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4- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday December 5, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com Project Porchlight good for environment By Krissie Rutherford OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF RIZIERO VERTOLLI / OAKVILLE BEAVER ONE AT A TIME: Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn is teaming up with Oakvillegreen volunteers to distribute approximately 5,000 energy-efficient 13-watt compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs at the Oakville GO station. Back row, left to right, Larissa Dunn, Nathalie Brusch, and Amanda Lepholtz; in front, Katya Dunn. One bulb per household ­ that's all it takes. "If every household had one of these bulbs, it would be like taking 66,000 cars off the road," said Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn. Parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Environment, Flynn was one of several local dignitaries handing out free Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs Thursday at the Oakville GO Station to help launch Project Porchlight, an energy efficiency campaign run by the not-for-profit group One Change. Each bulb has a nine-year warranty. A 13 watt energy-efficient light is equal to a regular 60 watt bulb. They use up to 75 per cent less energy. The energy-efficient bulbs can result in up to a 50 per cent saving in a household's energy costs. Every bulb changed means less coal has to be burned to produce power, which means cleaner air and lower health care costs. These were just some of the facts included on the box containing each CFL bulb. Throughout the fall, Project Porchlight volunteers will distribute half a million energy-efficient light bulbs to households across Ontario, including 20,000 bulbs to Oakville residents. "I have these at my home now," said Flynn, sporting a green Project Porchlight jacket and carrying a large green bag full of energy efficient bulbs. "Change one of your old light bulbs at home," the Oakville MPP said, as he passed one to each commuter hustling by. "It's just kind of that one bulb that will get everyone going," he added. Oakvillegreen president Liz Benneian, whose group lent a hand Thursday to hand out bulbs, has seen the benefits first-hand. "We've changed to compact fluorescent light bulbs, and we've made some other behavioural changes at home," she explained, which includes only flicking the light switch when they need to. "We've reduced our electricity usage by 38 per cent in Rob Burton Kevin Flynn "Oakville residents are very attuned to environmental issues. This initiative is a great reminder that through our individual actions we can all conserve energy, save money, and help the environment." Rob Burton, Oakville mayor "I have these at my home now. Change one of your old light bulbs at home. It's just kind of that one bulb that will get everyone going." Kevin Flynn Oakville MPP a single year, and this is without any significant changes. It's been little things," said Benneian. The benefits are clear on the electricity bill, not to mention in the environment. Switching just one oldfashioned incandescent bulb to an energy-efficient 13-watt compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb will save each resident up to $50 in electricity costs over five years, according to a Project Porchlight news release. With 20,000 light bulbs in use, Oakville residents stand to collectively save up to $1,000,000 over a five-year period. At the same time, 2,500,000 less pounds of coal will be burned to produce electricity, resulting in a reduction of 10,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. Benneian noted the lights ­ although they have a nineyear warranty and this isn't in the near future ­ should not be disposed of at home just yet. Home Depot now accepts the energy-efficient lights and recycles them. The GO station hand-out is only the beginning of Project Porchlight in Oakville. Provincially, the project is working with the Ontario Power Authority, the Government of Ontario, and the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and at a local level, both the Town of Oakville and Oakville Hydro Energy Distribution Inc. have contributed funding and support to the initiative. "Oakville residents are very attuned to environmental issues," said Mayor Rob Burton, also on hand yesterday to hand out bulbs. "This initiative is a great reminder that through our individual actions we can all conserve energy, save money, and help the environment," said the mayor. Executive Director of One Change Stuart Hickox is calling on Oakville residents "to be a light in their own communities by delivering bulbs door-to-door." Flynn's Oakville office will be helping distribute an additional 1,500 energy-efficient CFL bulbs. Volunteers and community groups will also distribute the CFL bulbs to Oakville residents in the following weeks. Residents who would like more information are invited to visit the Project Porchlight web site at www.projectporchlight.com. Or, they can contact Emily Goldin, Regional Co-ordinator, by calling 905-332-1851, ext. 268 or via email at Burlington@onechange.org.