Free Light Bulbs Today at Home Depot

Today, Sunday — Earth Day — Home Depot is doing their part for the environment by giving away 1,000,000 compact fluorescent light bulbs to customers who visit any of the U.S. stores, while supplies last.

According to their website, if all of the compact fluorescents in the promotion are used to replace standard bulbs, it will result in an estimated $12-million savings in annual energy costs, and a reduction of 196 million pounds of CO2 emissions. Such a large CO2 cutback is the equivalent of removing 70,000 cars from U.S. roads.

To find the Home Depot nearest you, head to their website, click “Store Finder” (I can’t directly link you, unfortunately), and enter in your zip code. They have over 2,000 stores in the Unites States, so if my calculations are correct, and they sometimes are, each store will have about 500 free bulbs to give away.

The Australian government has already begun the process of phasing out regular incandescent bulbs in favor of compact fluorescents on a national scale, with plans to complete its goal in 2010. This is expected to “reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by four million tonnes” by 2012.

If you don’t have any compact fluorescents in your home yet, now is the time to act. Be proactive; Recognize your impact on the environment as an individual, and take the necessary steps to reduce your ecological footprint. Don’t wait for your government, no matter where you live, to enact regulations and force you to be concerned about the condition of our planet. Be concerned now because it’s the right thing to do.

[Via Lifehacker]