"They really should replace their light bulbs," said my son as we waited for his guitar lesson at the music school he attends once a week. The fixture he was referring to was a shoddy chandelier with 5 sockets, of which, only three were filled: one with a compact fluorescent, and two incandescent bulbs. I told him he's right. "They should get LED bulbs." Yes! Yes they should. Why? Because, and I believe I've explained this before, but while compact fluorescents are energy efficient, they are not recyclable, but LEDs are...and are just as energy efficient, maybe more. And, thanks to modern technology, a couple of things have happened:
one) they are available in almost every socket size needed in today's modern home, including the GU24 which is that two-pronged bulb that may be found in some fixtures;
two) they are dimmable and more! Several manufacturers have bulbs that can vary their lighting temperatures from skewing blue to skewing brown based on your preferences. See: Philips Hue's Color Ambiance bulbs
three) they're quite affordable. OK, so you don't need a bulb that has a color setting for "tropical sunset." Fine, you can still pick up GE BrightStik non-dimmable bulbs for less than $2.50/bulb. That's a 60-watt equivalent that's colored like a normal incandescent (2,700k, soft white).
Why is this important?
"Authorities say the fire is out after explosions rocked the Husky Energy oil refinery in Superior and heavy smoke forced evacuations Thursday."
We've got a problem with both national gas and oil production in this country. The problem isn't, how do we get more of it. The problem is that we use too much of it. The United States and it's current administration, are picking fights with all the right people. The result is that we are trying to "turtle" with some of our own resources so that we're not economically dependent on another nation for something we can do ourselves. Namely, our national natural gas exploration has pushed us from needing to import fuels to being the world's largest producer of "Petroleum and Natural Gas Hydrocarbons." Don't believe me? Click the link. Why would the government lie to you? And, where did we get it?
Let's look at the much maligned Canadian Tar Sands. Yes, the same Tar Sands that came under scrutiny for the Keystone Pipeline. Ya see, this week, a refinery in Wisconsin had an explosion during a scheduled shutdown. The explosion resulted in a fire that burned so fast and so strong that thousands of people (nearly 40,000) were displaced and acrid smoke from the fire was drifting towards Michigan and spurning air quality alerts. It's bad. Beyond the 20 people reported injured, there is potential for further contamination and increased respiratory issues due to the number of known carcinogens in the smoke and the number of unknown chemicals that may have also been released. While the fire is currently contained, there is fear of reignition at other locations at the refinery.
Most interestingly is that, as reported by Reuters, the use of the Tar Sands oil is on its way out. Because Tar Sands are exactly as they sound, sand that is laced with crude oil and tar, they're some of the dirtiest fossil fuel substances out there. In fact, producers of Tar Sands oil are losing out to competitors who are going the easier route by excavating the oil from U.S. shale beds (read: fracking). Also, discounts have been given to industries who buy Tar Sands oil. Why? Well, it's bad press if you're caught with leaky pipes. It's not Trump's fault, but the OK he signed when he first entered office in January of last year to complete the Keystone Pipeline has yielded one of the worst pipeline spills in South Dakota. A recent Reuters article, published on April 7, 2018 suggests that the actual spill is about double of the reported spill: 9,700 barrels of oil vs. the originally estimated 5,000 barrels. Naturally, if you want to keep customers and pressure them not to switch suppliers, you discount the hell out of your product while you make your repairs.
The good thing is that things can't get much worse when it comes to pipeline disasters. Right now, Keystone is operating at near capacity. And with dwindling interest in the arduous reclamation process, it may dribble to a halt. The only issue is that so many fossil fuel manufacturers have already made the switch to fracking, and the effects from that are potentially worse.
So, what can you do? Same as usual, but let's start at something fairly basic. Let's stop using plastic bags. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that 15% of all plastic is derived from crude oil and the rest are from the natural gas refining process. The EPA's official blog estimates that the U.S. uses 380 Billion (with a B) bags annually which is the equivalent of over 12 million barrels of fuel. It's a choice we can make now. Yes, you can always reuse them, but do you? Yes, reusable bags are also made of plastic. Sure, some times. But the small change you make to keep reusable bags in your car can drastically reduce our dependence on these fossil fuels. Don't believe me? Take it from the State of New York where they're considering banning them outright. It just makes sense.
Yes, so do that. Walk more places. Carpool. Ride your bicycle. And, change your bulbs. Again, there is strength in numbers, and if we all are a little more conscious of the issues, we can collectively make a positive impact on our natural environment and reduce our dependence on things that will eventually kill us all.
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