Working with the MA-based LiveCooler, a 501c3 non-profit, we can offset our DNC carbon footprint by donating $15 towards energy efficient CFL bulbs to be installed in the homes of low-income families. LiveCooler works with local non-profit organizations — such as community development corporations, housing assistance organizations and others — to identify low-income families interested in installing CFLs in their homes. LiveCooler currently operates programs in Boston, Worcester, and Lowell, and is able to set up a similar program in other parts of the state as well.
In real world terms, each bulb replaced will save approximately $12 per year in electric bills and prevent 81 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. A $15 tax-deductible donation supplies 5.5 bulbs to a family, amounting to nearly a ton of emissions prevented over five years, and almost $300 of savings for a family that needs it.
I am writing here on behalf of the entire Massachusetts Democratic delegation to ask for you to help the environment and MA families.
This program allows anyone to purchase tax deductible offsets in honor of your favorite delegate or the entire MA delegation as a whole. At our website, you’ll see a drop-down list of Massachusetts delegates, and you can make a donation on behalf of any one of them. These donations can place even more CFLs in your neighborhood, help even more families in need, and further protect our environment.
Personally, I am very much looking forward to my first opportunity to go door-to-door in my neighborhood in Mission Hill, with the help of an area nonprofit, to find families who want new energy-efficient bulbs. I know that through this program, I’ll be saving them money and helping the environment.
So please join our program. If you have any questions, you can visit the FAQ at the LiveCooler website. Or of course post here and we’ll do our best to provide you whatever information we can.
Many thanks.
This is a program I can get behind – have any other states done anything similar?
MA is the only state delegation I am aware of that has set up its own carbon offset program. The DNCC offset program is excellent as well but the MA program will actually install CFLs in low-income homes for free.
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p>Full disclosure: I was proudly involved in helping set up this program.
for it not to be adopted by the other delegations. Has anyone been in contact with them to see if they’d be interested in jumping on-board?
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p>Good Stuff, Mike.
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p>Kudos,
Josh Dawson
We haven’t been in touch with other delegations, but we have done a few things to reach out to delegates in this state to make sure they know about the program and are engaged with it. And the DNCC has given us strong feedback for our approach.
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p>Here’s a piece about our program from the Boston Globe Green Blog.
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p>Also, here some information CFL bulbs, and how to use and dispose of them.
Thanks to those of you who have participated in our program so far. You might have seen today’s Globe story on the progress of our program. One note is that we’ve actually offset more than 350 tons of carbon so far through the LiveCooler program, and will continue to build on those efforts.
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p>Please visit http://www.livecooler.org/mass… to contribute in the name of the delegate of your choice, and of course let us know what you think of our program.
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p>Thanks.
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p>-MR