I'm trying to green up like a lot of Americans and walk the talk
including at home. You can ask my wife, I can be a pain as I look for
ways to reduce my—our!—carbon footprint.
Yet it seems like there are downsides, often major, to every green option. For example, I purchased a rechargeable mower this summer despite reading some arguments that the production of the rechargeable batteries can offset some or most of the enviro-benefits of switching from a gas mower. Although I'm an analytical kind of person, things can get pretty complex trying to quantify and compare enviro benefits on a choice like this, but my instincts told me this was a win in even if the "score" was close.
Consider also the compact fluorescent light (CFL), a darling of home greening because CFLs are a simple, cheap, and—this is important—cost-saving way to green your electrical usage. Only problem is that each CFL bulb contains 3 to 5 mg of mercury, a neurotoxin that can be released as a vapor when broken, including after disposal. I'd agree that sounds like a serious problem.
Now researchers are looking to packaging to overcome that major shortcoming, as reported in this recent article http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_releases/new_mercury_absorbent_packaging_may_let_you_use_cfl_bulbs_without_risking_your_health at www.scientificblogging.com. A team at Brown's Institute for Molecular and Nanoscale Innovation has created a mercury-capturing lining attached to the inside of store-bought CFL packaging. The packaging can be placed over the area where a bulb has been broken to absorb the mercury vapor emanating from the spill, or it can capture the mercury of a bulb broken in the box, according to the article.
Brown applied earlier this year for patents, and expects to soon begin discussions with companies on manufacturing the new technology.
While many consumers may consider packaging part of the environmental problem, it can also be part of the solution as in this example. Thanks to packaging, we could all feel better—and safer—when we turn on the lights in the future.
Yet it seems like there are downsides, often major, to every green option. For example, I purchased a rechargeable mower this summer despite reading some arguments that the production of the rechargeable batteries can offset some or most of the enviro-benefits of switching from a gas mower. Although I'm an analytical kind of person, things can get pretty complex trying to quantify and compare enviro benefits on a choice like this, but my instincts told me this was a win in even if the "score" was close.
Consider also the compact fluorescent light (CFL), a darling of home greening because CFLs are a simple, cheap, and—this is important—cost-saving way to green your electrical usage. Only problem is that each CFL bulb contains 3 to 5 mg of mercury, a neurotoxin that can be released as a vapor when broken, including after disposal. I'd agree that sounds like a serious problem.
Now researchers are looking to packaging to overcome that major shortcoming, as reported in this recent article http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_releases/new_mercury_absorbent_packaging_may_let_you_use_cfl_bulbs_without_risking_your_health at www.scientificblogging.com. A team at Brown's Institute for Molecular and Nanoscale Innovation has created a mercury-capturing lining attached to the inside of store-bought CFL packaging. The packaging can be placed over the area where a bulb has been broken to absorb the mercury vapor emanating from the spill, or it can capture the mercury of a bulb broken in the box, according to the article.
Brown applied earlier this year for patents, and expects to soon begin discussions with companies on manufacturing the new technology.
While many consumers may consider packaging part of the environmental problem, it can also be part of the solution as in this example. Thanks to packaging, we could all feel better—and safer—when we turn on the lights in the future.
Companies in this article
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