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TextChange a Light Campaign
Fairfax County Office of
Public Affairs
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 551
Fairfax, VA 22035-0065
703-324-3187, TTY 711, FAX 703-324-2010
Oct. 6, 2006
Fairfax County Wins First Place in the Change a Light Campaign
County Employees Will Prevent the Emission of 377,100 Pounds of Greenhouse Gases
Fairfax County won first place in the County Change a Light Campaign, which encourages county employees to use energy-efficient fluorescent light bulbs in their homes.
More than 400 Fairfax County employees will replace a single incandescent light bulb with a florescent bulb, thanks to the county’s Facilities Management Department.
This simple action — changing a single bulb — can change the world. Collectively, county employees will prevent the emission of 377,100 pounds of greenhouse gases, as well as save 118,159 Kwh of energy. These employees also will save a total of $11,815.80 in energy costs.
Fairfax County won in the “large county” category for jurisdictions with more than 500,000 residents. The two-month nationwide competition was sponsored by the National Association of Counties, which challenged employees for the nation’s 3,066 counties to use florescent bulbs. NACO is a partner in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s national Change a Light Campaign.
Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross accepted the award on behalf of the county on Oct. 4. Gross chairs NACO’s Solid and Hazardous Waste Subcommittee and serves on the Energy, Environment and Land Use Committee. She also chairs the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors’ Environmental Committee. Environmental protection is one of the board’s six top priorities.
The EPA says that using energy-efficient light bulbs, marked with the ENERGY STAR label, benefits the environment. If every American household used just five florescent light bulbs, they could prevent greenhouse gas emissions equal to more than 8 million cars.
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