Overview
Lights for Learning is an education-based outreach and fundraising program originally developed in 2003 for the state of Illinois and the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance.   The program was developed to enhance children’s awareness of energy efficiency and its vast resources.  The three part program motivates children to accept responsibility, stimulates awareness of energy efficiency and educates children to become ecologically minded citizens of tomorrow.  Lights for Learning is a great way to raise money for your school or organization by having students sell energy efficient Compact Fluorescent Light (CFLs) bulbs.  CFLs can last up to 10 times as long as an incandescent bulb while using 75% less energy.  Schools or organizations keep 50% of the proceeds.  To date students in Illinois and Connecticut that have participated in the program have sold over 25,000 CFL’s and LED holiday light strands to their friends and families.

Implementation
Members of APT’s Lights for Learning team visit all of the schools that request kick-off assemblies or classroom presentations.  They provide the schools with age appropriate interactive learning sessions based on each group’s requests.  The team can either focus strictly on CFL’s or widen the presentation content to the larger picture of global warming.   

In addition to the presentations the team also provides each school participating grade appropriate curriculum that was developed by the teaching staff at APT specifically for the Lights for Learning program.  This curriculum teaches not only about CFL’s and savings but also broadens to encompass home energy conservation, Energy Star and global warming.

APT has teamed up with Energy Federated, Inc. (EFI) in order to provide all organization participating a simple, turn-key fundraiser component to the Lights for Learning Program.  Folks at APT coordinate the sales with a delegated coordinator within each group.  We provide he schools with all of the necessary fundraising materials, i.e. order forms, posters, tally sheets etc.  Upon completion of the sale we coordinate the totals with EFI and product gets shipped within days out to the schools for distribution.  The school simply sends in a check for 50% of the funds raised and the groups keep the other 50% of the proceeds.

Summary of Results  
To date students have sold nearly over 25,000 CFLs through Lights for Learning Program.  The CFLs sold through the program equate to a lifecycle air pollution reduction the equivalent of eliminating 1323 cars annually from the road.  If you lined these cars up end to end it would be the length of 55 football fields.  The savings from these bulbs also equate to a pollution reduction equivalent of 1882 acres of forest - that would be approximately1562 football fields!