JOIN THE ENERGY STAR CHANGE A LIGHT CAMPAIGN ENERGY STAR® Change a Light, Change the World Campa Seeking an easy way to getyour community in energy efficiency and climate protection efforts? Consider taking advantage of a simple, turnkey national campaign platform to help focus your community on saving energy: Going into its 8th year, the ENERGY STAR Change a Light, Change the l/l/or/Gf Campaign is a national challenge to encourage every American to help change the world, one light—one energy-saving step—at a time. With nearly 20 percent of our nation's residential electricity used to light homes, each American can take a simple action now—changing out at least one inefficient bulb to an ENERGY STAR qualified light bulb—to save significant energy and money, and help reduce our nation's climate impact. This year, the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development are encouraging Americans to take the ENERGY STAR Change a Light Pledge and switch to lighting products that have earned the government's ENERGY STAR designation. Join thousands of fellow leaders, communities, states, utilities, schools, manufacturers, retailers, businesses, and other organizations across the country in kicking off the 2007/2008 campaign on ENERGY STAR Change a Light Day, October 3,2007! THE OPPORTUNITY FOR MAYORS: Unite with forward-thinking mayors and other leaders throughout the country in an established, timely and reputable national campaign to promote actions that reduce energy needs, save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Lead by example on ENERGY STAR Change a Light Day, and help spread the message, that we each have a responsibility to be energy smart by being energy efficient. Plug-in to campaign media outreach efforts, nationally or locally, and consider using the campaign timing to highlight any additional energy efficiency and climate change efforts. Leverage activities of local campaign partners. THIS TOOLKIT CONTAINS: • Results to date: Nationwide campaign results since ENERGY STAR Change a Light Day lastyear. • Suggested activities: Easy ways for you to be part of the campaign. • Fun facts: Potential savings for the U.S. and your state if every home changed just one light. RESULTS FROM THE 2006/2007 CAMPAIGN: • More than 500,000 people in the U.S. had taken the ENERGY STAR Change a Light Pledge by Earth Day 2007, committing collectively to change more than one million lights! • 400 ENERGY STAR Change a Light Day activities occurred throughout U.S. states and territories. • 750 organizations participated as drivers for the ENERGY STAR Change a Light Pledge. • 50 million media impressions were earned featuring the campaign in print, radio and TV media. • Nearly 50 million consumers were reached by ENERGY STAR partner advertisements. THE NEXT STEP IS UPTO YOU: Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to your involvement. Together we can change a light, and change the world! CHANGE A LIGHT CHANGE THE WORLD ENERGY STAFT (OVER) ------- SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES ENERGY STAR® Change a Light, Change the World Campaign You can play a key role in educating your community and about the need to use energy more efficiently and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Here are some ways you can leverage the ENERGY STAR Change a Light, Change the World Campaign to engage your community, starting with one simple action. Additional ideas, turnkey media tools, promotional materials and more are available at www.energystar.gov/joinCAL SHOWYOUR PERSONAL COf IITMENT Take the ENERGY STAR Change a Light Pledge: Go to www.energystar.gov/changealight and commit to change at least one light to an ENERGY STAR qualified one. Change lights in your office: Conduct an inventory of lights that could be changed to energy-efficient models throughoutyour office building. Then have the lights changed and calculate the energy and cost savings and environmental contribution. Announce your efforts publicly on ENERGY STAR Change a Light Day, October 3,2007. SHAREYOUR COMMITMENT • Become a "pledge driver" and begin to encourage your community, as well as your staff, to take the pledge on behalf of your department or agency. Here's how: • Go to www.energystar.gov/joinCALto set your city or town's pledge goal for 2007/2008. • Post a link to the pledge on your Web site as early as September 3,2007. • Trackyour progress in real-time: Viewyour total potential energy and greenhouse gas emissions savings from pledges taken in your department or agency's name. Simply go to the unique Web page address provided to you by ENERGY STAR when you become a pledge driver. • Go to www.energystar.gov/changealight to see how all pledge drivers are doing against their respective goals, and view the total pledges for entire states and territories. • Challenge another mayor to a friendly pledge driver competition to see who can obtain the most pledges and save the most. • Educate your community by helping to place a state-specific radio Public Service Announcement from the U.S. Department of Energy on your city or town's Web site, local radio stations. Also consider issuing a press release, or placing an article in your government's newsletter, local newspaper, etc. Tools to support these ideas are available at www.energystar.gov/joinCAL HOST A MEDIA OR CONSUMER EVENT ON OR AROUND OCTOBER 3rd • Amplify the campaign's call-to-action among your community and invite people to participate atan event such as an energy-efficiency fair, public lighting change-out, school awareness-building event, etc. Campaign activities can happen year-round, but we recommend leveraging the timing of national ENERGY STAR Change a Light Day on October 3rd. • Consider providing incentives, such as free or reduced-cost bulbs, for activities you host. If you need to purchase large quantities of energy-efficient light bulbs, visit ENERGY STAR'S www.QuantityQuotes.net. GET CREDIT: Remember to register your activity atwww.energystar.gov/joinCALwhen your plans are in place! CHANGE A LIGHT CHANGE THE WORLD ENERGY STAFT ------- FUN FACTS ¦ ENERGY STAR® Change a Light, Change the World Campaign Feel free to use the following facts to develop outreach materials or other content in support of the ENERGY STAR Change a Light, Change the World Campaign. State or territory specific facts can also be found atwww.energystar.gov/JoinCAL! If all the households in the United States took the ENERGY STAR Change a Light Pledge at www.energystar.gov/changealight, and changed just one incandescent light bulb to an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, the combined individual efforts would have the following impacts*: ENERGY SAVINGS The United States could save up to 6 billion kWh. This is enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year! MONEY SAVINGS Based on the average electrical rate in the United States, the amount of energy saved would reduce household electrical bills by a combined total of more than $600 million a year in energy costs. CLIMATE PROTECTION The United States would prevent greenhouse gas emissions going into the atmosphere, equivalent to the emissions from more than 800,000 cars! *These fun facts have been compiled from a variety of sources and are rounded for ease of use. Direct any questions to Taylor Jantz-Sell, D&R International, technical contractor to the U.S. Department of Energy at tjsell@drintl.com. Visit www.ENERGYSTAR.gov for HUNDREDS of other ways to use energy efficiently! ENERGY STAR® is a government-backed program helping individuals and businesses save energy and protect the environment through superior energy efficiency. CHANGE A LIGHT CHANGE THE WORLD ENERGY STAFT ------- CAMPAIGN TALKING POINTS ENERGY STAR® Change a Light, Change the World Campaign Feel free to use the following talking points to develop your campaign outreach materials. CHANGE A LIGHT, CHANGE THE WORLD with ENERGY STAR • The ENERGY STAR Change a Light, Change the World Campaign is a national call-to-action from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to encourage every individual to help change the world, one light—one energy-saving step—at a time. • Going into its 8th year, the campaign provides a central rallying point on ENERGY STAR Change a Light Day, Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007. Organizations across the nation will help mark this day with activities, events, government proclamations, in-store promotions, and more around energy-efficient lighting. • Key supporters of the campaign include leading lighting manufacturers, utilities, retailers, non-profit organizations, government agencies, schools, community groups, and others who will join together to run energy-efficient lighting programs and events this fall in support of the nationwide effort. • New this year is the ENERGY STAR Change a Light Bus Tour that will kick off on Wednesday October 3rd, 2007, stopping at special events hosted by ENERGY STAR partners in ten cities over a period of three weeks. • Learn more aboutthe campaign atwww.energystar.gov/joinCAL. THE ENERGY STAR CHANGE A LIGHT PLEDGE • Every light changed is a step in the right direction to preserve energy resources and our environment for this generation and the next. Just think, if every American home replaced just one light with an ENERGY STAR qualified light bulb, together, we would save... • Enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for an entire year. • More than $600 million in annual energy costs. • Prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars. • Atthe campaign's heart is the ENERGY STAR Change a Light Pledge: an online form for individuals to commit to being more energy-efficient by switching one light bulb in their home to an ENERGY STAR qualified one. Found atwww.energystar.gov/changealight, this pledge is a simple, but vital method of forming a community of inspired individuals across the nation to commit to saving energy and reducing greenhouse gases. • More than 500,000 people have taken the pledge to date, committing to collectively change more than one million lights! • Organizations large and small can also play a personal role by setting their own pledge goal and inviting their community to join the ENERGY STAR Change a Light, Change the World Campaign, too. Organizations can track their results and then demonstrate the difference their participation is making to preserve our nation's energy resources and environment. • Learn more aboutthe pledge and promoting it to others atwww.energystar.gov/joinCAL. ENERGY STAR®is a government-backed program helping individuals and businesses save energy and protect the environment through superior energy efficiency. CHANGE A LIGHT CHANGE THE WORLD ENERGY STAFT ; o v e r : ------- CAMPAIGN TALKING POINTS (continued) ENERGY STAR® Change a Light, Change the World Campaign OUR ENVIRONMENT • Most people are sensitive to the need to protect our environment, but many don't know where to start. Choosing ENERGY STAR qualified lighting is a simple way to save money, energy and time, while also protecting our environment. • Lighting accounts for nearly 20 percent of the average home's electric use. Switching to energy-efficient lighting is one of the easiest, most immediate and effective ways individuals can start saving energy today and join the fight against global warming. • The energy used in the average home contributes more than twice the greenhouse gas emissions of the average car peryear. This is because electricity is typically generated by burning fossil fuels, which release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. When we use energy more efficiently at home, less electricity needs to be generated. • Because more than 70 percent of our electricity comes from burning fossil fuels, using energy-efficient lighting helps reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, mercury, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide. ENERGY STAR QUALIFIED LIGHTING • An ENERGY STAR qualified light bulb or fixture can save about $30 or more in electricity costs and prevent more than 400 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions over its lifetime, an equivalent of keeping nearly 200 pounds of coal from being burned. • ENERGY STAR qualified light bulbs and fixtures use 75 percent less energy, last up to 10 times longer, and produce about 75 percent less heat than traditional incandescent models so they're safer to operate and can cut energy costs associated with home cooling. • To obtain the greatest savings, replace bulbs in the lights that are used the most. • Learn more about the variety of ENERGY STAR qualified lighting atwww.energystar.gov/lighting. COMPACT FLUORESCENT LIGHT BULBS AND MERCURY • Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) contain a very small amount of mercury, an average of 5 milligrams, which is roughly equivalent to an amount that would cover the tip of a ball-point pen. By comparison, older thermometers contain about 500 milligrams of mercury. • Because CFLs contain a small amount of mercury, they should be disposed of properly, ideally recycled. The U.S. EPA recommends that consumers take advantage of local recycling options, where available. For help finding a local facility, visitwww.lamprecycle.org or www.epa.gov/bulbrecycling. • If a CFL breaks at home, the general public can easily and safely clean it up themselves. Clean-up recommendations are available atwww.energystar.gov/CFLsandMercury. • Coal-burning power plants are the single largest source of human-caused mercury emissions in the United States, contributing more than 40 percent. Because CFLs use 75 percent less energy than the incandescent bulbs they replace, they represent a net mercury emissions reduction. • Learn more about CFLs and mercury atwww.energystar.gov/CFLs. CHANGE A LIGHT CHANGE THE WORLD ENERGY STAFT ------- |