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Group changes light bulbs to help the environment

By Melodie Woerman
Editor, The Harvest

Trinity, Lawrence members (from left) Ellyn and David Owen and Jerry and Nancy Hanson are part of the parish's environmental stewardship team. They replaced lighting in the church with compact fluorescent bulbs to save energy and help the environment. Photo by Melodie Woerman

The old joke asks, “How many Episcopalians does it take to change a light bulb?” (“Change? Why, my grandmother gave that light bulb.”)

At Trinity, Lawrence, the question now is, “How many Episcopalians does it take to use light bulbs to change the environment?”

A group of about a dozen committed parishioners on the parish’s environmental stewardship team are on a crusade to make compact fluorescent bulbs the norm throughout the church. These newer bulbs, known as CFLs, use less electricity to produce the same amount of light and also are cooler.

They replaced seven regular incandescent bulbs with CFLs in each of the nave’s 12 chandeliers, along with one halogen bulb to allow it to be dimmed. CFLs now are available with the same warm glow as regular bulbs, so the group was confident the change wouldn’t affect the look or feel of lighting for worshippers. But they did a test.

Ellyn Owen said they swapped out all the bulbs in one of the light fixtures and then called in the senior warden. When he couldn’t tell which one they had done, they changed them all.

They also replaced bulbs in the choir loft at the back of the church, and David Owen said the change there was dramatic. Replacing high-wattage flood lights not only made the area much brighter but also substantially reduced the heat the old bulbs generated.

The real payoff is in savings, both environmental and financial. Tom McCoy estimates the new bulbs will use 64 percent less energy, and by producing less heat in the process, they also will save the equivalent of 1.5 tons of air conditioning, or about the amount to cool an average house.

Because CFLs last up to 10 times longer than regular light bulbs, climbing the 20-foot ladder to change them won’t be as much of a problem either.

David Owen admits there are some up-front costs with CFLs. Trinity’s new bulbs cost about $300, or six times the amount for regular ones. But between their longer life and reduced air conditioning costs, they should pay for themselves.

Stewardship team members have sold CFLs, too, buying in bulk to increase savings to purchasers. They’re also working with Habitat for Humanity and will provide CFLs for one new house the agency is building. Jerry Hanson said they’d like to do that for all new Habitat houses in Lawrence, if they had the funding.

Emphasis on education
The group’s efforts extend beyond changing light bulbs. They host coffee hour one Sunday a month, and they wash the ceramic coffee mugs they use in place of the standard plastic foam cups.

They also sponsored an elaborate display when the parish observed Earth Day in April. Booths not only described the benefits of compact fluorescent bulbs but also provided lots of environmental education about such topics as nontoxic household cleaners, composting and organic gardening, recycling efforts, and how to lessen global warming. They included information on ways to help people around the world, including Episcopal Relief and Development, Habitat for Humanity and Heifer International.

Nancy Hanson said she and fellow members on the environmental stewardship team enjoy the hands-on activities, but their main goal is to offer information, “so people can make changes in their lives,” she said. “We provide education, urging and opportunities.”

Anyone wanting more information on the group’s environmental efforts may contact David Owen or Nancy Hanson.