When I visited the american swedish museum in 1997, when I asked about the restroom I was shown to a basement social hall. Just inside the restroom door I found the light switch, and was in the dim beginning of a familiar gradual glow. The ceiling had a number of fixtures to hold bulbs, and all of these had been filled with a Philips Earth Light.

I bought two Philips Earth Lights thirteen years ago. I paid 37 dollars for these, different prices on different days in January 1995. Now one of these is gone - it was in a lamp and it tipped and fell over, the sound I heard was a small but sad snap. I knew that Earth Light had broken.

If I divide the total cost of the two bulbs, I figure I have paid a dollar and forty-two cents per year to use each bulb.

But I realize the light should be recycled. And that it is a hazard and contains mercury. One website really provides recycling facilities listed by zip code - the ceiling of the american swedish museum in Philadephia is quite ornate, but the eco concern matters. It was not a long visit, I was to catch my train again in the afternoon, I checked the bag and took the subway to the museum in the south part of the city.

When a bulb lasts for thirteen years it is special, and the other earth bulb is of course still working. The ceiling at the museum basement must still be working as well.