I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT - It's a compact fluorescent bulb.

I have a confession to make. The environment is one of my top priorities and I am actively involved in helping my friends, family and community to become more aware of the problems of global warming. I am also an interior decorator who works really hard to make sure the interiors I design are color coordinated in every way. I tried compact fluorescent bulbs a few years ago and was put off by the blue light it cast in my interiors and the slow start time after flicking the switch. I secretly never used them in my own home nor would I recommend them to my clients.

Well, folks, I should not have discounted American ingenuity because compact fluorescent bulbs have come a long way since 1980 when they were first introduced. There has been a gradual replacement from magnetic ballasts to electronic ballasts, which has removed the flickering and slow start problems of the earlier bulbs. CFL’s now come in a variety of color options – Warm white or soft white is nearest in traditional light to incandescent bulbs and the ones that I choose now for all my interiors; white or bright white is whiter than incandescent but still on the warm side; cool white is a pure white tone; and daylight is slightly bluish white. Choose a bulb that has the same lumen rating, for example, a 60 watt incandescent bulb = 800 lumens.

This is a simple way for all of us to do our part in combating global warming and it begins at home. Here is a quote from the Energy Star website, “If every American home replaced just one light bulb with a “compact fluorescent” we would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of nearly 800,000 cars.”

If each and every one of us rethinks our lifestyle choices in small ways, we could become part of the solution. Check out Environmental Defense Fund website (Environmentaldefense.org) where you can join the “Make the Switch” campaign called “The One Million Bulb Swap Out” and encourage your friends to do the same.

Now, I have to get back to switching the rest of my bulbs. I must find the tall ladder for that ceiling fixture.