Project Porchlight Blog

The Jewish Community Housing Corporation (JCHC) provides independent senior citizens with suitable living accommodations and related services, enabling them to express their Jewish affiliations through services and practices consistent with all approaches to Judaism. On December 16, JCHC’s Village Apartments in South Orange, New Jersey, held an event to help residents learn more about energy efficiency. Naturally, Project Porchlight was on hand to educate folks about the energy savings offered by compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.

A total of 102 CFL bulbs were distributed, part of Project Porchlight New Jersey’s campaign to distribute energy-efficient light bulbs to residents across the state. Project Porchlight is an energy efficiency program run by the community based social marketing organization One Change. The campaign is made possible thanks to funding by the state Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program (NJCEP).

“Project Porchlight had a great program for the seniors,” says Building Manager Cheryl Kasye. “When the residents got their CFL bulbs, first off they were happy to know they would be conserving energy and protecting the environment. Then when they got the information about where to buy them to save additional money, they were happy to know that as well.

“Project Porchlight provides a great service for people, and the residents really appreciated it,” adds Cheryl “And anything they learned from it, I think they will pass on to their families as well.”

Project Porchlight empowers people to believe that simple actions matter and to make smart choices that protect the environment. And while some older folks may be resistant to change, that was certainly not the case at the South Orange Village Apartments. “Our residents are willing to try anything that’s going to change the world for their grandkids or make a difference that will benefit their grandkids,” says Cheryl. “It’s important that all of us do what we can to protect the water, our air, and our earth. It’s important to limit pollution so our world will be cleaner.”

When it comes to protecting our environment, simple actions matter. Even something as simple as changing a light bulb is important. “After the presentation was over, a lot of the residents were chatting,” reports Cheryl. “One of them is very up on what’s going on in the world, and he told the others that CFL bulbs really do make a difference in lowering your electric bills. We have already had three or four residents go out and purchase more CFL bulbs, which is great. Everybody’s happy to save money, and if you’re saving the environment at the same time, you can’t go wrong with that.”