?: It takes about 700 pounds of coal to burn the average incandescent light bulb for one year? That amounts to about 1,800 pounds of carbon dioxide coughed into the atmosphere every year from one little bulb. By replacing those old-school energy gobblers with compact fluorescent bulbs you can reduce your energy use by up to 75 percent. And even better--replace them with LED lights and those costly carbon emissions are reduced by about 90 percent.
Your impact: If every home in America replaced their incandescent bulbs with EnergyStar-approved CFLs, in one year it would save enough energy to light three million homes and
reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to that produced by 8,000 cars.
Where to buy: CFLs and LEDs cost a little more up front, but their return on investment is huge. Not only will you save money on energy bills, you'll be helping to save the planet. Plus, LED lights last about 90,000 hours more than conventional bulbs. Yes, 90,000 hours longer. Local stores like
Twin Cities Green, in Uptown, and
Sunny Day Earth Solutions, in South Minneapolis, are great resources for cost-efficient CFLs and LEDs that also come in earth-friendly packaging.