Rebecca, the most recent bunch of compact fluorescent bulbs I got at costco were packaged in recyclable cardboard, the light is warm and soft, and they go off and on like an incandescent with no delay. Many people have been very surprised when I lifted the lampshade to show them what was underneath as they didn’t believe me that the bulbs were fluorescent. The technology on these bulbs has really improved in just a few years. They are also even more compact so that they fit anywhere I would put a regular bulb. I really have just stopped buying incandescents and as each bulb burns out, it gets replaced. NOw I have a big pack of fluorescent bulbs and I”m running out of spots to put them – they don’t seem to burn out!

As far as the mercury – just make sure you completely clean up any breaks or spills and don’t eat it, you should be fine. Mercury is mostly an issue if you ingest it, I think.

I am especially impressed with your “green lighting” goal. I have a few incandescent bulbs here and there, like in the basement or on the porch. The quality of the light indoors bothers me. I also don’t like that most compact flourescents come in non-recyclable hard plastic packaging. I saw some bulbs at Fred Meyer that come in brown paper packaging, so I can’t use that as an excuse anymore. I’m also a little worried about the fact that the compact flourescents contain mercury, a neurotoxin. So they have to be properly recycled or they can have horrible side effects. I dropped a bulb I was installing and it broke . . . that had me worried.

ANYWAY, good work!