Canadians are ready to make a change!

Jan 17th, 2008 6:54 AM

Canadians are ready to make a change! Project Porchlight delivers one million energy-efficient light bulbs to Canadian homes Ottawa, January 17, 2008 - Kevin Flynn, Parliamentary Assistant to Ontario Environment Minister John Gerretsen, joined members of Project Porchlight today to help celebrate the award-winning grassroots campaign’s landmark delivery of one million free energy-efficient light bulbs to Canadians. “It’s been said many times that we have the technology to stop climate change,” said Stuart Hickox, executive director of One Change. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way—and the potential to move toward a more environmentally friendly world not only exists, but could provide a viable new economy and hope to many communities.” Today’s event also marked the successful completion of Project Porchlight’s Ontario campaign, during which over 640,000 free energy-efficient light bulbs were distributed. Support for the province-wide campaign came from main funders the Ontario Power Authority, the Government of Ontario, and the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), with municipalities and utilities contributing funds at the local level. In 2006, Project Porchlight received a one-year $150,000 province-wide grant from OTF, an agency of the Government of Ontario, to help with the initiative. “I’m proud to see successful grassroots programs like Project Porchlight that are making a real difference in our collective efforts to make Ontario greener,” said Mr. Flynn. “We need every community to help the province reach our target of reducing greenhouse gases by six per cent below 1990 levels by 2014 and 15 per cent by 2020. “When we live sustainably by decreasing our electricity use, we reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that ca use climate change and we protect our environment for tomorrow’s generations,” said Ontario Environment Minister John Gerretsen. From its first and highly successful campaign in 2005–2006, where 250,000 compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs were delivered to homes across Ottawa, Project Porchlight has worked with provincial and local sponsors, MPs, MPPs, and MLAs and more than 3,000 volunteers in over 150 communities across Ontario, Yukon and Alberta to deliver a total of one million bulbs—and spread an important message: Everyone can conserve energy, save money, and help the environment with simple, effective actions. “By promoting simple actions people can take every day to increase energy efficiency, Project Porchlight and every community member who changes a bulb is a part of the solution toward those goals,” said Mr. Hickox. Collectively, replacing one million incandescent bulbs with energy-efficient CFL bulbs in Canada will generate savings of about $50 million in electricity costs and stop 500,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases from being emitted into our atmosphere over the next five years. Project Porchlight’s campaign also includes important information about proper disposal of CFL bulbs. "When it comes to climate change, we can't do everything, but we can each do something so I want to congratulate Project Porchlight on their successful campaign," said Premier Dalton McGuinty. "Together, we're working with Ontarians to build a culture of conservation that will not only save money, but take us another step closer to a cleaner greener future for Ontario." In attendance were Kevin Flynn, MPP for Oakville and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of the Environment; Jean-Paul Gagnon, from the Ontario Trillium Foundation; Raegan Bunker, from Ontario Power Authority; Phil McNeely, MPP for Ottawa-Orleans; Stuart Hickox, Executive Director of One Change; and Project Porchlight staff and volunteers from across the province. Local gospel choir One Faith was also present to help celebrate the milestone event, which was hosted by local CBC personality Alan Neal. -30- For more details or to arrange an interview, please contact: Suzanne Fraser Director of Communications and Outreach Project Porchlight 613-232-5892 x 217 / 1-866-585-6359, Cell: 613-552-7277 suzy@onechange.org www.onechange.org Project Porchlight is an award-winning campaign of One Change, a not-for-profit organization based in Ottawa. The goal of Project Porchlight is to get every household in Canada to mobilize Canadians to change one old-fashioned, inefficient incandescent to an energy-efficient CFL bulb.