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Dawson Creek residents welcome national energy efficiency campaign
Dawson Creek residents welcomed Project Porchlight to British Columbia today at Dawson Creek's Community Cleanup Day. Project Porchlight is a grassroots energy efficiency campaign that has run award-winning programs across Canada. Volunteers who distribute energy-efficient light bulbs to their friends and neighbours communicate an important message: when it comes to the environment, simple actions matter.
Stuart Hickox, Executive Director of One Change, the organization that runs Project Porchlight, was joined by Brian Lieverse from EnCana Corporation; Dawson Creek Mayor, Calvin Kruk; Benjamin Gardiner, Power Smart Specialist for the North East Region at B.C. Hydro; and Blair Lekstrom, MLA for Peace River South.
"This is about more than changing light bulbs," said Stuart Hickox. "British Columbians are already aware and invested in protecting our resources. By sharing simple energy conservation tools with our neighbours, we can get more people involved and promote other simple changes that make a big difference." Porchlight volunteers deliver bulbs door to door to spread the message that everyone can conserve energy, save money, and help the environment with simple, effective actions.
The reasons to switch to compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs are compelling. Replacing just one old-fashioned incandescent bulb with an energy-efficient 13-watt CFL bulb saves up to $35 in electricity costs over five years. CFL bulbs are more efficient because they use 75% less electricity than old-fashioned incandescent bulbs.
EnCana Corporation is one of the key sponsors of Project Porchlight Alberta. Patricia Etris, Group Lead, Community Relations for EnCana, spoke of the community's efforts to use British Columbia resources responsibly: "After years of working in and with the town of Dawson Creek, EnCana applauds the steps the town has taken to make itself the energy efficiency capital of British Columbia. Given our positive experience with Alberta's Project Porchlight campaign, it made good sense to introduce Dawson Creek to the work that One Change is doing to promote energy efficiency," said Etris.
B.C. Hydro, also a participant and supporter of the Dawson Creek Cleanup Day, would like to encourage residents to continue their commitment to conservation by joining Team Power Smart and setting a personal energy conservation target today.
Successful Project Porchlight campaigns include Alberta, Ontario and Yukon. Over a million bulbs have been delivered so far by over 4000 volunteers in 170 communities. With the sponsorship of organizations such as EnCana Corporation, Project Porchlight looks forward to extending its reach and increasing involvement in energy conservation across Canada, including British Columbia.
Interested individuals of all ages and walks of life, and local community groups can visit the web site www.projectporchlight.com to sign up to volunteer or obtain more information on the campaign.
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About Project Porchlight
Project Porchlight is an award-winning not-for-profit organization. The goal of Project Porchlight is to get every household in Canada to change one old-fashioned, inefficient incandescent to an energy-efficient CFL bulb.
For more details or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Manon Crôteau, Communications & Outreach Manager
1.866.585.6359 x 218 or 613.263.0403
manon@onechange.org
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