Bellevue teen helps others see the light on conservation

August 31, 2009 10:25 pm

Liz Dehmlow spent her summer lighting up the lives of people across America. The junior from Bellevue volunteered for Project Porchlight. But she wasn’t content just to distribute free compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs throughout her neighborhood. After helping spread the message that simple actions matter close to home, Liz and her mother flew across the country to continue their work with Project Porchlight New Jersey.

“I really believe in what Project Porchlight is doing,” says Liz. “I feel it’s very important because we need to take better care of our home — Earth — and right now we aren’t doing a very good job.”

Liz heard about Project Porchlight when that organization’s staff visited her Advanced Placement environmental studies class in Bellevue. She immediately signed on for the group’s Bellevue Bulb Blitz, and attended partner Puget Sound Energy’s Rock the Bulb campaign events in Bellevue and Issaquah.

After seeing the impact she’d had in Puget Sound just by taking the time to increase awareness about energy conservation, Liz wanted to do more. When she learned about Project Porchlight’s New Jersey campaign, she saw the opportunity to keep giving back. She and her mother were already planning to head east. So they arranged their holiday schedule to make sure they had plenty of time to devote to Project Porchlight.

“I’m planning on doing as much as I can,” says Liz. “Going to more of the Rock the Bulb events and volunteering as much as possible.”

Since the New Jersey campaign, Liz headed back to Bellevue for the new school year — where she’s looking forward to her favorite subjects: math, science, and dance. But it won’t be back to life as usual. Since getting involved with Project Porchlight, her view on energy practices has changed dramatically.

“I definitely turn off lights all the time now and am a lot more conscious about how much electricity and water I use,” she says.

And she won’t soon forget her experience as a volunteer. “I love being part of something so big, something that is really making a change in the world.”