Forego the Candy, Go Green and Go Back to School With CFL Bulbs

Candy could lose its fundraising edge to compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) this year. As students and teachers go back to school, ComEd is encouraging schools to “go green” with innovative energy efficiency and renewable energy programs and tips, including a unique fundraising program involving CFLs. The utility also offers educational workshops and other resources to help schools understand the benefits of energy efficient behaviors.

Through a partnership with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, ComEd offers Illinois students the ability to earn money for their school or organization by selling compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. The Lights for Learning CFL fundraiser provides K-12 students the opportunity to sell long-lasting, energy-saving CFL bulbs to family, friends, and neighbors. Students can win prizes like T-shirts or gift cards, and 50 percent of the CFL profits go to their designated school or organization. Leading the way during the 2007-2008 school year was St. Michael School in Orland Park, whose 326 participating students sold a record 3,682 CFL bulbs and earned more than $4,000 for their school. For more information, visit http://www.lights4learning.org.

The Solar School Partnership, a collaboration between ComEd and the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, offers more than $200,000 in grants to support the installation of 1kW solar photovoltaic electric generation systems. More than 26 schools in ComEd’s service territory plan to participate in this educational program for the upcoming school year. ComEd also hosts two solar specific teacher-training workshops. For more information, visit http://www.illinoiscleanenergy.org.

For teachers, ComEd offers energy efficiency workshops, including a customized classroom curriculum on energy and energy conservation for up to 100 schools throughout its Northern Illinois service territory. Six teacher-training workshops are planned for the upcoming 2008-2009 school year. For more information, visit http://www.need.org.

Online resources are available year-round. Students can visit http://www.ComEd.com/education to learn about energy efficiency through informational videos and interactive games. Beginning in September, teachers will benefit from new online energy-efficiency educational programs and teacher guides.

“Encouraging schools to go green offers students and teachers the chance to assist their schools in saving money and helping the environment, all while learning the importance of energy efficiency,” said Anne Pramaggiore, ComEd executive vice president, Customer Operations, Regulatory, and External Affairs. “ComEd and our parent company, Exelon, are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and that of our customers. One major aspect of that commitment is raising public awareness of the benefits of energy efficient behavior, and these programs contribute to our efforts.”

Encouraging schools to go green is one of ComEd’s 12 Ways to Green, which aims to raise awareness about energy efficiency and other environmental initiatives. ComEd’s environmental programs are part of Exelon’s comprehensive strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower its carbon footprint, and that of its subsidiaries and customers.

Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), one of the nation’s largest electric utilities with approximately 5.4 million customers. ComEd provides service to approximately 3.8 million customers across Northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population.