Q: How does lighting affect me, and how can I be mindful of those effects with the choices in my home?

A: Comparing different lighting options should begin with an acknowledgement of natural light—sunlight, daylight (reflected sunlight) and the light/dark cycle (our wake/sleep cycle)—as the benchmark by which we should judge the quality and value an artificial light source has on our health. There is no substitute for the sensory experience with natural lighting. It’s the source of our ecosystem and all life energy.

We know that we process light through both our eyes and our skin, the latter through which our body is able to get the vitamin D it needs to maintain a healthy skeleton and facilitate metabolism of  nutrients. We also know that when a living thing doesn’t receive the light/dark cycle it needs, it adapts, of course, but not without consequences to health and well-being. For example, if you deprive yourself of the dark cycle with the use of bright fluorescent lighting at night, you decrease the amount of time your pineal gland has to produce melatonin, the powerful antioxidant that keeps sleep disorders at bay and the natural behavior of many bodily functions on course.

Does this mean you shouldn’t have any lights in your home and rise when the sun rises and sleep when the sun sets? Not exactly.

You want to take advantage of as much of the free and healthy natural light available to you during the day as you can. If you are building or remodeling, incorporate daylight harvesting practices from the beginning. Sunlight, the combination of all wavelengths of the visible spectrum, produces white light and has a color temperature of 4,000 to 5,000 degrees Kelvin. Daylight, reflected sunlight, being bluer in color, is in the 5,500 to 6,500 degree Kelvin color temperature range. Correct site orientation along with light wells, light shelves, appropriate window placement, shading and louvers will not only keep you in bright, blue wavelengths of light all day but will also allow you to minimize the amount of artificial light and power you consume. These practices support and reinforce other sustainable energy technologies such as solar and photo voltaic electricity.

Wherever artificial light sources are needed for use during the day, they should be bright, white and mounted to bounce light indirectly in the space, mimicking sunlight and reflected daylight as closely as possible. CFLs and fixtures using tri-phosphor fluorescent tubes, bright white LEDs, metal halide and white SON lamps can fit this specification.

To follow the natural light/dark cycle, however, avoid those bright sources after the day ends. When the sun goes down, artificial lighting sources should, too. Instead, use warm light aimed directly at the task you must be performing. Control them with dimmers and set them at the lowest level you need for visibility. Halogen and incandescent sources, in the 2,300 to 3,500 degree Kelvin color temperature range fit this specification. Warm CFLs can also be used, but not where dimming is desired. Filament sources of light, such as halogen and incandescents, have the ability to mimic firelight. When you dim them, their color shifts to the red (warm) end of the visible spectrum. CFLs, as a gas discharge source, cannot change color when dimmed.

Be sure, too, to carry this awareness to the lighting choices outside of your home. Respect the dark cycle of plants and animals by turning off the bright lights at night and using directed lighting only when needed.

Note: For the International Association of Lighting Designers position on incandescents (and the banning of these bulbs), visit www.iald.org

Recycling Your CFLs

We all know the benefits of using CFLs, or compact fluorescent light bulbs, over traditional incandescents: they require less energy and have a longer shelf life, saving us money and helping the planet at the same time. But, there’s one health-related caveat: they contain a small amount of mercury, making proper handling and disposal extremely important.

If you break one, here are a few things to remember that can help keep you from being exposed to any mercury that might be in the bulb:

• Open a window for ventilation and leave the room for 15 minutes.

• Don’t use a vacuum cleaner to clean up the mess, which can spread mercury vapors. Instead, sweep up the broken bits as best as you can.

• To clean up any bits the broom won’t get, wear rubber gloves and use a wet paper towel or cloth to wipe the area.

• Place debris, including paper towel or cloth, in a plastic bag and seal it.

Recycling your CFLs, not tossing them in your waste bin, is key to proper disposal, and there are several options. Across the nation, Home Depot stores begun their free CFL recycling program this summer and will now accept used bulbs for recycling. The bulbs will be accepted at all stores; however, it’s a good idea to check with your local store.

Home Depot wasn’t the first retailer to offer a take-back program. For Atlantans, Ikea has a free CFL recycling program, and recycling bins can be found at their individual store locations.

In Buncombe County, NC, a CFL recycling program also began this summer in cooperation with area fire stations. Departments from Asheville to Enka and Black Mountain to Swannanoa are participating. Please note: If dropping off a broken bulb, the debris must be in a sealed plastic bag to be accepted. For more information about the program, visit www.buncombecounty.org.

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