Living Well, Living Green: Switch to CFL for Earth Day, Save $380 Mil?

Are you looking for a quick and easy eco-fix? Your lightbulb may have the answer. In fact, lighting accounts for nearly 20% of the average family's electricity bill.

That's because incandescent lightbulbs are like an energy-inefficient Pacman, gobbling up energy and spitting it out as 75% heat and only 25% light. Do you really want to pay to heat your house through your lightbulbs? I didn't think so.

The next time a bulb burns out, try switching to a CFL, LED or halogen light. They may look a little wacky at first, but they can save you a ton of money--and the world a ton of CO2 emissions.

In fact, if every American simply replaced one burned out regular lightbulb with one that's more energy efficient, we'd save enough energy to light nearly two million homes, $380 million on energy bills, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to 800,000 cars.

And forget about the cold light of yesterday's energy efficient lightbulbs--today's bulbs come in different shades, colors and intensities, so you can find energy-efficient lighting for every room in the house.

Plus, they last for years, so you spend less time changing them--and less money on bulbs. Bonus!

It's the little, everyday acts that really add up for both your home and for our collective home--the Earth. Whether it's changing to a better bulb, unplugging an appliance or turning down your thermostat, these actions can really make a difference.

For the next 40 days--basically now through Earth Day, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year--Sylvania, the leader in eco-friendly lighting solutions, is challenging consumers to take every day actions to save 40 million kilowatt hours of energy with their 40 for the Future Earth Day Campaign.

Pledge your commitment, check out tips on different ways you can make a difference, and win cool prizes!

Savings.com Green Guru Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff is a writer, producer and marketing consultant who focuses on sustainable fashion, beauty, lifestyle and parenting--and the creator of EcoStiletto.com, an online magazine which explains, in real-girl terms, how eco-friendly choices can help turn your carbon footprint from a ginormous Ugg into an oh-so-slender Manolo.