Over 10,000 New Yorkers Take Little Steps to Save Big for the Environment

January 14, 2008

NYSERDA exceeds 10K goal and earns top ranking among national leaders of the ENERGY STAR^® Change a Light, Change the World Campaign

Albany, NY—New York residents care about the environment and are pledging to reduce their environmental impact in record numbers. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) inspired 10,456 residents to take the first steps towards energy efficiency by participating in the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR^® Change a Light, Change the World Campaign.

In fact, New York residents replaced 101,018 incandescent light bulbs with ENERGY STAR^® qualified compact fluorescent bulbs, saving over 28 million kilowatt hours of power each year and preventing more than 41 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere. These efforts will save New Yorkers more than $2.6 million on their electric bills.

NYSERDA is currently ranked as the seventh largest pledge driver among 1,073 organizations across the country that are participating in the campaign. In addition to taking a pledge to change to energy efficient lighting, thousands of New Yorkers have also pledged to take additional steps at home to save energy. New Yorkers also pledged to unplug home electronics, upgrade holiday lighting to energy efficient LED lights, turn off lights when they leave a room, and to purchase only appliances that have earned the ENERGY STAR^®.

“We know that New York residents are passionate about the state and the environment, so we offered additional options for those who wanted to do even more than switch to efficient lighting,” Tonko said.

In addition to collecting more than 3,000 pledges at the ENERGY STAR^® Change a Light Bus Tour in New York City on October 23, NYSERDA recruited organizations across the State to become pledge drivers, with South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation (SoBRO), the Village of Nassau, and Taitem Engineering turning in the most pledges. NYSERDA collected the rest of the pledges at several community events throughout November and December, through visitors to the GetEnergySmart.org website, grassroots canvassing and employee outreach.

NYSERDA uses innovation and technology to solve some of New York's most difficult energy and environmental problems in ways that improve the State's economy. Visit Get Energy Smart or call 1-877-NY-SMART (1-877-697-6278) to learn more ways to save energy.

Agency Contacts

Colleen Ryan, NYSERDA
518-862-1090, Ext. 3359
cqr@nyserda.ny.gov

Mary Ingram Schatz
mary@haggman.com 
212-600-4469                 

Gayle Dougherty
gayle@haggman.com
978-525-3742