 Mandy Skinner conserves energy every single day.
A resident of the Voorhees Pediatric Facility, in Voorhees, New Jersey, 19-year-old Mandy is wheelchair-bound and depends on a ventilator to help her breathe. “We use a large rechargeable battery instead of plugging the ventilator into the wall all the time, and that saves energy,” says Mandy. “I think that’s pretty cool.”
Mandy discovered Project Porchlight at the recent Halloween Festival in Voorhees. Project Porchlight was there to educate folks about energy efficiency and the energy savings offered by compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. A total of 450 CFL bulbs were distributed, part of Project Porchlight New Jersey’s campaign to distribute energy-efficient light bulbs to residents across the state. Project Porchlight is an initiative of One Change, and the campaign is made possible thanks to funding by the state Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program (NJCEP).
“I learned a lot about Project Porchlight and the CFL bulbs that save energy,” says Mandy. When she returned home that evening, she learned even more by visiting the Project Porchlight website. “I think Project Porchlight is really a great idea,” she says. “It helps people understand that simple actions like changing to CFL bulbs are really important.”
At the Halloween Festival, Mandy, who is a huge “Twilight” fan, was dressed as a vampire. She made a great impression on Project Porchlight Volunteer Outreach Coordinator Suzy Sherbine, who invited Mandy to help Project Porchlight at the event by serving as “Countess Incandessa, Energy Vampire.”
Mandy explains: “Regular incandescent light bulbs are like vampires because they suck and waste energy.”
At the festival, Countess Incandessa—oops, we mean Mandy-- enjoyed a hayride and listening to music. And since connecting with Project Porchlight, she has learned more about saving energy. For example, Mandy now knows all about the solar panels on the roof of the Voorhees Pediatric Facility that help to generate energy for the televisions in the lobby. “I think that’s pretty cool,” says Mandy.
In many ways, Mandy is just like so many other teens. She enjoys visiting her favorite websites. She loves chocolate and pizza, not necessarily in that order. She listens to music by Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift, and the Black Eyed Peas. And now, thanks to a chance meeting with Project Porchlight, Mandy is thinking about the future of our planet.
“I’m getting a new power wheelchair soon, and I’ll be able to charge my ventilator off the power wheelchair,” she says proudly. “It is important to protect the environment and save the world.” |
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