My First LED

Just recently I bought and installed my first LED bulbs - a pair of flood style bulbs for the recessed fixtures in the stairway to our basement. I have to say, so far so good - the bulbs are very bright and provide a nice white light. Because they are LED they use less energy than a comparable incandescent (18W for the LED vs. 60W for the regular bulb), which will save energy and money over the long run. AND the big win for me is that these bulbs are reported to last 30,000 hours - and given the location of these fixtures (recessed in the ceiling above a descending staircase) hopefully I won't have to change them for a very long time, which should save me in replacement bulb costs.

Just the Facts

In a previous post, I talked briefly about the different kinds of lighting and how you have to be careful to choose the right bulb for the right application. And before I made this purchase, I spent quite a bit of time reading the labels on the boxes to make sure I bought just what I needed.

Safety - The electronics that are in LEDs are much like those in your computer - they do generate heat and LEDs are typically designed to dissipate that heat safely. But not all are created equal and if you want to use an LED in a recessed light fixture, for example, then you need to make sure that the manufacturer tells you it is okay to use their bulb that way. Remember to always follow the manufacturers instructions and look for the Underwriter's Laboratory seal (UL) on the product package to ensure safety.

Lighting - The other information you want to know is how the bulb will perform. The US Department of Energy has a website called LightingFacts.com that is designed to provide a common label for LED bulbs. This label includes:

• Light Output (Lumens) - a measure of how much light the bulb puts out; this is your best comparison between different types of bulbs to ensure you get the quantity of light you want. Higher lumens = more light
• Color Accuracy - this is measured using the Color Rendering Index (CRI); different types of light show colors differently and a higher number is supposed to mean that the light will show colors accurately
• Light Color - this is a measure of the type of light that the bulb will put out (warm, bright, daylight). Depending on what you need the light to do, you may want a different color of light.

Finding a bulb with a high light output and a bright white color gave me the perfect bulbs for a staircase; especially compared to the old bulbs which had a warmer (read darker) color and what seemed to be a lower light output. Plus I get the benefits of saving energy, time and money by using LEDs versus incandescents.

As with most things green, doing a little homework up front can save time and money in the long run. There are a lot of low energy options for lighting nowadays - you just need to pick the one that works best for your application and then sit back and enjoy the savings!

"New" way to build

Featured in this post is a link to a pretty amazing story about homes. When you first view it, it may strike you as simply being another "green" story about how to recycle or do with less. But at the core, what Dan Phillips is doing is so much more important. You can read more about what Dan is doing here and see his talk at a TED Conference here.

In order for me to reduce my environmental impact on this world (or help others do the same), I cannot look at things simply in terms of the environment. Instead, I need to look at the whole - my reasoning must include social elements (including how I treat others), economic elements (cheap for me could be expensive to another), and others. Everything is connected - humans, animals, plants, societies, economies - and if we don't understand and respect this interconnected design, then we can make decisions that are harmful to ourselves or others.

After seeing what Dan is doing, my hope is to go and do likewise in my own home and in my community. It's hard not be inspired by Dan's work and message!

Chemical Review - Triclosan

Over the past year, concerns have been raised over the safety of various chemicals used in consumer products (think beauty care, detergents, and cleaners). One chemical receiving quite a bit of attention is triclosan. As you may know, triclosan has anti-microbial properties - in other words, it kills a wide variety of germs. For that reason, triclosan appears in a lot of things like soaps, cleaners and even toothpastes. So what's the issue, and why has there been this big change?



Data, Data, Data -



Typically, chemicals used in products undergo some form of testing to determine whether there are any potential problems with the chemicals. Tests are run to see if the chemicals cause immediate harm (skin irritation, for example) or longer term harm (like cancer). Most of these tests are run on animals as a way to try and predict how the chemical will impact humans. If the initial tests don't show an issue, chemicals are typically okay to use. For chemicals used in foods, or as pesticides, government approval is typically required (FDA and EPA respectively in the US).



Over time, scientists and regulators can accumulate additional data on chemicals. Sometimes it's from direct experiments, and other times the data comes from other studies. And if this new data indicates that something may have been missed during the initial studies, then government agencies can require additional review or new studies. And that's what is happening with triclosan.



Because of concerns that triclosan can cause problems with hormones (endocrine disruptor is the scientific term), the FDA announced last year that it would review the safety of triclosan and make recommendations in spring of 2011. There are other organizations that also have concerns over the safety of triclosan, and some consumer product companies have announced that they are reformulating their products to eliminate this chemical.



So Now What?



The key question for most of us is, what do I do with this information. And that's a tough question, one that is likely to be impacted by personal preference. There are soaps and other products made without triclosan, so you can simply substitute one for another if you are concerned about potential health affects from triclosan. The other is to read up on triclosan at the FDA or EPA website and follow the current agency recommendations.



Remember that data can change how we think about chemicals - either good or bad. Saccharin was once thought to cause cancer, but studies over the years have not shown a cancer risk in humans and so saccharin has been removed from lists of cancer-causing chemicals. With triclosan we are entering a "wait and see" period.



As is often the case, education is vital - do your homework, keep an eye on the studies and make the best decision you can. You can start by asking whether the potential benefits (kills germs) outweigh the potential risks (damage to hormone systems) and make your decision. Sometimes we can cut things out simply by deciding whether we need it or want it.