Over the holidays I gave my father a bit of grief about the lighting in my parents' home. Now I wasn't chewing them out for holding on to old, inefficient incandescents. Quite the opposite--I was annoyed that my father (something of an environmentalist in his own right for a lot longer than I've been around) insisted on using the same early-model CFLs that he bought years back and provide awful light. My argument was that these early, crummy bulbs turn anyone who sees them off to the potential of energy efficient lighting. Any guests will assume that all CFLs on the market are as poor as the ones that my dad--on principle--refuses to throw out.

To that end, there's a really great slideshow on the NY Times website right now, profiling a few families who've made the switch. And it hasn't been as easy as most Greens will have you believe.

I think we've got to be a little more straight-faced about the pros and cons about CFLs and other efficient lighting. Too many "How To Go Green" lists for the past couple years have thrown "switch you lightbulbs" out there as some golden arrow solution. Yes, switching out your bulbs is a low hanging fruit, and ideally everyone will do it. But let's be honest about the shortcomings of the MANY bulbs on the market that just don't do the trick. Admitting that some of them do suck will actually make sure that folks still screwing in incandescents won't be totally turned off to the thought of switching when they see a dimly CFL-lit room.

Check out the Times slideshow here.