Sonepar announced that the first free lighting upgrades have been completed for charitable organizations through the inaugural round of its “Bright Lights Brighter Futures” program, as we referenced in a Good Stuff story that we posted in May.
Sonepar created Bright Lights Brighter Futures in the U.S. as part of its global Purpose: “Powering Progress for Future Generations.” Each Sonepar operating company was asked to nominate a charitable organization with a facility that needed a lighting upgrade to improve safety and wellness while lowering energy costs. One organization was chosen per region, and the lighting retrofit work began. Recipients included:
- Old Colony YMCA in Stoughton, MA, nominated by NorthEast Electrical; installation by Florence Electric
- 180 Ministries in Denver, CO, nominated by QED; installation by Encore Electric Inc.
- Mini O’Beirne Crisis Nurseries in Springfield, IL, nominated by Springfield Electric; installation by Ryan Electrical Solutions
Sonepar’s global purpose, “Powering Progress for Future Generations,” includes six bold commitments. Bright Lights Brighter Futures was born of the “Communities” commitment, focused on supporting local communities and improving the lives of vulnerable populations.
In a joint statement, program managers Evan Fisher, Sustainability Manager, and Bill Mortimer, Director of Product and Solutions Marketing, said:
We wanted to do more for our communities and take advantage of our existing partnerships in the lighting field. Our operating companies were excited to kick off Bright Lights Brighter Futures. It was a great way to get the entire company involved in the search for worthy charities in need of updated lighting systems. These are often older facilities, or even former residential homes, that have antiquated and inefficient lighting. We’re so happy to help the organizations who are helping our communities.
Working with trusted business partners, Sonepar delivered end-to-end services, including product procurement, facility audit, system design, installation, and recycling of the old lamps. Acuity Brands donated the lighting products and helped vet the design and bill of materials and select the winning projects. Terracycle Regulated Waste provided free lamp recycling services for the projects. The lighting audits were facilitated by SnapCount, a retrofit software platform, which helped survey the facility and tailor a design for the new lighting system. In addition, SnapCount donated the iPads that were used to conduct the audits to the charities. The retrofits were completed by local installers.
The program was so successful that Sonepar is expanding in 2024, spreading the gift of lighting to even more worthy organizations.
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