Tag Archives: change the world

Hitting it Out of the Park: Energy Efficiency Upgrades Improve Quality of Life for Veterans

By Kristinn Leonhart

I look around and I am excited about this last event on the ENERGY STAR Change the World through Community Service Tour event and by the number of impressive attendees: the veterans who have given years of service to our country; Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton; Executive Director of U.S. Vets Phoenix John Scott; Arizona Public Service Chairman, President and CEO Don Brandt; and Congressman Bob Stump, to name a few. All of the local news crews have shown up on this gorgeous, sunny day in Phoenix.

Arizona Public Service is powering the event with a mobile solar generation unit. Upgrades to the Phoenix transitional housing facility for veterans include ENERGY STAR windows, LED light bulbs, insulation, and refrigerators in all of the 135 rooms. New commercial-grade washers and dryers are being installed in the common area for all veterans to use. A new ENERGY STAR flat-panel HDTV was installed in the recreation room. Donations were provided by APS, LG, Sears, Electrolux, FSL, and CREE.

We are thrilled to learn that the facility’s management plans to funnel the money they’re saving through these energy efficiency upgrades back into helping more veterans with the care they need, offering additional housing units, counseling and job assistance programs to get these heroes back on their feet.

But the part of this event that is truly moving is listening to the residents talk about their ENERGY STAR makeover. Gary LaLone, a veteran, is telling me about how happy he is to be able to open his new windows at night; his old windows didn’t budge. He tells me that during the day, his new double-pane windows keep the conditioned air in and they have reduced the noise from the nearby road, and at night after the sun has gone down, he can let some fresh air from outside in.

Mr. LaLone also tells me he no longer has to make a couple of trips to the grocery store a week because he now has a full-size ENERGY STAR refrigerator, and he will be able to fit a turkey in his refrigerator this Thanksgiving. And he absolutely lights up as he tells me about watching the World Series on the beautifully crisp picture on the new ENERGY STAR television set in the recreation room. He could see the stitching on the baseball as it was hit out of the park, as he gestures swinging a bat with a giant grin on his face.

To me, that is the real power of positive energy. We have helped make this hero just a little bit happier.

To learn more about this year’s ENERGY STAR Change the World through Community Service Tour, visit www.energystar.gov/changetheworldtour. Also check out the wonderful video footage of each event at on our youtube page.

Kristinn Leonhart is the ENERGY STAR Brand Manager and a big fan of saving money and energy and keeping life simple.

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Lights, Appliances, Action!

ENERGY STAR Pledge

By: Billy Draper, Xcel Energy

Part of Xcel Energy’s responsibilities as an industry leader is to continually encourage people to conserve energy and adapt their behavior accordingly. In fact, we believe energy efficiency is important because it directly affects our environment. Therefore, we are constantly seeking new ways to engage customers and motivate them to make energy conscious decisions in their homes. And thanks to the Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR campaign and pledge, we’ve found success in doing so.

In a word, the ENERGY STAR pledge is comprehensive. From lighting, electronics and appliances to heating, cooling, insulation and more, the pledge covers several areas of energy use within your home. Beyond that, the pledge is easy to take and grants you several different energy saving options. It’s a great way to take action toward energy efficiency within your household, neighborhood and community.

From event booths and speakers to educational resources for families, the Change the World, Start with ENERGY STAR campaign encourages participation from a wide variety of individuals. This year the campaign utilized the popularity of Dr. Seuss’ Lorax to educate younger generations about energy efficiency as well. The Team ENERGY STAR Lorax-themed family resources have been valuable conversation starters, allowing us to capture the attention of younger audiences we’d normally be challenged to reach. The success of this approach has helped us engage entire families from young to old.

Xcel Energy has never used an approach like this to get people to commit to saving energy, but we’ve been fascinated with the results early on. Currently, we have collected over 240 ENERGY STAR pledges and look forward to growing participation throughout the year. It is encouraging to see this approach yield such positive results. We look forward to encouraging more people to participate in the pledge. With every pledge we know we are upholding our responsibility to the environment and the communities we serve. And that is important for today and tomorrow.

About the Author:

In business for over 130 years, Xcel Energy supplies energy products and services to eight states. Check out author Billy Draper’s bio and unique point-of-view about energy efficiency at http://blog.xcelenergy.com/.

Editor's Note: The views expressed here are intended to explain EPA policy. They do not change anyone's rights or obligations. You may share this post. However, please do not change the title or the content, or remove EPA’s identity as the author. If you do make substantive changes, please do not attribute the edited title or content to EPA or the author.

EPA's official web site is www.epa.gov. Some links on this page may redirect users from the EPA website to specific content on a non-EPA, third-party site. In doing so, EPA is directing you only to the specific content referenced at the time of publication, not to any other content that may appear on the same webpage or elsewhere on the third-party site, or be added at a later date.

EPA is providing this link for informational purposes only. EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of non-EPA information provided by any third-party sites or any other linked site. EPA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies, internet applications or any policies or information expressed therein.