“ENERGY STAR^® Change a Light, Change the World”

If you are looking for a way to energize your community members this summer, you may find it as easy as changing a light.  

As part of the ENERGY STAR Change a Light, Change the World  Campaign, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy are looking for local leaders – like yourself – to help play a pivotal role by involving your community in this important campaign. Now in its 7^th year, the campaign educates and motivates Americans to help preserve energy resources, save on home energy bills, and protect the environment…all by replacing inefficient light bulbs and fixtures with efficient models bearing the government’s ENERGY STAR label. Now more than ever, homeowners are looking for ways to save on energy costs, and find out what we can all do – as individuals and families – to help prevent the risks of global warming.

Your involvement in the campaign is easy – you simply sign up to help educate your members, and set your own community goal for collecting online pledges. You’ll have access to personalized tools to track your association’s progress, and compare how you’re doing against other organizations. By becoming members of the Change a Light community, you are taking a step in the right direction to help your neighbors save on energy costs, and even more – protect the environment. Your efforts will be featured on Campaign Web pages and will receive recognition for the difference your pledges will make. To give you an idea of how important this community is, pledges taken in 2005 have the potential to reduce more than 33 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.

Why lighting? Because lighting accounts for 20 percent of the average home’s electricity bill, and is one of the easiest places to save energy. By changing to more efficient lights, you are also helping to protect the environment from home. The average house, in fact, is responsible for twice the greenhouse gas emissions as the average car. That’s because most electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels, which releases greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, and contributes to the risks of global warming. The simple act of changing a light means you are taking action against this risk, and helping to protect the environment for many generations to come.

To register your organization, and to read more about the benefits of energy-efficiency for your community, please visit www.energystar.gov/joincal

Join today!