Sunday- Community members traveled door to door in the Riverside neighborhood of Cambridge distributing free energy efficient compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs and efficiency resources to hundreds of homes. This community event, organized by the Cambridge Energy Alliance (CEA) and the Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET), was held in order to help residents lower their home energy consumption and cut carbon emissions in Cambridge. Jason Taylor, a HEET Team leader, enthusiastically remarked, "Changing light bulbs will put money in your pocket. And it helps the Earth." The Riverside light bulb exchange is part of a broader effort by HEET to help Cambridge residents lower their carbon footprint by implementing efficiency measures in homes with support from volunteers.
Twenty-four volunteers met traveled on foot door-to-door in the Riverside neighborhood, exchanging CFL bulbs for incandescent bulbs. The CFL bulbs were generously donated by TCP, Inc., and Metro Pedal Power provided the carbon-free delivery for the CFLs to the Cambridge Community Center—making it a carbon free event. Four hundred and forty-two CFL bulbs were exchanged today, saving 132,000 pounds of CO2 emissions from being emitted per year. If a resident were to exchange 20 light bulbs in their home it would save approximately $1200 dollars over the life span of the bulbs. The exchange will help Riverside residents decrease their energy consumption, combat climate change, and also save money on their energy bills. After the canvass, a community party was held at the Cambridge Community Center to celebrate the volunteers’ outreach efforts. Lilah Glick, Community Outreach Manager for the Cambridge Energy Alliance considers the event to be a great success and shared, “this demonstrates how a small group of committed individuals can make a real difference in their community and lead the way for a more sustainable, healthy future”. The Riverside light bulb exchange is a continuation of CEA’s summer canvass program, connecting Cambridge residents to efficiency programs and services to help them save money and save the planet. Ms. Glick views changing out light bulbs as a great first step toward reducing energy use and recommends Cambridge residents get connected to CEA’s energy audit programs and services to help identify deeper savings opportunities that create more sustainable, healthier, and comfortable homes.”
The Cambridge Energy Alliance is debuting a poster art exhibit to inform the public about climate change and its impacts, the carbon emissions of Cambridge, and how local citizens can make a difference. Over 80% of Cambridge’s carbon emissions come from energy use in residential and commercial buildings, so eliminating wasted energy in our homes and workplaces is a priority.
The Cambridge Energy Alliance art exhibit displays many ways people can conserve energy and get connected to efficiency programs and resources. The Exhibit will be on display from Wednesday, February 16th, 2010 through March 20th, 2010 at the Clear Conscience Café located at 581 Massachusetts Ave in Cambridge, MA.
Following the 4-week showing at the Clear Conscious Café, the CEA art exhibit will be rotated to other locations throughout Cambridge. The 2’ X 3’ color series include 12 posters with educational and pointed messages about what citizens can do to decrease their environmental footprints.
Sample images from the CEA Art Poster Exhibit
For larger samples of all the slides visit:
http://cambridgeenergyalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/posters.pdf