Project Porchlight Blog

In 1910, the community of Monte San Giacomo in southwestern Italy sent Saint Ann’s Catholic Church in Hoboken, New Jersey, a beautiful statue of Saint Ann, who is revered as the grandmother of Jesus Christ.

On July 21-26, Saint Ann’s celebrated the 100th anniversary of that gift with its annual Saint Ann’s Italian Festival, six days of great food, entertainment, games, and more. “It’s a very a traditional festival, and we have great devotion to Saint Ann, our patroness,” says Marie Totaro, Chairwoman of the festival.

Project Porchlight attended the festival for all six days 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 2,908 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 theNJCEP.

Marie was thrilled to bring Project Porchlight to Saint Ann’s. “Having Project Porchlight at our festival was a very good fit,” says Marie. “If you are a religious, you want to do everything that’s good--good for your family, good for your neighborhood, good for the community, and good for world.”

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.

“What Project Porchlight is doing really is wonderful,” says Marie. “Sometimes you hear ‘go green,’ but there are people who don’t know how to go green. Educating people is important because we all want to do something to help.”