ONE CHANGE and PROJECT PORCHLIGHT ENEWS :: FEBRUARY 2011
	New CFL Clean-up Guidelines from the EPA Do you know what to do if a CFL bulb breaks? Because each bulb contains a small amount of mercury and vapours can be released should the bulb break, it is important to take some precautions when cleaning up a broken CFL. To minimize any risks if a bulb does break, use these guidelines recently released by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Before clean-up Have people and pets leave the room for 5 to 10 minutes and air out the room by opening a window or door to the outside before leaving the room. Shut off your central forced air heating/air-conditioning (H&AC) system, if you have one. In the mean time, gather the things you need to clean up broken bulb (dust pan, broom, container to put the broken pieces into). During clean-up Be thorough in collecting broken glass and visible powder. Place cleanup materials in a sealable container. After clean-up Place all bulb debris and container you have placed it in outside in a protected area until materials can be disposed of properly. Avoid leaving any bulb fragments or the container with the broken pieces indoors. For several hours, continue to air out the room where the bulb was broken and leave the H&AC system shut off. For more information or to download a copy of the detailed EPA guidelines, please visit the EPA website. It is extremely important to recycle burned out or broken CFL bulbs. Visit our website for more information on how and where to recycle broken or burned out CFL bulbs.
	Extra! Extra! One Change in the News One Change has received plenty of media attention in the past couple of months and we are excited to share the news with you. Founder and President, Stuart Hickox shared some useful energy saving tips in MSN Money’s story on ‘8 quick ways to slash your bills’. Check out the great tips on ways that you can save money. The Home Energy Magazine ran a story about the tremendous impact that our New Jersey One Change campaign has had in their "new and notable" section. Even though the fuel campaign is over, it is still getting attention. EMC Ottawa East and other Ottawa area EMC’s ran a story about the remarkable results of the fuel campaign. Stuart was also in the Yukon encouraging the public to help define the Yukon’s energy future by attending and giving their input at Yukon Energy’s Charette Kickoff and Energy Charette in March. New Videos from One Change The 2010 One Change Catalyst Awards were a huge success. Check out this short video featuring the 2010 award winners. Ever wonder how One Change successfully plans, manages and delivers its campaigns? This short video describes our sophisticated data management system.
	Simple Actions for your Laundry Room If you are looking for ways to be green and save on your utility bills, start with a tour of your laundry room. Here are few simple tips to consider that can help you save: Do less laundry. Combined, a washer and dryer can account for more than 1,000 kilowatts of energy use each year. Obviously some things (socks, underwear) need to be washed more often, but things like sweaters do not need to be washed every time. Try wearing sweatshirts and sweaters over a t-shirt or tank top and changing (and washing) only the innermost layer. You can save water, energy, time and also extend the life of your clothes. Clean with cold. Studies show that clothes rinsed in cold water come out just as clean as those rinsed in warm—so go cold! Use a front-loading washing machine. Front-loading washing machines use about 40 percent less water per load and 50 percent less energy than top-loading washers. If you are in the market for new machines, consider an ENERGY STAR© rated front-loader. Try not to over-dry your clothes. Consider using the automatic sensor control on your machine, or experiment with your dryer's timer to determine how long it takes to dry a typical load – and then reduce or increase the drying time for different load sizes. If you time the drying of loads to be consecutively, you will take advantage of retained heat in the dryer (especially in colder climates in the winter months). Use a clothesline or rack. Weather permitting, hang your clothes outside on a clothesline to dry. For those colder months or if you live in an apartment or condo, try using a drying rack—they do not take up much space (can be stored away when not in use) and can help save money on your energy bill. Visit our website for more simple action tips to save money and help the environment. Until next time...keep making smart choices!