San Francisco is My Home

16
Oct

Lights off for Earth

Author: kris, Category: News

Caltrans and the Transit Authority are planning to turn out the lights on the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge this Saturday in an attempt to demonstrate how much energy can be saved with a flick of the switch. (Streetlights and anti-planes-flying-into-the-bridge lights will remain on, of course.)

I, for one, find the whole business inspiring, and am considering turning the lights on my own megaton commuter bridge off in solidarity.

But seriously. The idea is to remind people to save energy, which includes replacing normal lightbulbs in your home with energy-efficient bulbs. What doesn’t get mentioned a lot is that these bulbs contain mercury. It’s not going to give you weird tumors or anything, but if a bulb breaks you need to open windows, cover your mouth, stay away from fumes, all that fun stuff. And when the bulb eventually burns out, it is absolutely vital that you don’t throw it away. There are special disposal places for bulbs that contain mercury; tossing it in a landfill will undo all the earth-friendly work you did in buying it.