***** Draft version ****
This page will link to articles about the project.
The content below was recently submitted to Tompkins Weekly and should appear on September 11.
On Saturday, October 5th, volunteers with the Brighten Up Caroline project will begin distributing more than 10,000 LED light bulbs to Caroline residents. Their goal? To help Caroline residents use roughly one million fewer kilowatts of electricity and save roughly $125,000 per year, starting immediately!
How is this possible? Every 9W LED light bulb that replaces an old-fashioned 60W incandescent bulb will save 765 to 1224 kilowatts of energy over the 13-to-22-year lifetime of that new bulb! At today’s electricity rates, that is more than $100 in savings per bulb. If a resident replaces 12 incandescent bulbs that are lit for 3 or more hours each day, that household will save more than $80 per year. And if volunteers can reach all 1550 households in Caroline, that adds up to big savings, for residents and the planet as well.
The Brighten Up Caroline project is being funded in part by a Clean Energy Community grant from New York State Energy and Research Development Agency (NYSERDA). This grant will also allow the Town of Caroline to replace all of its street lamps with LED bulbs. Savings from the street lamp replacement will be ear-marked for a revolving Green Loan fund. Residents will be able to apply for interest-free loans to make energy efficiency improvements on their homes.
Brooktondale native Emily Adams, coordinator of the residential side of Brighten Up Caroline, explained, “As a certified Ithaca-area tree-hugger, I love the environmental aspect of Brighten Up. As an activist and organizer, I love the idea of being part of a project that other communities can easily duplicate. But perhaps most importantly, as someone who loves Caroline and appreciates the diverse backgrounds of its residents, I love how this project is involving a wide range of people. We are sewing bags from donated fabric to use for bulb distribution – and the sewing bees are bringing people together, young and old, long-time residents and newcomers. We are tabling at local events like the Brooktondale Apple Festival and at popular family locations. We are reaching out to local churches and volunteer fire companies to work with us. Reducing energy usage and saving the planet isn’t the whole story – everyone likes to be able to light their homes and no one likes to waste money.”
The Town of Caroline implemented a similar program ten years ago, called “Lighten Up Caroline.” That program gave every resident one compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL). CFLs give significant savings over incandescent bulbs as well, but Adams expects that LEDs will prove to be even more popular. LEDs provide better quality light than CFLs, LEDs start at full strength rather than requiring time to warm up, LEDs are available for dimmable light fixtures, and LEDs do not contain toxic materials. In addition, the price of LEDs is falling rapidly, and consumers can find LED equivalents for nearly every shape and size of light bulb these days, in their local hardware stores or online.
Brighten Up Caroline is not only about LED light bulbs, although that is certainly the starting point. Each hand-sewn bag will contain literature explaining other ways that residents can make their homes more efficient and save money. Adams continued, “An appointment with an Energy Navigator from Get Your Green Back Tompkins is a great place to start. Energy Navigators give unbiased advice to both homeowners and renters about the options available to them, including subsidies and rebates. Our Brighten Up volunteers and local Energy Navigators will encourage people to get an Energy Audit -- a $250 value, free to anyone earning under $178,000 per year. Currently, there are programs to help people weatherize their homes, switch to solar power (on site or through a solar farm), and install more energy-efficient heating systems. In fact, we are partnering with another local organization, HeatSmart Tompkins, to spread the word about heat pumps.”
“Many times, sorting through options and filling out the paperwork are more daunting than the actual work, and that is why projects like Brighten Up Caroline and HeatSmart Tompkins, and people like Energy Navigators, are so valuable,” concludes Adams.
Ms. Adams is actively seeking additional volunteers to sew bags or distribute light bulbs. (October 5 & 6 and 26 & 27 will be the major door-to-door distribution days this fall.) In addition, she also encourages residents in other towns to contact her if they would like to imitate the Brighten Up campaign in their own communities. Local high school or college students who are interested in studying the program or doing an internship should also reach out. “Community projects are a great place to meet like-minded people and build a sense of purpose and accomplishment. This project meant to be studied and shared and expanded,” encourages Adams.
Contact Brighten Up Caroline via their website, www.brightenupcaroline.com, or connect with coordinator Emily Adams during the HeatSmart Tompkins presentation at the Brooktondale Fire House on Saturday, September 14th from 10 a.m. to noon.
The content below was recently submitted to Tompkins Weekly and should appear on September 11.
On Saturday, October 5th, volunteers with the Brighten Up Caroline project will begin distributing more than 10,000 LED light bulbs to Caroline residents. Their goal? To help Caroline residents use roughly one million fewer kilowatts of electricity and save roughly $125,000 per year, starting immediately!
How is this possible? Every 9W LED light bulb that replaces an old-fashioned 60W incandescent bulb will save 765 to 1224 kilowatts of energy over the 13-to-22-year lifetime of that new bulb! At today’s electricity rates, that is more than $100 in savings per bulb. If a resident replaces 12 incandescent bulbs that are lit for 3 or more hours each day, that household will save more than $80 per year. And if volunteers can reach all 1550 households in Caroline, that adds up to big savings, for residents and the planet as well.
The Brighten Up Caroline project is being funded in part by a Clean Energy Community grant from New York State Energy and Research Development Agency (NYSERDA). This grant will also allow the Town of Caroline to replace all of its street lamps with LED bulbs. Savings from the street lamp replacement will be ear-marked for a revolving Green Loan fund. Residents will be able to apply for interest-free loans to make energy efficiency improvements on their homes.
Brooktondale native Emily Adams, coordinator of the residential side of Brighten Up Caroline, explained, “As a certified Ithaca-area tree-hugger, I love the environmental aspect of Brighten Up. As an activist and organizer, I love the idea of being part of a project that other communities can easily duplicate. But perhaps most importantly, as someone who loves Caroline and appreciates the diverse backgrounds of its residents, I love how this project is involving a wide range of people. We are sewing bags from donated fabric to use for bulb distribution – and the sewing bees are bringing people together, young and old, long-time residents and newcomers. We are tabling at local events like the Brooktondale Apple Festival and at popular family locations. We are reaching out to local churches and volunteer fire companies to work with us. Reducing energy usage and saving the planet isn’t the whole story – everyone likes to be able to light their homes and no one likes to waste money.”
The Town of Caroline implemented a similar program ten years ago, called “Lighten Up Caroline.” That program gave every resident one compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL). CFLs give significant savings over incandescent bulbs as well, but Adams expects that LEDs will prove to be even more popular. LEDs provide better quality light than CFLs, LEDs start at full strength rather than requiring time to warm up, LEDs are available for dimmable light fixtures, and LEDs do not contain toxic materials. In addition, the price of LEDs is falling rapidly, and consumers can find LED equivalents for nearly every shape and size of light bulb these days, in their local hardware stores or online.
Brighten Up Caroline is not only about LED light bulbs, although that is certainly the starting point. Each hand-sewn bag will contain literature explaining other ways that residents can make their homes more efficient and save money. Adams continued, “An appointment with an Energy Navigator from Get Your Green Back Tompkins is a great place to start. Energy Navigators give unbiased advice to both homeowners and renters about the options available to them, including subsidies and rebates. Our Brighten Up volunteers and local Energy Navigators will encourage people to get an Energy Audit -- a $250 value, free to anyone earning under $178,000 per year. Currently, there are programs to help people weatherize their homes, switch to solar power (on site or through a solar farm), and install more energy-efficient heating systems. In fact, we are partnering with another local organization, HeatSmart Tompkins, to spread the word about heat pumps.”
“Many times, sorting through options and filling out the paperwork are more daunting than the actual work, and that is why projects like Brighten Up Caroline and HeatSmart Tompkins, and people like Energy Navigators, are so valuable,” concludes Adams.
Ms. Adams is actively seeking additional volunteers to sew bags or distribute light bulbs. (October 5 & 6 and 26 & 27 will be the major door-to-door distribution days this fall.) In addition, she also encourages residents in other towns to contact her if they would like to imitate the Brighten Up campaign in their own communities. Local high school or college students who are interested in studying the program or doing an internship should also reach out. “Community projects are a great place to meet like-minded people and build a sense of purpose and accomplishment. This project meant to be studied and shared and expanded,” encourages Adams.
Contact Brighten Up Caroline via their website, www.brightenupcaroline.com, or connect with coordinator Emily Adams during the HeatSmart Tompkins presentation at the Brooktondale Fire House on Saturday, September 14th from 10 a.m. to noon.