Project Porchlight Blog

The annual Tree Lighting Ceremony in Avalon, New Jersey, is a hugely popular holiday tradition. Avalon is home to approximately 2,200 year-round residents, and the event usually draws about 2,000 of them. This year’s Tree Lighting, on November 27, featured the illumination of the official borough tree, children’s activities, and plenty of hot chocolate.

This year, the evening also offered something new: A chance for residents to learn about energy efficiency and the energy savings offered by compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. Project Porchlight was on hand to educate folks about CFL bulbs, and distributed a total of 326 CFL bulbs. The CFL bulb distribution was part of Project Porchlight New Jersey’s campaign to distribute energy-efficient light bulbs to residents across the state. Project Porchlight is an initiative of One Change, and the campaign is made possible thanks to funding by the state Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program (NJCEP).

“Project Porchlight has been a very big partner with Avalon for our entire green effort,” says Scott Wahl, a member of the Avalon Green Team (AGT), an offshoot of the borough’s Planning and Zoning Board that works toward helping Avalon become more sustainable. “Project Porchlight’s participation with the CFL bulbs at the tree greatly contributed to the forward momentum of the education and empowerment of Avalon residents to go green.”

Avalon’s Green Team and Project Porchlight have already collaborated for a Green Fair sponsored by the AGT earlier this fall. Over the past few months, Scott, who also serves as the borough’s public information officer, has become a huge Project Porchlight fan. “Project Porchlight rocks!” he exclaims.

And here’s why: “New Jersey has a very diverse environmental landscape with nearly 200 miles of beaches, vast farmlands, and a very fragile ecosystem,” says Scott. “Project Porchlight has really highlighted the need throughout the state for environmental awareness and responsibility.

“In Avalon specifically, we have five miles of beautiful beachfront, salt marshes, and a dune system that is the envy of the entire East Coast. It doesn’t matter in which direction you look, you will see an environmental landscape in Avalon that is second to none in New Jersey,” Scott continues. “Our residents have appreciated that for decades, and with our green effort, and Project Porchlight’s participation, we can shepherd Avalon residents into knowing what to do and how to do it.”

Project Porchlight empowers people to believe that simple actions matter and to make smart choices that protect the environment. “We have found in Avalon that the education of comparing the CFL bulbs to the regular bulbs opens the eyes of many people,” says Scott. “When you’re comparing one product to another and they see less energy used, an extension of use of the product, and the recyclability for this product, it sells them immediately.”

When it comes to protecting our environment, simple actions matter. Even something as simple as changing a light bulb is important. “I believe that the light bulb will be the very first step for people in Avalon to take greater steps, which would include smart irrigation, water conservation, and solar energy,” says Scott. “Simple actions really do matter. It’s as easy as unscrewing an incandescent light bulb and putting in a CFL bulb. That’s the first step in a long journey to environmental responsibility.”