Do the benefits of switching to high efficiency light bulbs outweigh the risks of mercury exposure after they're discarded? I just started using my first high efficiency light bulb a few weeks ago.

Until electricity and gasoline get so prohibitively expensive that people are forced to make hard choices, I don't think there's a lot of hope for change within my generation (the "baby bust" of the late '60s and early '70s). Maybe younger people will be able to get it done because they have been brought up in a more energy- and environment-conscious society.