The 60-watt replacement LED bulb arrives
November 29, 2010
For years, we have been watching as LED technology has improved and the cost of LED replacement bulbs has gotten lower and lower. Compact fluorescent bulbs have become commonplace, which has been instrumental in saving energy and lowering electricity costs for millions of consumers. But still, we've been waiting for LEDs to reach the point where they start being widely used. And now, it looks like that point may be here.
By the middle of 2011, a new 12-watt LED bulb from Osram Sylvania is scheduled to be available from all Lowes stores.
The Osram Sylvania Ultra A-Line LED bulb produces 810 lumens. This compares quite well with a standard 60-watt bulb (the one I checked is listed at 830 lumens). The LED bulb uses 12 watts, versus the 60 watt incandescent, which is an 80% energy savings.
And the LED bulb should last 25 times as long as a conventional bulb.
The biggest remaining question will be consumer acceptance. Does the LED bulb provide an adequate distribution of light, without the "hot spots" and dim areas characteristic of some earlier LED bulbs? And is the color rendering of the LED good enough to make it an acceptable substitute for an incandescent bulb? The A-line bulb has a color temperature of 2700 Kelvin and a color-rendering index (CRI) of 91. (An incandescent bulb has a perfect value of 100.) Most fluorescent bulbs have a CRI ranging from the low 50s to the high 80s, so the quality of the light should be quite good.
LED lights may have some end-of-life issues with circuit-board materials, as do compact fluorescent bulbs, but, especially with RoHS regulations in place in many parts of the world, those are minor compared with the question of mercury in compact fluorescents. Of course, it's not a problem if the CF bulb is recycled (and more and more places are now taking those bulbs for recycling so that is becoming less of an issue, as well).
And the total amount of environmental mercury is lower when considering the amount of mercury put into the atmosphere by burning coal to produce all the additional electricity that a conventional incandescent bulb requires as compared to the amount that would be spilled if a bulb was broken rather than being recycled, so concerns over CFLs should already be pretty well settled.
The 8-watt A-Line bulb costs around $20 and is available right now. The 12-watt A-Line bulb should be in stores in the first half of 2011.
Print This Post
Online tool makes composting easier
November 19, 2010
(Image Credit: Flickr - Joi)
BioCycle magazine and the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) have launched a new, more-user-friendly version of FindAComposter.com, a free, publicly searchable directory of composting facilities in the United States and Canada.
In today's warming world, composting our organic waste stream to recycle nutrients and build soil health is the preferred alternative to landfilling, which produces the unwanted greenhouse gas methane.
Recognizing that a major challenge to implementing these sound ecological practices has been a perceived lack of infrastructure, BioCycle originally launched FindAComposter.com in 2007.
"One of the most significant stumbling blocks has been the perception that while composting is 'the right thing to do,' there aren't any facilities out there to do it," says Rill Ann Goldstein, BioCycle's Publisher. "For example, national grocery chains have made a commitment to keep their food waste out of the landfill, but then struggle to find facilities to compost the materials. That's what prompted us to start BioCycle's FindAComposter.com four years ago, and more recently, create a more user-friendly version."
Visitors to the site can enter a ZIP code to identify composting facilities within a 50-mile radius or search for facilities by name. Composters wishing to list their facility can easily enter full-text descriptions and upload multiple photographs as well as video clips.
The new site also offers the ability to integrate with social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) and a comprehensive resource page that includes how-to composting and compost utilization information.
There are also plans to launch a "Feedstock" blog that will include site profiles as well as links to current events and stories in the world of organics recycling.
Like this story? Connect with Beth on Twitter or StumbleUpon.
Also check out:
- Compost 101: Don't Start A Garden Without It!
- 75 Things You Didn't Know You Could Compost
- How to Build a Compost Heap
Print This Post
New bandages change color when infected
November 17, 2010
When you have a cut, are you tempted to peek under the bandage?
Rather than following that urge and letting bacteria and germs creep in, there may be a better method to monitor a cut's status. Scientists have discovered a way for you to know whether a wound is infected or not, without removing the bandage.
Non-infected wound (Photo: Fraunhofer EMFT)
At the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Modular Solid State Technologies EMFT in Munich, scientists have developed a way for adhesive bandages to change color once the presence of an infection is detected.
Since the pH level of skin is higher when it is infected, an indicator dye turns a shade of purple when the skin reaches a pH value of 6.5 to 8.5 (healthy skin has a pH around 5). That way you know when the bandage turns purple, it's time to clean up the wound and redress it.
Infected wound (Photo: Fraunhofer EMFT)
What do you think? Are you interested in buying bandages that change color to indicate an infection? Or will you stick with the neutral color tones? Or does the whole topic of germ-infested bandages gross you out?
Related:
Print This Post
