Project Porchlight Blog

It’s been less than a year since Project Porchlight proudly announced we’d hit the 2 million mark, having delivered 2 million free compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs throughout North America. Yet here we are again, nine months later, announcing to the world that we’ve surpassed the 3 million mark!

“I’m humbled by the efforts of our volunteers,” says One Change President and Founder Stuart Hickox, who launched Project Porchlight—the non-profit organization’s flagship campaign—in 2005. “When my friends and I started out delivering 50,000 free CFL bulbs in Ottawa South, we never dreamed the campaign would end up having such a widespread reach. We owe a tremendous thank you to the thousands of generous volunteers and community groups who donated their time to Project Porchlight; because of their efforts, we’ve been able to reach millions of households across North America, helping families save money and energy.

Project Porchlight is doing more than simply handing people a light bulb. It’s empowering people with the knowledge they need to make smart energy choices in other areas of their lives. The initiative was founded on the principle that simple actions matter. Stuart was inspired to put that principle to work when he discovered just how much pollution could be reduced if every household in Canada replaced just one incandescent light bulb with a CFL bulb.

“The idea is that if each individual makes one small change, it will add up to have a significant impact on a global scale,” says Gail Logan, Director of Communications at One Change. “This goes way beyond replacing a light bulb. Our philosophy—that simple actions matter—applies to all sorts of changes. Project Porchlight has proven just how big an impact an individual can have, and it’s also shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that people do want to take part in protecting the environment.”

That proven commitment to going green is exactly why the One Change team is moving forward with more campaigns and initiatives in 2010. “We’re continuing to mobilize community groups and bring together leaders to show the world what people can achieve when they have the right tools to take simple first steps toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” says Stuart. “It’s incredible how far a light bulb or tire gauge can go toward influencing positive behaviour changes. One change leads to another.”

In the nearly five years since Project Porchlight was born, more than 3 million free energy-saving light bulbs have been distributed by 12,000 volunteers and 3000 community groups in more than 900 communities in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, Vermont, New Jersey and Puget Sound. The energy-efficient CFL bulbs have helped residents reduce their energy use by 29, 879, 903 megawatt hours, save more than $ 116 million, and stop 791,529 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from being released into the air.

As Project Porchlight earns increasing recognition worldwide, One Change is building on the momentum of its flagship campaign to encourage even more simple first actions that will help protect the environment. We launched the hugely successful One Change: Fuel pilot campaign in Ottawa over the summer of 2009. And we’re currently developing a new Water campaign.

“Project Porchlight has helped open people’s eyes to the fact that they can make a difference by making smart choices that protect the environment,” says Stuart. “The light bulb has been the catalyst for inspiring further change. We want to build on the success we’ve had with Project Porchlight and continue to show people in just how many ways their simple actions matter. The light bulb is only the beginning.”