Schools are back in session, and Project Porchlight is making the most of it! Like hundreds of other students, we packed our bags and showed up at the Drew University [1] campus for the first time on August 27. But unlike the students’ bags, ours were full of compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.

The Project Porchlight team filed into the Drew University Gymnasium, where we greeted approximately 200 new scholars (some of whom are pictured here). Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator Quincey Xavier kicked things off by introducing the students to our campaign, and letting them know the benefits of switching to CFL bulbs. “Everyone was really enthusiastic,” says Quincey. “They were surprised to learn what a difference one small light bulb can make. And every single student signed up to volunteer for our bulb blitz. We were a huge hit!”

It’s a good thing we got so many volunteers, because the August 27 bulb blitz wasn’t just any blitz. We hit up three boroughs in one afternoon!! Staff and students alike distributed more than 1,000 free energy-saving light bulbs throughout Madison, Chatham, and Morris Plains. The blitz was 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 [2], and the campaign is made possible thanks to funding by the state Board of Public Utilities (BPU) [3] and New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program (NJCEP) [4].

“We couldn’t have accomplished what we did that afternoon without the Drew University students,” says Quincey. “But I also have to give a loud shout-out to a few other people who made it all possible. Christina Notas, Sustainability Coordinator at Drew University, and Frank Merckx, Associate Dean of Campus Life and Student Affairs, helped coordinate the three-town blitz. And United Way [5] played a big hand in supporting us, and even offered their services at future Project Porchlight events. Thank you all for helping us prove that simple actions matter.”