Let There Be LED

Hey Greensters,

In Episode 206 we visited with Jeff Chan. Jeff is the founder of Eternaleds, an LED lightbulb company. He has made it his goal, and the goal of the company, to find ways to educate people on living greener and providing a solution to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels. For more information on Eternaleds and its mission visit www.eternaleds.com if you have any questions email jeff@eternaleds.com.

We learned all about these extremely cool lightbulbs that are way more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs and way more environmentally friendly than CFLs (Compact Flourescent Light Bulbs). Here's a recap:

Guess What? Light Bulb!

For all you nostalgia buffs, here's a picture that will soon be relegated to museums.



Say buh-bye to incandescent bulbs because they will be phased out in the US between 2012 and 2014 and a lot sooner in many other countries. Why? Because they are nasty little energy vampires.

CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Bulbs) Are Not Perfect

The #1 contender to replace them is the CFL or compact florescent bulbs. These use gas instead of a filament. Electricity passes through the mercury gas and produces light. These are quite a bit more energy efficient, however they have some dirty little secrets that could have a big impact on our health.

Firstly, they contain mercury. Yes, that means even more mercury added to our environment. (We should just change the name of the planet). As we have discussed, once in the human body, mercury acts as a neurotoxin, interfering with the brain and nervous system. It can also cause: Pituitary, liver, kidney, lung, sinus and joint problems.

However, coal burning power plants are the largest source of mercury in our environment and the energy saved by using flourescent bulbs is still significant enough to reduce emissions from coal plants, thereby reducing some mercury from the environment. But if these aren't disposed of properly we will be undermining all the good work we have done.

Also, these bulbs, like all flourescent bulbs produces light that subtly flickers. This can cause problems for some people, especially epileptics , who may suffer from seizures under fluorescent bulbs. According to a study from the U.K.'s Migraine Action Association the lights also cause headaches, as well as nausea, dizziness, and even physical pain for those suffering with lupus.

LED Bulbs To The Rescue

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. Basically, LEDs are just tiny light bulbs that fit easily into an electrical circuit. But unlike ordinary incandescent bulbs, they don't have a filament that will burn out, and they don't get especially
hot. They are illuminated solely by the movement of electrons in a semiconductor material, and they last a lot longer than the old bulbs.

These Ain't Yo' Mama's LEDs

LEDs have long been used in many appliances, clocks and more recently televisions and computer monitors. A whole new generation of LED lighting technology has arrived and there are some amazing bulbs on the market. They require considerably less wattage because they are so much more efficient and they light really well. Here's what one looks like:


This is a flood light bulb. Most of the LEDs currently on the market are uni-directional, that is they only put light out in one direction. But Jeff informed us that just this week he was looking at some new omni-directional bulbs that will be out very soon. These can be used in any common light fixture.

Now, the biggest complaint on these bulbs is that they cost too much. They run from $19 and change all the way up to $100 bucks. But some of these bulbs can last the average user 11 years. That's right, put it in the socket and replace it 11 years later, people. Say goodbye to all those "How many ______ does it take to replace a light bulb?" jokes. There won't be any more replacing.

Lastly, here's some comparisons of LED bulbs to incandescents in CO2 emissions:



100W incandescent for 50K hours = as much CO2 as driving 6900 miles
65W incandescent for 50K hours = as much CO2 as driving 4500 miles
10 W LED for 50K = as much CO2 as driving 690 miles

A 100 watt incandescent produces as much CO2 as it would take to drive from LA to NY to LA to NY and half way back. A 65 watt halogen produces about half of that and an LED about as much as it would take to drive from LA to a refinery in Texas.



Here's a great breakdown of price comparison. You can save heap big money and energy on these bulbs.

Light Bulb Jokes

That's all for now people, before I go here's a few light bulb jokes for your laughing pleasure:

How many chiropractors does it take to change a light bulb ? Only one, but it takes nine visits.

How many nihilists does it take to change a light bulb? There is nothing to change.

How many Taoists does it take to change a light bulb? You cannot change a light bulb. By its nature it will go out again.

How many dadaists does it take to screw in a light bulb? To get to the other side.

How many anarchists does it take to screw in a light bulb? All of them.

How many Marxists does it take to screw in a light bulb? None, the seeds of revolution and change are within the lightbulb itself.

That's all I got.

Over and out,

Marc