Saving the world one free lightbulb at a time

KENT BLECHYNDEN/The Dominion Post

CHAMPIONS: They are just six and 10, but climate change champions Ruairi and Niamh Whelan-Turnbull are already taking their cause door to door.

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They're just six and 10 years old and already these climate-change champions are taking their cause door to door.

But Ruairi, left, and Niamh Whelan-Turnbull of Paekakariki aren't collecting, they're exchanging old lightbulbs for free eco-bulbs to mark World Environment Day tomorrow.

Kapiti Coast District Council has bought 1000 eco-bulbs, and on Saturday the siblings, district councillors and council staff will exchange two to three eco-bulbs a household in four streets - one each in Paekakariki, Raumati, Paraparaumu and Waikanae.

A stall in Otaki will also have eco-bulbs for exchange.

For the children, it's a case of preaching what they already practise.

Six-year-old Ruairi says it's cool being the tap policeman at home and carting his trolley to the local recycling station.

Ten-year-old sister Niamh, a self-professed "nature kid", enjoys being the electricity monitor.

Her job is to make sure all wall switches are off before they go to bed and that lights are off if not needed.

"It's fun turning the lights off, and helps save lots of energy."

Mum Roisin Whelan-Turnbull says that rather than focusing on negative publicity about climate change, children are interested in taking simple, practical steps to help save energy and money.

Swapping ordinary lightbulbs for eco-bulbs two years ago has saved the family $70 to $80 a year, she says.

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority says if the four most-used lights in a house are replaced with eco-bulbs, $65 to $70 a year can be saved on power bills.

- © Fairfax NZ News