Project Porchlight Blog

The annual African Diaspora Festival in Newark, New Jersey, helps affirm the legacy of the Diaspora by increasing the quality of relationships and dialogue between the communities. This year’s festival, held on August 8 at Lincoln Park, included people of African descent from Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean Islands, and beyond.

The day of cultural performances celebrated African ancestry, history, and spiritual heritage. The event also honored recently retired Essex County College President Dr. A. Zachary Yamba and Ghanaian King Nana Gyensare V. Isaac Osei.

Project Porchlight joined the festival to educate folks about the energy savings offered by compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs as well as the energy efficiency programs that are available through New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program (NJCEP).

A total of 180 CFL bulbs were distributed at the festival, part of Project Porchlight New Jersey’s campaign to distribute energy-efficient light bulbs to residents across the state. Project Porchlight is an initiative of One Change, and the campaign is made possible thanks to funding by the state Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and the NJCEP.

Dosso Kassimou, Chairman of the Newark African Commission, was pleased to have Project Porchlight attend the festivities. “Everybody was very excited to get a CFL bulb to take home and try,” he says. “We all appreciated Project Porchlight coming out to educate our community.”

When it comes to protecting our environment, simple actions really do matter! Even something as simple as changing a light bulb can make a difference. By connecting with state residents one at a time, Project Porchlight is empowering people of all backgrounds to make smart, energy-efficient choices that protect the environment.

“Project Porchlight is a wonderful project,” says Dosso. “We’re all wasting too much energy. Educating people about how to save energy and save our resources is very important. Conserving energy also helps people save money at home, which raises everybody’s quality of life.”