Bright Ideas About Coal

A Slower Burn: At a Louisiana coal depot, electrician Randal Brown holds a bright idea: a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL). Much of the world's electricity is produced in coal-fired generators that belch carbon dioxide, mercury, and sulfur into the atmosphere. A CFL lasts longer and consumes far less power than a conventional bulb, cutting energy costs, reducing greenhouse emissions, and saving nearly a quarter ton of coal over its lifetime.