Seeing the (Green) Light

GRANTEE REDUCES UTILITY COSTS AND BRINGS ENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR NEW ORLEANS RESIDENTS

It may seem like a little thing: knock on a door, install a few light bulbs. But by recruiting hundreds of volunteers to knock on thousands of doors and install hundreds of thousands of light bulbs – Foundation for Louisiana grantee Green Light New Orleans has, as of May 2011, conserved more than 94 million KWHs of energy; saved more than $11 million dollars in energy expenses; and reduced the city's carbon footprint by nearly 107 million pounds of CO2. That's a pretty big deal!

By providing energy-efficient light bulbs to low- and middle-income families, Green Light New Orleans is educating residents, empowering them to spread the word and save money, and helping New Orleans to fight climate change as communities are rebuilt. The impact is real and immediate: Green Light volunteer Yakov Kazantsev observes that, "Usually people only talk about the effects of climate change and get mired in the social, economic and political problems of action instead of doing anything about it. In this organization, real people are making tangible results happen in an area associated with the worst aspects of climate change." Green Light volunteer Kristina Sturm recalls a woman who had Green Light install the new bulbs, "She was singing praises! She loved the light the bulbs give off. She loved her lower bills … and she loved being able to help the environment with something so easy."

In conjunction with funding for other green initiatives such as the GreeNOLA Plan and the EcoPark, Foundation for Louisiana's investment in Green Light New Orleans is part of the our strategy to ensure that we rebuild a better, safer and more resilient Louisiana that will contribute to the greening of the South.