Sr. Mary Josephine Torborg (left), her students, and members of Earth Action staffed the sale with help from Minnesota Power and Daugherty’s Hardware.

When Sister Mary Josephine Torborg, OSB, first heard about a proposed energy education partnership between the College of St. Scholastica (CSS), Daugherty’s Hardware, and Minnesota Power, a light clicked on in her head. She saw a good fit between the Benedictine value of stewardship, which CSS had adopted as its annual focus, and the plan to educate students, faculty members, and visitors about energy savings. An on-campus benefit sale of ENERGY STAR® qualified compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs and lamps and light emitting diode (LED) holiday lights could raise both awareness and funds for the school.

“It clearly matched our community and values,” said Sister Mary Josephine. “Our definition of stewardship includes utilizing human resources responsibly, providing wise and respectful use of all material and monetary resources, and promoting prudent use of resources and energy.”

Sister Mary Josephine agreed to facilitate the Energy-Efficient Lighting Extravaganza. She began looking for ways to integrate energy education into her Benedictine Tradition class and to engage students in promoting the sale as a way to fund an upcoming “Spiritualities of the Earth” conference. Earth Action, a student club devoted to building a more sustainable campus, joined the effort hoping to raise money for its activities as well.

Minnesota Power provided CSS with curriculum ideas and promotional materials, but the event quickly took on a life of its own. Students in Sister Mary Josephine’s class began indepth research projects on topics ranging from energy usage of small appliances to renewable wind power and solar electric generation. One group prepared and delivered a PowerPoint® presentation at the monthly meeting of CSS staff. Earth Action members wrote compelling articles for the campus newspaper and distributed posters and literature throughout the community.

“It was a great opportunity for us to educate people about energy conservation,” said Courtney Mitchell, president of Earth Action. One key message was that CFL bulbs use 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent light bulbs.

The on-campus lighting sale was timed to coincide with Family Weekend 2006, when organizers knew there would be extra visitors on campus. The event was a tremendous success. Instant rebates provided by Minnesota Power made products very affordable, even for cash-strapped college students. CFL bulbs sold for $.99, lamps ranged from $9.99 to $13.99, and LED holiday light strings sold for $4.69. Minnesota Power donated $1.00 to $5.00 for every product sold.

Minnesota Power and Daugherty’s personnel helped staff the four-day event. The sale continued for several weeks at Daugherty’s, raising thousands of dollars for the college while providing the opportunity for customers to save hundreds of thousands of kWh of energy. “We are into community and were just helping out behind the scenes with this program,” said Yvonne Pilcher, Daugherty’s. “The real story is in what Sister Mary Josephine and the students accomplished. They were fantastic and really into selling these bulbs, believing in the environment, and trying to save energy.”

“The CFL sale was a great opportunity to partner with students, the college, and the community,” said Peggy Hanson, Community Relations Manager, Minnesota Power. “It helped Minnesota Power educate consumers about how CFL and LED light usage saves money and energy—and we were pleased to help fund the ‘Spiritualities of the Earth’ conference and Earth Action.”

“This partnership generated real excitement on campus as people came together in a way that built on our values,” said Sister Mary Josephine. “I saw it happen spontaneously, and it was a real win for CSS, Minnesota Power, Daugherty's Hardware, and the environment.”