Hosted by Holy Cross’ Presidential Task Force on the Environment, an energy-saving lighting fair held on Nov. 30 served 158 faculty, staff, and students. Members of the Holy Cross community were able to purchase a variety of high-quality energy-efficient lighting products to use at home. The products were sold at deep discounts from an Energy Star certified vendor, and will ultimately save consumers a combined total of $189,302 of life cycle savings compared to conventional units.
The savings were calculated by the vendor using a calculator developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy. Here is a summary of benefits:
- 966,042: Life cycle energy saved (kWh)
- 119.50: Air pollution reduction equivalence (number of cars removed from the road for a year)
- 188.39: Air pollution reduction equivalence (acres of forest)
- 14,174 percent: Savings as a percent of retail price
The Presidential Task Force on the Environment is a College-wide body assigned by Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., president, for overseeing the College’s response to the challenge of sustainability.
The lighting fair was made possible through the Mass Save Program, and was sponsored by National Grid. Lighting fairs offer education about the features and benefits of Energy Star lighting, as well as competitive prices on energy-saving products that help lower the cost of ratepayers' energy bills, and reduce the nation's carbon footprint.
Pictured: Cheryl Taylor of the Physical Plant department was one of 158 members of the Holy Cross community who purchased energy-efficient light bulbs at the Energy Saving Lighting Fair.
