Students in Maercker School District 60 are going green this spring as they participate in the Lights for Learning Program to raise money for their schools.

After years of selling T-shirts and various gift items, the PTO decided on the lights fundraiser so students can learn about the environmental and financial benefits of using compact fluorescent lightbulbs. The program, sponsored by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and Commonwealth Edison, has students selling a variety of ENERGY STAR-qualified CFLs below retail cost to residents, with 50 percent of the profits going toward the Maercker District PTO.

“I think this will help them start thinking at an early age about the impacts they can have on the environment and the wise choices they can make,” said School Board member and program organizer Beth Nodus. “It seems like it’s a win-win for everyone. We help the environment, and we get money for the schools.”

Bill Torti Jr., an energy conservation contractor in partnership with the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, talked to all three District 60 schools March 14 and 17 about the CFLs they are selling. His main message to students was heat is energy wasted, and he used a radiometer to show how much more heat an incandescent bulb emits compared to a CFL.

“With the energy bill that just passed, by 2014, incandescent bulbs will be a thing of the past,” Torti said. “So the students need to be familiar with the CFLs and how they work.”

Students were energized by Torti’s presentation, realizing the difference they can make by simply switching out a bulb.

“I learned that fluorescent light bulbs can really help the environment and conserve energy,” said Westview Hills seventh-grader Brett Latman of Westmont.

Students started selling CFLs Wednesday, promoting the facts they learned that CFLs use up to 75 percent less energy, last up to 10 times longer and save on average $75 for each bulb that replaces an incandescent bulb. 

“These are something every household needs,” said Westview Hills Principal Jed Ramsey. “And this is the environment they’re going to be living in, so I think it’s a great fundraiser that teaches them there’s both a financial and environmental obligation to do this.”