Project Porchlight’s “Salute to Success” on June 3 at Military Park in Newark, New Jersey, was a wonderful celebration of our campaign which has distributed more than one million energy-saving compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs across the state. How much will state residents save on their electric bills thanks to our campaign? A total of $78 million. Now that’s a cause for celebration!
Who better to help New Jersey residents save than Martin Brodeur [1] (pictured here, left), goalie for the New Jersey Devils [2]. “No one is asking you to change overnight, but if you do make some small changes in your life, it will make a big difference,” says Brodeur.
One lucky guest won a New Jersey Devils jersey signed by Martin Brodeur, who told the assembled guests that he was proud to be affiliated with such a worthy cause and encouraged people to sign up to volunteer. And, of course, each guest received a complimentary CFL bulb.
Brodeur was joined by Dr. Randal Pinkett [3], Chairman and CEO of BCT Partners [4] and season four winner of NBC television’s “The Apprentice,” as well as representatives from the state Board of Public Utilities (BPU) [5] and One Change [6]. Project Porchlight is an award-winning energy-efficiency initiative of One Change and is sponsored by the BPU and New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program [7] (NJCEP).
“What started as a light bulb program has evolved to a social movement for positive action in New Jersey,” says One Change Founder and President Stuart Hickox [8]. “It is so exciting to hear speakers like BPU Commissioner Joseph L. Fiordaliso [9], Dr. Randal Pinkett and Martin Brodeur all observe that what they are seeing is not just bulbs being changed, but people of all backgrounds coming together.”
“The success of Project Porchlight demonstrates how New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program, along with residents throughout the state, support New Jersey’s energy vision and the impact energy efficiency has on energy and environmental savings,” says BPU Commissioner Fiordaliso (pictured here, right).
Project Porchlight’s Campaign Manager Sheila Foreman points out that in some respects, the impact of our campaign is immeasurable. “What's great about our campaign is that the CFL bulb is a catalyst that prompts individuals to make additional changes and smarter energy-efficiency decisions,” says Sheila. “Our intention is for the CFL bulb to be a wake-up call letting residents know their simple actions matter in saving energy and our environment.”
For more information about NJCEP, please visit www.NJCleanEnergy.com [10]. For more information about Project Porchlight or to volunteer, please visit www.porchlight.org [11]