Can we really have any impact on the global climate problems through what we do in our own lives? Isn't it just too big? Well, the light bulb going on above your head can really work for the planet if the bulb is a compact fluorescent, and especially if it replaces an incandescent bulb.Why? Can that really matter? Yes, it can. The compact fluroescent (CF) bulb generally uses 13 watts to produce the same amount of light that an incandescent produces using 60 watts of power.

Think about the possibility of cutting the need for new power plants by simply pulling all the incandescent bulbs in the country and replacing them with compact fluorescents. Plus the CF bulbs last much longer than incandescent bulb so you get to save a little energy yourself and there is really is no question that CF bulbs are cheaper over the life of the bulb if you are just cheap and could care less about global warming.
So how much difference could this really make? Here are the numbers courtesy the Union of Concerned Scientists:

If every household in the United States replaced one regular light bulb with an energy-saving model, we could reduce global warming pollution by more than 90 billion pounds over the life of the bulbs; the same as taking 6.3 million cars off the road.

That's about the same amount of cars I was stuck behind at Milepost 95 one day last week.

Why would the US hesitate to pass legislation that phases out the production and importation of incandescent bulbs if industry is not willing to transition out of common sense, a survival instinct, and ethics?

Does the Second Amendment say we have the right to bear incandescent lightbulbs?

Here's a fact sheet from Georgia Interfaith Power & Light that covers the issue from the Christian perspective of environmental stewardship.

What else can you do that is this easy? We can start the change in the world right here in our own homes. Here are some links that cover CF bulbs and other things that we can do to have a smaller footprint on this small blue planet:

• Environmental Defense Fund website
• Care 2 Get Fired Up About Global Warming
• Energy Star Lighting

The price of the CF bulbs have really dropped. Sunbirds in Chehalis sells them for $.99. That's a local business. Walmart may have a good price for a similar product, but we like Sunbirds if we are shopping in Chehalis. The bulbs are reliable, they don't flicker, they are "instant-on." We have incandescents outside the place on fixtures that use motion detectors etc, but we are shopping for CF flood lights that work in outdoor environment and with dimmers, motion detectors etc.

Want a simple New Year's Resolution that will reduce global warming? Resolve to buy no incandescent bulbs for any spot where a CF bulb can be used.