Fiat Lux Jazz!

Okay. Occasionally something comes along that gets me so fired up I have to share it with everyone I come in contact with. Some of you may already be hip to these figures, but the gravity of this effort just hit me, so it's likely many of you, too, are still...in the dark.

This is one of the cheapest, smartest, easiest ways to help with energy conservation that I have encountered. CFL bulbs (Compact Fluorescent Light), the swirl bulbs, cost about $3 - but each one used conserves an incredible amount of energy. They also save you (the consumer) money, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. Here are some fantastic figures (source):

- If every household replaced just one regular bulb with a CFL bulb, it would save enough energy to power a city of 1.5 million people, or all the homes in Delaware and Rhode Island

-If every household replaced one bulb, it would be the equivalent of taking 1.3 million cars off the road in terms of greenhouse gas reduction

- The typical U.S. house has between 50-100 sockets. Each swirl bulb pays for itself in energy cost savings in just 5 months. And they each last 6-8 years - about 10x longer than regular bulbs.

These numbers reveal the incredible power of individuals to make big changes through small efforts. And since nearly 100 million households* already read this blog, the changes should happen by the end of the day today. But why not go buy a 4-pack for your home and just change 4 bulbs at once? Then tell 10 of your friends?

Look for the swirl bulb with the Energy Star on the box. Pick up a pack this weekend! Make it happen! I'm proud of you!

*Estimate