The considerable attractions of Ocean City, New Jersey, include miles of beautiful beaches and a boardwalk that features two amusement parks. While Ocean City is one of the state’s most beloved summer resorts, there’s also plenty going on during the rest of the year.

The popular Evenings on Asbury Avenue take place in Ocean City’s downtown shopping district on Saturday evenings between Thanksgiving and Christmas. On December 5, the outdoor event was scheduled to coincide with the annual Ocean City Christmas Parade, but inclement weather got in the way. The festivities were moved indoors, where residents enjoyed The Mummers String Band, face painters, and balloon artists specializing in child-pleasing animal shapes. Project Porchlight was also on hand to educate folks about energy efficiency and the energy savings offered by compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.

A total of 78 CFL bulbs were distributed, part of Project Porchlight New Jersey’s campaign to distribute energy-efficient light bulbs to residents across the state. Project Porchlight is an energy efficiency program run by the community based social marketing organization One Change. The campaign is made possible thanks to funding by the state Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program (NJCEP).

“People were glad to get the CFL bulbs from Project Porchlight,” says Sally Huff, Director of the Ocean City Christmas Parade. “Project Porchlight is a great program. It familiarizes people with the CFL bulbs and what they do. After that, people tend to use them, and once people realize how these CFL bulbs are conserving energy, then they tend to go out and buy them.”

Project Porchlight empowers people to believe that simple actions matter and to make smart choices that protect the environment. After all, when it comes to protecting our environment, simple actions matter. Even something as simple as changing a light bulb is important. “We live at the seashore, so we know how important a clean environment is for wildlife,” says Sally. “We’re really a green community. We have an Environmental Commission in town, and they’re very good at educating people. What Project Porchlight is doing is certainly a good complement for that. It really is a great project.”