Project Porchlight Blog

Kathy Dallman first met Project Porchlight Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator Suzy Sherbine back in October, when they were both working at a Shop for a Cause event at Macy’s in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Suzy told Kathy all about Project Porchlight’s campaign to distribute energy-efficient compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs across the state, and Kathy was impressed.

Suzy was also impressed with Kathy’s exceptional skills as a floral designer.

One thing led to another, and before the day was over, Suzy issued an unusual challenge. “Suzy basically challenged me to come up with ways to recycle unwanted incandescent light bulbs,” explains Kathy.

“We started out talking about the CFL bulbs, and what people are going to do with all these old incandescent bulbs because you’re really not supposed to recycle them,” says Kathy. “So Suzy thought it would be a great idea to come up with ways people could recycle their old incandescent bulbs instead of throwing them into landfills or leaving them sitting in a bucket in their garage.”

Kathy works as a floral designer at Haddonfield Floral Company in Haddonfield, New Jersey. Immediately, she set to work. “We like a challenge here, so we accepted,” she says. “Then I did a little searching on the Internet, and I learned how to hollow out the incandescent light bulbs. It’s pretty simple once you learn it.”

After that, Kathy let her imagination loose, and the results are simply wonderful!

Kathy’s recycled incandescent bulb creations include candleholders, a miniature terrarium, and several different types of vases, including an old-fashioned Victorian tulip vase. Other unwanted incandescent bulbs ended up inserted into flower arrangements, but not before they were painted and covered with glitter. “They ended up having the same appearance as shiny Christmas bulbs,” she says.

Kathy unveiled her creations during a Haddonfield First Friday event on November 6. A total of 99 CFL bulbs were distributed that evening, 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).

For Kathy, the endeavor was a whole lot of fun. “They definitely get a lot of interest in the shop,” she says. “Also, it got all of us at the shop really excited about coming up with more ideas for recycling light bulbs as well as other things that we normally throw away.”

Kathy recently switched all the lights in her home in nearby Riverside, New Jersey, to CFL bulbs, and now she is using them in the shop as well. “The CFL bulbs really make a huge difference,” she says. “We’ve noticed it doesn’t make the shop as hot. Sometimes the plants and flowers would dry out because the incandescent light bulbs would be so hot.”

Project Porchlight empowers people to believe that simple actions matter and to make smart choices that protect the environment. “Some people are afraid of change, or maybe they’re just comfortable with the way things are,” says Kathy. “By handing out the CFL bulbs, Project Porchlight is offering people an easy way to try a simple little change and see how well it works.”

When it comes to protecting our environment, simple actions matter. Even something as simple as changing a light bulb is important. As a florist, Kathy is extremely aware of the beauty found in nature. So it’s not surprising to learn that she and her family are extremely careful about protecting the environment. “We try to buy things with small amounts of packaging, and we also try to grow some of our own vegetables,” she says. “We also recycle everything that we possibly can.”

And now, after creating some amazing arrangements with unwanted incandescent bulbs, Kathy is recycling one more thing. Which has got her thinking….

“I know we still throw away a lot of things that we can probably come up with other uses for,” she says. “I’ll have to think about that.”