According to a recent article in The New York Times, Wal-Mart has gotten behind the energy and cost saving lighting solution, CFL’s (compact fluorescent light bulbs). The retail company has set a goal of getting the bulbs into more that 100 million homes by 2008.

CFL’s have long been praised as being good for the environment and your wallet, but have yet to become a household norm. Consumers are still drawn to cheaper and more familiar light bulbs. A fluorescent bulb can cost between $2-$3, about four times more than the average incandescent bulb, but a CFL will last up to 12 times longer.

While Wal-Mart is surely leveraging CFL’s to build some much needed enviro street-cred, it is nonetheless a good step in bringing awareness to the masses.