Apr 16 2009
GE Consumer + Industrial's month-long Earth Day initiative, GE Project Plant-a-Bulb, helps consumers consider the environmental and financial benefits of energy efficient lighting, while bringing the lasting beauty and positive effects of perennial flower bulbs to selected Midwestern landscapes in cities such as Cleveland and Chicago.
Students from St. Procopius, a Catholic Church school in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, and GE volunteers beautified the school's grounds in early April as part of GE Project Plant-a-Bulb, an Earth Day initiative. The school children, pictured with "GE Lighting Guy" Brice Cooper, a Chicago native, planted about 500 flower bulbs. The plantings will continue in cities such as Chicago and Cleveland
For every unique visitor to www.GEProjectPlantaBulb.com over the next 30 days, GE will plant a corresponding number of flower bulbs, up to 100,000 in total. The plantings will be conducted with the help of environmental and civic organizations. Visitors to the site will find coupons, streaming educational videos, energy lesson plans for teachers and an energy savings calculator that shows consumers how to cut wasteful spending on energy.
"Beautifying communities by planting bulbs and other flowers can have an affect that extends well beyond the obvious," says Matt McKenna, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. "Visually appealing public spaces have been proven to create an atmosphere that attracts visitors, improves business and commerce, increases surrounding property values, and enhances the quality-of-life for all area residents."
Simple change, big impact
"Our campaign is meant to be a catalyst for change," says Kathy Sterio, general manager of marketing, GE Consumer & Industrial. "We envision consumers everywhere having light bulb moments as they realize that one of the most simple ways to save money on energy is with GE-quality, ENERGY STAR-qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs."
For example, replacing a standard 90-watt incandescent outdoor floodlight with a 26-watt GE Energy Smart CFL outdoor floodlight can save up to $64 in energy costs over the life of the bulb (at $.10/kWh), while having less of an impact on the environment. "Imagine the benefits of changing 5, 10 or 15 incandescent bulbs in a house to CFLs," notes Sterio. "Now think about what it would mean if an entire street, neighborhood or city mirrored that change."
Through www.GEProjectPlantaBulb.com and multiple traditional and social media channels, GE Lighting Guy Brice Cooper will show consumers how to save money and curb energy consumption. Drawing on his experience as host and lead designer of an HGTV interior design program, he will also demonstrate how efficient lighting can be used to create and enhance moods in rooms throughout the home.
"We're reaching consumers in some pretty novel ways through this awareness campaign," says Cooper. "At the end of the day, we want people to see how easy it can be to make a difference for the environment."