Project Porchlight Blog

One Change was recognized as 2009 ENERGY STAR Advocate of the Year by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) at yesterday’s annual ENERGY STAR Recognition Awards ceremony. The May 25 event took place at Ottawa’s historic Fairmont Chateau Laurier hotel, and brought together many of the more than 800 manufacturers, utilities, governments, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from across Canada that work to promote energy efficiency and the ENERGY STAR brand.

When Stuart Hickox founded One Change—the non-profit, grassroots environmental organization—he had a vision: to empower people to believe that simple actions matter and to make smart choices that protect the environment. As One Change Executive Director, Stuart knew he had a responsibility of his own to make smart choices. When the time came to choose which compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to distribute for the organization’s flagship campaign, Project Porchlight, the choice was clear: ENERGY STAR-qualified CFL bulbs.

ENERGY STAR is the international symbol of premium energy efficiency. In Canada, its use is monitored by NRCan’s Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE). Products that display the ENERGY STAR symbol have been tested and found to meet high levels of energy efficiency and quality without compromising performance.

“ENERGY STAR is an important partner for us as we assert the value and importance of simple actions like changing light bulbs and replacing outdated appliances,” says Stuart. “By distributing only ENERGY STAR-qualified CFL bulbs for all our Project Porchlight campaigns, we can ensure that we’re offering high-quality products containing very little mercury.”

Stuart and members of the One Change Board of Directors accepted the award on behalf of the One Change family. “We are proud to be recognized as advocates,” says Stuart. “Our goal is to reach and empower not only people who are seeking energy efficient products and services, but those who know they should but don’t know where to start.”

This year’s award marks the second time One Change has been honoured by ENERGY STAR. In 2006, the organization was named ENERGY STAR Recruit of the Year. Since then, Project Porchlight has distributed ENERGY STAR-qualified CFL bulbs across Canada and the United States, helping residents reduce their energy use by 1 billion kilowatt hours, save more than $86 million, and stop 630,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from being released into the air.

Talk about a smart choice! One change really can make a difference.

Simple actions matter.