Project Porchlight New Jersey educates state residents about energy efficiency and the ways that saving energy can help protect the environment. One great place to reach people is where they shop, which is why Project Porchlight came to Livingston Mall [1] in Livingston, New Jersey, on December 26 and 27.

Project Porchlight Compliance Officer Karima Houston spent the better part of two days at the mall, where she educated shoppers about the energy savings offered by compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.

“It went really well,” says Karima. “People were really excited to receive the CFL bulbs while they were shopping, and they were so happy that they didn’t have to buy them to try one out!”

A total of 217 CFL bulbs were distributed, 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 the community-based social marketing [2] leaders One Change [3], and the campaign is made possible thanks to funding by the state Board of Public Utilities (BPU) [4] and New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program (NJCEP) [5].

“A lot of the people we talked to didn’t really know about CFL bulbs,” says Karima. “They didn’t know that they could be saving energy and saving the environment at the same time, so they were happy to learn that energy-efficient CFL bulbs could help the environment.”

When it comes to protecting our environment, simple actions matter. Even something as simple as changing a light bulb is important. Project Porchlight empowers people to believe that simple actions matter and to make smart choices that protect the environment. “We are educating people so they understand that we all can do something to protect the environment,” says Karima. “Many of them said that they were going to head over to Home Depot and Lowe’s to purchase more bulbs.”