During my freshman year of high school, my friends and I started a charitable organization called RelightNY. Our initial mission was to donate energy-efficient light bulbs to low income housing tenants in New York City. We wanted to help people save money on their electric bills by using more energy efficient lighting. Plus, we wanted to help the environment in the simplest way we could: by switching bulbs one at a time. So far, RelightNY has donated about 30,000 light bulbs to residents in all five boroughs of New York City, and it has plans to donate thousands more during the next several months.

It has been a great experience to work with my friends on a project about which we all feel equally passionate. However, RelightNY recently reviewed its mission and decided it wants to put more energy into getting everyone— not just those with low incomes— to make the switch to compact fluorescent lights. Kids my age and younger can help by first realizing that the climate crisis is going to be a problem our generation will inherit and second by encouraging others to pitch in and help.

RelightNY’s primary focus now is to get everyone, especially kids, to become more environmentally aware by taking the first, and easiest, step: changing a light bulb. Knowing that the RelightNY founders would be better able to inspire change with help, the core team came up with a simple way to get other kids involved. Schools and organizations are encouraged to form their own teams and adopt specific buildings in the city for conversion to CFLs. RelightNY’s newly expanded Web site include interactive feature and tools to show young people how to convince adults to make the switch. You can register your team and track your progress on the site as well.

RelightNY wants to involve kids all around New York City. Soon, it hopes to expand the program nationally so kids across the country can participate. Eventually, everyone will realize that energy efficiency is the right thing to do.

Avery Hairston is a junior at the Collegiate School and co-founder of RelightNY. Learn more about current RelightNY ventures at www.relightny.com.

Photo: Avery and a RelightNY team member at a South Bronx senior citizen center with a tenant and folks from New York City Housing Authority and Clinton Climate initiative demonstrating the a CFL bulb.