Gord Downie is a cool guy. Or so Suzy says, anyway. I was picking up the kids while she was at the Tragically Hip sound check party with speechless fan Dan to get a photo of the band with our Porchlight bulb. We’re in good company now. I hear the show was good too.
The madness continues. This weekend we launched the 10,000-bulb Guelph campaign in a blinding snowstorm. 80 people showed up and 1000 bulbs were delivered. It was -25C. Next week we launch the 40,000-bulb Thunder Bay campaign. It’s -40C there today. And next Tuesday we kick off Porchlight Yukon with 10,000 bulbs in Whitehorse where it’s a balmy -7C. Hooray for the north!
The media suddenly loves us again. CBC radio is airing a segment by Sarah Boothroyd about CFLs (featuring me suggesting that Walmart shouldn’t sell incandescents if they are serious about the environment). Actually, they’re doing a good thing trying to sell 100 million CFLs next year. There was the Sun piece about dog sledding with CFLs last week. The Globe and Mail ran a front page story in the Business section on our bulb supplier, Globe Electric, and mentioned us. I did a radio spot on London News Talk Radio CKBJ today; they’d heard the CBC piece and wanted to challenge London residents to change more bulbs than their Guelph rivals. “We can beat them in beer and hockey, so let’s beat them in bulbs delivered too. Yeah!!” Suzy did interviews with the Guelph Mercury, and set up CBC interviews for Whitehorse next week.
We roll right along. And I’m still angling for my cherished PEI campaign. I see a new declaration from the steps of Province House, where Confederation was founded: An appeal to all Canadians to take the first action on climate change: Change one bulb. I’m just waiting for a leader to step up and say, “Yeah, that’s a leap ahead.” For now, though, we’re content with the endorsement of poets and singers.
