It all began in the summer of 2004.
Researching energy-efficient refrigerators on the Energy Star website, Project Porchlight founder Stuart Hickox discovered a surprising statistic: If every household in Canada replaced just one incandescent light bulb with a CFL bulb, the reduction in pollution would be the equivalent of taking 66,000 cars off the road. ?How hard can it be to get everyone to change one light bulb?? Stuart wondered.
Stuart joined forces with a couple of friends to create a not-for-profit organization that would bridge the gap between awareness and action. Project Porchlight was born. The team decided to make it possible for people to deliver free energy efficient bulbs in their own neighbourhoods.
In 2005-2006, with the support of Hydro Ottawa and the work of community groups and volunteers, Project Porchlight delivered 225,000 free CFL bulbs to homes across Ottawa. The first Porchlight campaign was a huge success. With everyone from the mayor to young volunteers pitching in to celebrate the advantages of smart energy use, Ottawa showed just how powerful a simple message of change could be when embraced by a community.
With the success of the Ottawa campaign, requests from other communities poured in and sponsors saw an opportunity to show their commitment. The One Change organization was founded in 2006 to help bring Porchlight to communities across Canada and to spearhead practical, community-based environmental initiatives.
Today, Project Porchlight is active in over 150 communities in Ontario and Alberta. Over 3000 volunteers are currently engaged in an effort to deliver 1,000,000 energy efficient bulbs.
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