JN| LEARN MORE AT energystar.gov ENERGY STAR®, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program, helps us all save money and protect our environment through energy efficient products and practices. For more information, visit www.energystar.gov. The Faith Community can help Change a Light, Change the World with ENERGY STAR® Campaign Overview The ENERGY STAR Change a Light, Change the World Campaign is a national call-to-action to encourage every individual to help change the world, one light — one energy-saving step — at a time. Going into its 8th year, the 1st Wednesday in October has now been designated as ENERGY STAR Change a Light Day and serves to rally Americans around this critical call-to-action. Hundreds of manufacturers, utilities, and retailers help promote the campaign locally and nationally throughout October by featuring ENERGY STAR qualified lighting in-store and educating customers. At the campaign's heart is the ENERGY STAR Change a Light Pledge found at www.eneravstar.qov/chanaealight. The Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, Department of Housing and Urban Development, non-profit organizations, state governments, schools, community groups, and congregations are now promoting the pledge year-round. This online pledge is a simple step anyone can take to join a growing community committed to save energy and help fight global climate change. Americans in every U.S. state and territory have already pledged to replace more than 1 million lights collectively with ones that have earned the government's ENERGY STAR for energy efficiency! Join the Movement! Congregations, denominations and interfaith organizations wishing to participate in this campaign can access information and free educational and event materials at www.eneravstar.gov/ioinCAL. From this site, organizations can also sign up, starting as early as the beginning of September, to become a formal Pledge Driver, and enter additional campaign plans to make their commitment known publicly by others. Campaign Participants Can: • Use this ready-made platform to inspire their audiences to save energy and prevent greenhouse gas emissions • Bring the Pledge to their particular community and track progress online against their own pledge goal • Access free templates, artwork, and event-ready materials to promote the call-to-action and your involvement • Have a campaign snapshot featured on the campaign Web site What Participants Say About the Campaign: (The quote below is an example. Please feel free to substitute a quote(s) from your own denominational, interfaith or ecumenical organization's leadership to customize your participation in Change a Light for your own religious tradition. If you send your quote to lawson. jerry(3>epa.gov we can share it with others in the faith community.) interfaith Power and Light Campaign "Our goal to mobilize a religious response to global warming is greatly enhanced by Change a Light, Change the World. Our purpose is a moral one - to save God's Creation and each other- but saving money makes participation in this Campaign both a pleasure and a blessing," ------- The Rev. Sally Bingham, Executive Director, The Regeneration Project Suggested Activities for Congregations • Incorporate the campaign's call-to-action and purpose into a sermon this fall about environmental stewardship • Sign up as a Pledge Driver and promote the campaign/pledge to individual members - Pledge Drivers can set a goal of 100 or more pledges. • Inspire pledges via bulletin, newsletter, Web site, events & outreach, and track the progress online against your goal • Consider incorporating a message and/or activity into lessons and the youth group • Report back to members the difference their commitment is making ENERGY STAR Qualified Lighting and Our Environment • Lighting accounts for 20 percent of the average home's electric bill and it's one of the easiest places to save energy. Simple steps, such as changing a light at home, can save on energy bills while also helping to reduce the risks of global climate change. That's because most electricity in our country is still generated by burning fossil fuels, which releases greenhouse gas emissions into our atmosphere. • Energy-efficient lighting products offer warm, bright light with the added benefit of using 75% less energy and lasting up to 10 times longer than traditional bulbs and fixtures. • If every American home replaced just one light bulb or fixture with an ENERGY STAR, every year we would save enough energy to light more than 3million homes, more than $600 million in energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars! After You "Change a Light"...More That Congregations and Members Can Do Visit the ENERGY STAR Congregations network at www.enerqvstar.qov/conqreqations where you can... • Join the Network and subscribe to the free, monthly "E-Update for Congregations" • Read and download pages from the Putting Energy into Stewardship guide • Check out the "Sure Savers" quick tips on saving energy • Learn how your congregation can apply for our annual awards • Find all the ENERGY STAR qualified products for the house of worship, members' homes and businesses Help us Change the World, one ENERGY STAR light at a time. ------- |