Everyone has probably seen these curly lights known as CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulbs that’s been labeled as the “green” replacement. By 2012, some traditional incandescent bulbs will be phased out of production.

Sure they last longer than regular bulbs, but are people aware of the dangers of CFL bulbs? Breaking a CFL can can be very dangerous to your health and the environment. The bulbs contain mercury, when exposed is a neurotoxin.

Used CFL bulbs to be recycled.

The EPA has the following recommendations should a bulb break:

Before cleanup

* Have people and pets leave the room.
* Air out the room for 5-10 minutes by opening a window or door to the outdoor environment.
* Shut off the central forced air heating/air-conditioning system, if you have one.
* Collect materials needed to clean up broken bulb:
- stiff paper or cardboard;
- sticky tape;
- damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes (for hard surfaces); and
- a glass jar with a metal lid or a sealable plastic bag.

During cleanup

* Be thorough in collecting broken glass and visible powder.
* Place cleanup materials in a sealable container.

After cleanup

* Promptly place all bulb debris and cleanup materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area until materials can be disposed of properly. Avoid leaving any bulb fragments or cleanup materials indoors.
* If practical, continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the heating/air conditioning system shut off for several hours.

And to think some people wouldn’t know better and start throwing these bulb into the trash. That could be very bad news! It will break into tiny pieces and contaminate everything. Then eventually the mercury will find it’s way into our air and waterways.

Therefore, please take the CFL bulbs to a qualified recycling center where the mercury can be properly handled. In California, we can bring the used bulbs to Home Depot and Ikea.

The Chicago Tribune article also pointed out that, “CFL bulbs are made in China and India where environmental controls are lax at best and workers are undoubtedly exposed to mercury in the production process.”

For those concern with their health, CFL bulbs contributes to dirty electricity. Which can cause migraines, dizziness, nausea, confusion, fatigue, skin irritations, and eye strain.

Health Canada issued a warning after UK Health Protection recommends you should not be more than 30 cm from the light bulb for more than 1 hour per day as it emits UV rays. Test are currently being done in Canada.

So what other choices do we have? There’s LED light which is much safer and more Eco-friendly. It does cost more then CFL light bulbs and aren’t as bright. But they contain no mercury. Right now the most affordable LED light bulbs I’ve found are from Costco. I’m going to start replacing the CFL bulbs in our home soon.

I’ve been looking for an environmentally friendlier laundry detergent for some time now.  And this ECOS brand is just the right laundry detergent for my laundry needs.  And the fact that Costco had it for such a great price was another plus.

Magnolia & Lillies is made with 100% natural coconut kernel oil-based surfactant, horsetail plant, lavender, coconut based fabric softener, essential oils of magnolias and lilies, with purified water. Image and info from Ecos.

At first I was thinking how could this natural stuff compete with the commercial brand like Tide. 

Maybe it wouldn’t even clean as well?  But I was surprised to know that it did it’s job very well. ECOS laundry detergent also has a built-in soy based fabric softener and cellulose based optical brightener.

And it’s not just good for laundry, but better for the environment too.  It’s free of SLS (Sodium laurel sulfate) and is vegetable based with other natural ingredients such as essential oils and plant material. 

Since I am not a fan of lavender, I was happy they had other selections too. The one I got was magnolia and lily, it has a nice and light scent that is not overpowering like many commercial brands.

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Last weekend, I decided to pick up Costco’s Kirkland brand of green tea.   It was surprisingly very good green tea.  The tasted reminded me of the green tea served at authentic Japanese sushi restaurants.

It turns out the teas are Japanese grown green tea and packed by Ito En.  According to Ito En, out of Japan’s 47 prefectures (provinces), there are only three major tea producing regions.  For a small island nation where space is a premium, growing tea must be something they cherish.

It is definitely good green tea.  Even when steeped for a long time, the green tea never gets bitter. It reminded of the green tea I got from Two Leaves and a Bud, but so much cheaper. Being that it was 100 bags for around $12. They are also available at Amazon for slightly more.

The tea is packed in flat nylon mesh bags. At first thought, maybe this contributed to the taste of better tasting tea.  As the material is suppose to encourage a better infusion. Many “gourmet” packaged tea have been using these nylon tea bags for the past decade.

The downside to the nylon bags is that it’s not biodegradable. And at the rate of 100 bags per customer, that’s a lot of nylon bags being thrown in the landfills.

I also don’t feel so safe (health wise) about exposing the nylon bags to the high temperature of my water.

Due to these reason, I can’t get myself to purchase the teas again.  I would suggest they change to tea bags made from natural fiber.  Even the cornstarch based mesh tea bags are biodegradable, but they are still made with GMO- based material.

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I have a cabinet full of supplements, from fish oils to CoQ10. In the past, I was never big on taking supplements or pills of any kind. But it wasn’t until I found out how effective the supplements were for my health, that I took them more regularly.

My favorite is CoQ10 as it’s not only good for your gums, it’s also good for your skin. Another great supplement is fish oils. They provide Omega 3 fatty acids are great for health and beauty (skin).

The best place to get both CoQ10 and fish oils is at Costco. The fish oils are a great deal at $10 for 400 softgels of 1,000 mg.

Other supplements I take daily is Jarrows Bone-Up. It’s a multivitamin which has calcium, vitamin C and D3 as well as other good stuff for young women.

Senator John McCain has introduced the “Dietary Supplement Safety Act”. If passed, it will drive up the cost of dietary supplements and restrict your access to them.

We need to make sure supplements are within all of our reach. This act even has a misleading title to it too. I have emailed my representative about opposing this bill. Please take action by clicking here.

Just enter your zip code to contact your local representative. It’s simple and easy to do. Exercise your right to representation!

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