How green are CFL bulbs?
To celebrate the successful conclusion of Alberta’s Project Porchlight campaign, the Calgary Tower has been adorned with green-coloured light bulbs. The two-year undertaking involved delivering 800,000 energy-efficient compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to Albertans by more than 4,000 volunteers. The green light bulbs were donated to the Calgary Tower by One Change, the non-profit organization behind the award-winning Project Porchlight campaign. The new light bulbs are expected to save the Calgary Tower $12,000 in energy savings and cut 104 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from being released in the air. It’s hard to argue with this kind of project. After all, it’s the sort of thing that reflects well on Alberta, especially when one considers that many people around the world regard this province as the home of dirty oil. But how green are these “environmentally friendly” light bulbs? According to New Scientist magazine, claims of substantial energy savings from compact fluoresce
