Project Porchlight Alberta | Project Porchlight

Project Porchlight is an energy efficiency campaign run by One Change, a non-profit organization that advocates community engagement and environmental sustainability.

The campaign promotes a practical and realistic way to use less electricity. Volunteers and staff hand out energy-efficient light bulbs door-to-door and at community events. By working with a broad network of community groups, Project Porchlight makes proactive energy savings a topic of neighbourly conversation. And it goes a step further—it empowers people by giving them the immediate means to start saving energy for themselves.

Putting a free energy-efficient bulb in someone’s hand for them to install decreases energy consumption, lowers greenhouse gas emissions, and effectively communicates a critical message: saving money and protecting the environment start with simple actions like changing a light bulb. Independent analysis of the One Change approach confirms that getting someone to change even one bulb stimulates broader energy conservation action. More bulbs are purchased and installed, and consumers consider energy efficiency as a factor in other purchases and behaviours (Ekos Research, 2007).

Alberta is the site of one of Project Porchlight’s first province-wide campaigns. When we’re done we’ll have handed out 500,000 energy-efficient light bulbs in this province alone! We need your help to bring Project Porchlight to your community!

Your group can be an environmental leader!

We need your help to:

Spread the word about Project Porchlight (post a Project Porchlight volunteer recruitment poster in your office, include an article about Project Porchlight in your newsletter and web site, send an email to your members and networks, etc.)
Gather community contacts
Host or attend community events so that we can share the savings and benefits of our program with your friends, family, colleagues and members

Everyone wants to make a positive change for the environment. Help show Alberta residents that there’s a practical and straightforward way to start!

Please contact Janice Roberts for more information on how you can be involved with this exciting campaign: janice@onechange.org

Why is this campaign important?

The environment is the number one issue for Canadian voters today; Project Porchlight is giving the average person a realistic action that they can take to participate in positive environmental behaviours.

Replacing even one 60-watt incandescent bulb with a 15-watt CFL in each of Canada's 12 million households could save up to $73 million a year in energy costs. It would also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 397,000 tonnes—the equivalent of taking 66,000 cars off the road each year.

Project Porchlight successes to date

800,000 bulbs distributed in Ontario
500 volunteers registered and trained
10,000 bulbs delivered each in Guelph, Thunder Bay, and Whitehorse
Broad political, foundation, and corporate support
Recognized in provincial legislature (Queen’s Park) by Hon. Dwight Duncan, Minister of Energy as an “inspiration to all Ontarians” for how to conserve energy
Researched and wrote analysis of CFL campaigns from across North America for Ontario Power Authority
Developed and refined data management tools to manage where bulbs are delivered and to track results for sponsors
Instrumental in Ontario and federal government decision to phase out incandescent bulbs by 2012 (April 18, 2007)
Broad earned media coverage resulted in thousands of dollars in ad value accumulated

Key players and partnerships

We are always looking to enter into strategic partnerships with members of parliament, municipalities, utilities and organizations that share our interest in conservation management and environmental responsibility. Involvement of local organizations in a Project Porchlight campaign is a fundamental element of its success. In order to open the right doors and access the necessary information, we must work hand-in-hand with community leaders. In addition to the municipality and utility, Project Porchlight representatives must develop relationships with other not-for-profit organizations and community-based service clubs and associations, bulb manufacturers, and retailers.

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Your group can be an environmental leader!

Why is this campaign important?

Project Porchlight successes to date

Key players and partnerships

Sponsors and Partners to Date