Archive: Around Town

New York State’s largest-ever rural delivery of energy-saving light bulbs delivered money-saving treats to residents on the eve of Halloween. On Saturday, October 30, “Lighten Up Tompkins!” mobilized 300 community volunteers and Into-the-Streets students organized by the Cornell University Public Service Center to deliver energy efficiency educational materials, products, and coupons to 5,000 homes across Tompkins County -- just in time for the winter winds.

Residents in many areas of the Towns of Dryden, Lansing, Danby, Newfield, Enfield, and Ulysses had volunteers at their door on Saturday October 30th between 11am and 3pm, offering a free compact-fluorescent lightbulb and packets with energy-saving information.

“We’ve been hearing incredible stories.” said Shawn Lindabury, who helped coordinate the effort.  “An elderly resident’s kitchen light had burnt out and she couldn’t reach to replace it.  One of our volunteers swapped in a new CFL and brought back the old bulb for recycling.”

Over 300 volunteers from the community and Cornell University’s annual “Into the Streets” day of service, organized through the Public Service Center, participated in the event.

“The students who came to our house were really wonderful,” said John Sterling, a resident of Warren Road in Lansing. “We heard about the event on the radio. Our old driveway lamp burned out a few days ago and they kindly changed the bulb.”

Both young and old stuffed bags in preparation for Saturday’s distribution. Youth from Dryden High School’s Sustainability Club and science classes stuffed bags, and retired senior volunteers from the Retired Senior Volunteer Program will be stuffing bags on Thursday at Titus Towers in Ithaca.   Night-shift employees from the Cargill DeIcing Technologies salt plant in Lansing stuffed over 2,000 bags. Cargill is the event’s major sponsor, and donated $15,000 for the effort.  New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) also sponsored the event.

Bags include a compact-fluorescent light bulb (CFL), information about programs to upgrade energy systems of homes, coupons from local businesses, and a raffle-entry form qualifying for $2000 worth of prizes.

“Already we’re getting calls,” said Dominic Frongillo, New York Energy $mart Communities Coordinator with Cooperative Extension and Caroline Town councilmember.  “One woman called to thank us for the bags, saying she was unemployed and wanted more information on the incentives and rebates for making energy upgrades to her home.”

Lighten Up Tompkins signals the beginning of a county-wide campaign to deliver immediate energy savings to residents, reduce carbon emissions, and create an economically viable county for future generations.  The county as a whole has pledged to reduce 80% greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

If all 5,000 households install their CFL, $278,000 will be saved collectively as well as 3.46 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions avoided over the life of the bulb.

“Changing our light bulbs is the first step on the path to energy savings,” said Frongillo. “If all homes in Tompkins County were upgraded to Building Performance Institute standards, we will bring in $34.3 million in energy savings to the local economy and create over 425 jobs for four years.”

Every business, organization, and resident is invited to take the ‘Energy Pledge’ to get on the path to energy savings. Lighten Up Tompkins is the largest door-to-door energy efficiency outreach effort in Tompkins County history, and was inspired by “Lighten Up Caroline,” which delivered a CFL to every Town of Caroline home on April 19, 2008, saving the town $70,000.

Cooperative Extension is now looking to expand access to the resources distributed in the bags.

“Lighten Up Tompkins strengthened our work with local governments,” said Ken Schlather, Executive Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County. “I’ve been getting phone calls from municipal officials requesting to link their town website to Cooperative Extension’s Home Energy Savings website, so their residents can access resources we distributed to homes on Saturday.”

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