wfn.org | Ecumenical CLF Bulb Project Spares the Atmosphere

["Carol Fouke" <carolf@ncccusa.org>]

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA
Contact: NCC News, 212-870-2252/2227
E-mail: news@ncccusa.org <mailto:news@ncccusa.org>; Web: www.ncccusa.org
<http://www.ncccusa.org>
NCC5/6/02 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ecumenical Eco-Justice Light Bulb Project Spares the Atmosphere;
Efforts to Date Will Reduce CO2 Emissions by More Than 2 Million Pounds

May 6, 2002, NEW YORK - Question: How many people of faith does it take to
screw in a light bulb? Answer: Only one, but the bulb should be a CFL
(compact fluorescent light).

That line gets a chuckle from people involved in an ecumenical project to
promote the use of energy-efficient and long-lasting CFL bulbs as an
effective way to protect God's creation from pollutants in the atmosphere.

Called A Bright Idea, the project encourages youth groups in congregations
to sell CFLs as a way to accomplish two goals at once: to do something for
the environment and to raise funds for youth group activities. A Bright
Idea is a project of the National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Working
Group in cooperation with several participating denominations and with
Brethren Press, the publishing house of the Church of the Brethren, which is
handling marketing and distribution.

Project organizers note that a change from incandescent bulbs to CFLs
results in dramatic savings in energy consumption, thereby reducing emission
of carbon dioxide, which along with other greenhouse gases is responsible
for global warming and the resulting destructive changes in climate
worldwide. CFL use also keeps a significant amount of soot out of the air,
helps protect the ozone layer by cutting down on the emission of nitrogen
oxide, and helps prevent acid rain by reducing emission of sulfur dioxide.

HOW - AND HOW WELL - CFLs WORK
These reductions are possible because CFLs produce light but not heat, thus
consuming only one-fourth the electricity needed for the same lumen output
of a regular bulb. In contrast, an incandescent light bulb makes light
inefficiently by heating a filament to "white hot," generating 90 percent
heat and 10 percent light.
Since its debut last summer, the program has enlisted youth groups in 62
congregations in 20 states, according to Russ Matteson of Brethren Press.
Participants come from a dozen denominations.
In the aggregate, the groups have sold 5,000 CFLs to date, Matteson reports.
Over the life of these bulbs, more than 2 million pounds of carbon dioxide
will be kept from polluting the atmosphere, illustrating the impact that CFL
use can make on slowing the pace of climate change. The 5,000 bulbs also
represent a reduction of 656 pounds of soot, 15,750 pounds of sulfur dioxide
and 8,550 pounds of nitrogen oxide.
Citing these reductions, the Rev. Richard Killmer, NCC Director for
Environmental Justice, says that the youth fund-raiser is far more
significant than selling candy bars.
The CFL is a product that does good, Killmer said, and it involves the
youth in doing education about climate change. It builds on the fact that
todays youth are more environmentally aware. For them, this project makes
sense.
A BRIGHT IDEA SUCCESS STORIES - WITH A TWIST
As A Bright Idea begins to catch on, stories about its success have come
in from around the country.
Members of First Congregational United Church of Christ in Hartland, Wis.,
have embraced the CFL project, said Terri Burki, a member of the church and
a leader in Wisconsins statewide Interfaith Climate Change Campaign, one of
21 such state campaigns that the NCC has had a hand in fostering.
Following services on Earth Sunday, April 21, the day before Earth Day, the
youth of First Congregational set out demonstration lamps that allowed
parishioners to compare a 60-watt incandescent bulb with a noticeably
brighter 15-watt CFL. Before seeing that display, many of the church
members did not know about CFLs, said Burki. That shocked me; Ive been
using them for seven years. But most people were surprised at how much
energy they save and how that translates into dollars.
Church members also felt empowered to fight climate change by being offered
something that people can do in their own homes, Burki said. It went over
so well that we sold all but three out of our box of 50 bulbs and are taking
more orders. With the proceeds, the youth are giving something back by
purchasing CFLs for use in the church, said Burki.
Several youth at La Verne (Calif.) Church of the Brethren will be helped to
go to their denominations national summer youth conference with the $600
their group made selling CFLs, but the group saw an even greater benefit of
the project. When the youth got up in church to speak about the project,
they said, Youre not just supporting us; you are doing something good for
the environment,  reported Janet Ober, who is the churchs associate
minister for children and youth.  The youth really got behind the project,
Ober said. It was good feeling to do a fund-raiser that had a service
component to it.
Sales also have been brisk at Prince of Peace Church of the Brethren in
Littleton, Colo. Congregation member Lucille Clannin, who is assisting the
congregations youth with the CFL project, said that Prince of Peace is
working to sell its second box of 50 bulbs. Thats fairly good for a small
church, Clannin observed. Prince of Peace has 136 members, she said.
At $9 per bulb, the CFLs sold by the youth are competitive with those in
stores, Clannin reported, as did church groups in other parts of the
country. The youth group keeps $2 from each sale.
In Maine, people of faith have connected to the youth CFL project through
the Maine Council of Churches, which has made the project a part of the
Councils wider Let There Be Light campaign. Participants in Let There Be
Light have set a goal of saving 1 million pounds of carbon dioxide, said
Anne D. Burt, coordinator for Maines Interfaith Climate Change Initiative,
reporting that participants have saved 800,000 pounds to date. Some have
changed the way they do laundry, some have even purchased hybrid vehicles,
but the emphasis has been on reaching the goal one compact bulb at a time,
Burt said.
Among the many CFL-related anecdotes that Burt has collected during this
effort is the story of St. Pauls Episcopal Church in Brunswick, Maine,
whose social hall is lighted by wrought iron chandeliers. St Pauls
installed the twister-type CFL to beautiful effect; it actually enhanced the
look of the chandeliers, she said. But the light was so much brighter that
it revealed dingy walls and they decided that they need to paint!
For more information about A Bright Idea, contact Russ Matteson at Youth
CFL Project, 1451 Dundee Avenue, Elgin, IL 60120, or visit
<http://www.brethren.org/genbd/BP/CFL/index.htm>
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