Dear EarthTalk: What do I need to know
about the new energy efficiency standards for light bulbs that take
effect in January 2012? Will certain bulbs be unavailable? And am I
supposed to switch out my older inefficient bulbs with newer
efficient ones? – Melissa McCarthy, Aptos, Calif.

Indeed, January 2012 marks the beginning of a planned phase-out
of inefficient light bulbs in the United States that was signed
into law five years ago by President George W. Bush. The law was
designed to reduce energy usage nationally from lighting by some 30
percent overall within three years.

The benefits of the phase-out will be a savings of between $100
and $200 annually on electric bills in each American household. It
will be a total energy savings equivalent to the output of 30 large
power plants and reductions in global warming-inducing carbon
pollution equivalent to taking 17 million cars off the road.

The first bulbs to disappear from store shelves are conventional
100 watt incandescents, but consumers can get compact fluorescent
or light emitting diode bulbs with similar light output instead.
There are also some new more efficient incandescent bulbs that made
the cut and will be available as replacements for conventional
incandescents.

In 2013, conventional 75-watt incandescent bulbs will be phased
out, while conventional 60- and 40-watt bulbs will be phased out in
2014. Given the great alternatives available these days, most
consumers will hardly notice any difference except lower electric
bills.

As for what consumers should do to prepare themselves, the best
advice is to educate themselves about the difference between power
use and light output as we enter the brave new world of more
efficient lighting.

“Given the range of efficiencies the new bulbs provide, buying a
bulb solely on the amount of power it uses no longer makes sense
and we’ll have to shift to buying lumens,” reports Noah Horowitz of
the Natural Resource Defense Council. “For example, a typical 60
watt light bulb produces around 800 lumens. The CFL that produces
800 lumens only uses 15 watts.”

Horowitz adds that bulb packages will likely contain claims like
“as bright as a 60 watt bulb” or “15W = 60W” to help consumers make
the transition.

Horowitz says that consumers looking to replace their old
incandescents with new more efficient varieties should look for
CFLs or LEDs marked as “warm white,” since the quality of light
they give off will be most similar to that given off by old-school
incandescents.

“Those marketed as ‘cool white’ or ‘day light’ have much
different light color, which only a small minority of consumers
prefer,” says Horowitz.

Also, Horowitz warns that most CFLs are not dimmable and “may
fail prematurely if installed in a dimming circuit.”

So if your space features light sockets with dimming capability
the best bet would be LED bulbs or newer more efficient
incandescents. Specially marked dimmable CFL bulbs are also an
option but at present are less commonly available.

As for whether to switch out your older incandescents with newer
more efficient bulbs, the answer is maybe. According to Earth911,
the leading source of information of how and where to recycle
anything, consumers should consider the waste they will create by
throwing out working albeit aging light bulbs.

“If they aren’t spent, don’t trash them,” reports Earth911,
adding that they can be used until they burn out – at which point
more efficient bulbs can go in. Those who want to start saving
energy now might consider donating older bulbs to local charities.
Meanwhile, spent bulbs can be recycled. Earth911′s website can help
find locations near you where old bulbs can be dropped off.

For more information, visit the following websites:
Natural
Resources Defense Council; Earth911

Dear EarthTalk: I always hear about hair
products and sprays that claim to be natural and organic based.
What are some hair products that can be purchased that are legit
and cause no harm to the environment? – Penny Siegel, Milwaukee,
Wisc.

Many common hair care products, including shampoos, conditioners
and hair sprays, can pose health hazards. Most of the shampoos for
sale on supermarket and drugstore shelves use a chemical called
sodium laureth sulfate (or one of its derivatives), a foamy
de-greaser that can cause follicle, skin and eye irritation, and
which has been linked to some cancers when combined with other
common shampoo ingredients.

Meanwhile, mass-market conditioners typically rely on so-called
quaternary compounds to produce thicker, silkier and tangle-free
hair, but these chemicals can also irritate the skin and eyes and
likewise have been linked to cancer.

As for hair spray and other styling products, most work by
coating the hair with polyvinylpyrrolidone, a plastic polymer that
has been dissolved in solvent to keep it flexible. Environment
Canada, Canada’s counterpart to the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, classifies PVP as a medium health priority, although
phthalates, triethanolamine, parabens and other hair spray
ingredients may be more harmful, having been linked to respiratory,
immune and endocrine problems as well as cancer.

Luckily for those who spend a lot of time and money getting
their hair to look, smell and feel just right, a wide range of
greener, healthier hair care products has emerged in recent
years.

Aveda has been a pioneer in the industry ever since Horst
Rechelbacher launched the company in 1978 after visiting India and
witnessing the healing powers of Hindu medicine and aroma. Today
the company offers seven hair product lines tailored to different
hair types, with the majority of the ingredients derived from
plants, nonpetroleum minerals or other natural sources.

Furthermore, upwards of 89 percent of the essential oils and raw
herbal ingredients Aveda uses in its hair care products are sourced
from certified organic producers.

There are hundreds of other companies, too, that sell natural
hair products. A great place to look is at the GoodGuide, a website
that rates 145,000 foods, toys, personal care and household
products according to health, environmental and social
responsibility standards.

Top-rated shampoos listed there include Burt’s Bees Rosemary
Mint Shampoo Bar, Aura Cacia Kids Shampoo and Aubrey Organics Men’s
Stock Ginseng Biotin Shampoo.

GoodGuide’s top performing conditioners include Dr. Bronner’s
Hair Conditioning Rinse, Burt’s Bees Herbal Blemish Stick with Tea
Tree Leaf Oil, KMS Haircare Liquid Assets and Nurture My Body
Conditioner.

As for styling, GoodGuide likes any of the varieties of Dr.
Bronner’s Hair Conditioner and Style Cream as well as L’Oreal’s
Elnett Extra Strong Hold.

Another source for credible hair care products recommendations
is the Guide to Less Toxic Products, a free online resource
produced by the Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia.
The guide lists 25 shampoos, 22 conditioners and 18 hair styling
products that meet its stringent ingredient standards.

Also check the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep cosmetics
database, which provides detailed ingredient information and safety
assessments for 70,000 personal care products, including hundreds
of shampoos, conditioners and hair styling formulations.

For more information, visit the following websites:
Aveda; Good Guide; Guide to Less Toxic Products; Skin
Deep

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Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; Click
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