It is not often you can get something for free.
But Greater Sudbury residents can receive a free compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) thanks to an Ottawa based non-profit organization, One Change, with their province wide campaign called Project Porchlight made possible with the help of local volunteers.
One Change volunteers were handing out 1,000 free CFLs at the end of the Sudbury Wolves hockey game Friday night. That leaves 16,358 to be given out in the next two weeks at other sports and community events.
“We advocate community engagement and environmental sustainability by making seemingly small changes,” said Natalia Snajdr, formerly from New Sudbury.
The campaign promotes a practical and realistic way to use less electricity. Volunteers and staff hand out, door to door and through community events, energy efficient bulbs.
“Save money and protect the environment with simple actions like changing a light bulb. Each CFL saves users $50 over its 10 year lifespan. The small change of switching to energy-efficient light bulbs can represent the first step in a lifetime of making energy conscious choices,” she said.
Small changes can yield big results.
Replacing even one 60 watt incandescent bulb with a 15-watt CFL in each of Canada's 12 million households could save up to $73 million a year in energy costs. It would also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 397,000 tonnes-the equivalent of taking more than 66,000 cars off the road each year.
So far Project Porchlight has distributed 250,000 bulbs in Ottawa, registered and trained 500 volunteers and delivered 10,000 bulbs delivered each to Guelph, Thunder Bay and Whitehorse, Yukon.
“We are here in Greater Sudbury until Dec. 22 and are asking local residents to volunteer to help out by calling 1-866-585-6359.”
For more information visit www.onechange.org.
