Compact Fluorescent Bulbs, compared to incandescents:

• Use 75% less energy
• Last up to 10 times longer
• Operate 240 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than an incandescent, saving on air conditioning costs
• It is estimated that replacing ten incandescent bulbs with CFLs will result in a total energy savings of $453.
• Source: Home Depot

Yet for some reason, they’ve been getting a bad rap lately because they contain trace amounts (4mg) of Mercury. A Washington Times article asserts that breaking a CFL will result in a bill of $2,004.28 to clean up the area.

How much money does it take to screw in a compact fluorescent lightbulb? About $4.28 for the bulb and labor — unless you break the bulb. Then you — like Brandy Bridges of Ellsworth, Maine — could be looking at a cost of about $2,004.28, which doesn’t include the costs of frayed nerves and risks to health.

This is bogus. Here’s why:

I have finished my independent study. I am going to post it bit-by-bit here on gimme-five for everyone to read. Thank you, everyone, for the input you’ve given me over the past few months. I appreciate it, and I hope you enjoy reading my study.

Note: If you’d like to keep track of whenever I post a new article about this paper, check out the sustransitpaper category.

Introduction

The current state of transportation in the United States is both a blessing and a curse. An increasingly mobile society is convenient and leads to economic development. However, the current transportation system also creates significant social costs, such as congestion, accidents, noise, pollution, and resource depletion.[1]

These social costs are severe, and they are not entirely borne by their creators. For example, a car driver bears significant costs when involved in an accident or stuck on a congested freeway. However, the same individual does not pay for the environmental impact of oil extraction when filling up at a gas station, or the increased congestion created by driving to work instead of taking the subway.