NJ.com (Hoboken, NJ): Project Porchlight hands out free lightbulbs, bags at St. Ann's Italian Festival in Hoboken

Posted July 22, 2010 by OneChange

Green bags dot the crowd at St. Ann's Italian Festival in Hoboken, each with a present inside: an energy-efficient light bulb.

The recyclable cloth bags and light bulbs are part of an environmental initiative of Project Porchlight, which has distributed more than one million free compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to New Jersey residents.

"The idea behind this is that simple actions matter," said Kahdijah Bell, the communications coordinator for Project Porchlight. "It's a call to action. We're giving you the tools to start making a difference."

Each light bulb lasts for five to seven years if used four hours a day, said Karima Houston, the compliance officer for One Change, which sponsors the project.

The more efficient light bulbs should save each household about $30 to $50 per year, Houston said.

She then wrapped her hands around the twirl of the CFL bulb in her hand.

"I have kids, and that's another great thing about these bulbs: they don't burn children," Houston said. "They can touch them, even after four hours, and it won't hurt."

One Change, which receives funding from New Jersey's Clean Energy Program and the Board of Public Utilities, writes on its website that if every household in the United States replaced an incandescent bulb with a CFL bulb, the reduction in pollution would be the equivalent of taking 800,000 cars off the road.

"People are always looking for ways to save, both the environment and in terms of the economy," Bell said. "And in these tough times, people are also looking for something to get behind.

"That's what we're all about."