Discerning the True, Environmentalist Light

Paul Wheaton is really tired of people trying to sell CFL s as good for the environment:

The object propelling the greatest greenwashing scheme of all time, is the CFL. The greenwashing is so thorough, that many people will call themselves an “environmentalist” for no reason other than the fact that they have, indeed, purchased CFLs.

Click the link above and read all about it. I bought them, put them all up in my house and promptly noted the sickly light. It makes me feel bad. I had one break on me- I was careful about not breathing, but I don't know how much of the mercury got on me and my stuff- and I have suffered enough mysterious pain since then to wonder. They do, as Wheaton points out, fail rather quickly and do not provide any perceptible energy savings.

I suspect most 'green' industries have everything to do with subsidies provided by the government and almost zero to do with the environment.