We often speak of "low-hanging fruit" in the context of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, whereby relatively simple, painless changes reduce our energy use and carbon emissions without necessitating any behavioral changes or lifestyle sacrifices. Installing better windows, doors and insulation in our homes is a good example. Over time, such changes save homeowners more money via reduced energy bills than the improvements cost in the first place.
But up-front costs can be very difficult for people who are continuously struggling to make ends meet. For most of us, replacing incandescent bulbs in our homes with compact fluorescent (CFL) or LED lamps (bulbs) is easy and inexpensive. For struggling families who continually have to make difficult financial choices, that is often not the case.
Just a few years ago, one could buy a package of two or even four incandescent bulbs for just $1 at discount stores. By comparison, energy-saving bulbs seem very expensive, often costing $5 or more each. Indeed, in low-income households, it is now common for some bulbs to go unreplaced for months after their incandescent filaments fail, compromising resident’s safety and security. Injuries - from falls, for example - are often associated with inadequate lighting.
With this socioeconomic and environmental issue in mind, the Iroquois Group is planning a very special community project for Earth Day 2017 (Saturday, April 22). Using a grant from the Sierra Club’s Atlantic Chapter Conservation Committee and funds from our own Group treasury, we’ve partnered with EarthWorks Skaneateles, the Neighborhood Association of West Onondaga Street and VNA Homecare to distribute free LED light bulbs in lower-income neighborhoods west of downtown Syracuse. Residents will be asked to trade in their standard incandescent bulbs, "dead or alive."
After the Iroquois Group’s Executive Committee approved this project, we set out in search of support. VNA Homecare, a local home healthcare agency based in Syracuse, very quickly offered their assistance. The organization’s Executive Board agreed that the project supported their goal of keeping patients safe and healthy at home. Ken Stack, a VNA Homecare employee and Sierra Club member, helped negotiate the organization’s support. VNA Homecare nurses will provide most of the "feet on the street" for the door-to-door light bulb distribution. They will also distribute promotional fliers the week before the event. Sierra Club members are strongly encouraged to participate, as well (contact David Fischer - see page 2 of Spring 2017 newsletter).
By David Fischer