Project Porchlight Blog

The First Baptist Church of Teaneck, New Jersey, has been serving its community for 73 years. Just after Sunday morning services on December 13, the church hosted a Seniors Dinner to honor senior citizens in the congregation. The seniors were treated to a full dinner, and a wonderful time was had by all. The event also featured an added bonus: The opportunity to learn about energy efficiency. Project Porchlight Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator Jill Zajac teamed up with Englewood Environmental Commission Chair Crystal Brown to educate the seniors about the energy savings offered by compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.

A total of 100 CFL bulbs were distributed, and that’s not all: Jill and Crystal also signed up volunteers for the upcoming Bulb Blitz in nearby Englewood, New Jersey, on December 20. The CFL bulb distributions are 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).

“Usually people have the thought that older people are not so quick to change, but that was not the case--these seniors were very, very appreciative,” says Crystal. “They are all on a fixed income, and when we explained how they could save money as well as help the environment, some of them spoke about how their grandchildren tell them how important it is to recycle and conserve energy. One of the women told me, ‘I have to watch my pennies,’ and when I explained how these CFL bulbs would lower her electric bills, she said, ‘Oh, well then, yes, I would like to take one.’"

Crystal was thrilled to collect volunteers for the next weekend’s Englewood Blitz. “People signed for their CFL bulbs, and they signed up to volunteer after church next Sunday,” she says proudly. “We even got some volunteers that will be coming with their grandchildren.”

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.

“I like the proactive idea of Project Porchlight,” says Crystal. “It’s a wonderful campaign, and what I like most about it besides the slogan—changing the world, one light bulb at a time--is that it gets people to understand that they really can make a difference. People go from being passive to taking action and understanding that simple actions matter.”

Crystal was instrumental in setting up last year’s Englewood Blitz, which was a tremendous success. Now she’s delighted to be collaborating with Project Porchlight again. “This is so important. We all live on planet earth, we’re all breathing the same oxygen. Together we can all do this, and that’s really the only way we’re going to make it,” she says. “We’re very grateful to Project Porchlight for coming and making us the recipient of their gift again.”