 October 23, 2009 Free low-energy light bulbs offered Thousands of energy-efficient light bulbs are to be given away Saturday to low-income, elderly and disabled residents. The light bulbs are part of a program by the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and the country's state-owned oil company, Citgo. According to a news release, the giveaway will be from noon to 5 p.m. at New Hope AME Church at 290 Vine St. and four other locations around the city. Locally, the giveaway is sponsored by Ward 2 Councilman Chokwe Lumumba's People's Task Force of Ward 2 and the Malcolm X Grass Roots Movement. Lumumba publicized the program Tuesday at a televised City Council meeting. The Venezuelan government last year announced plans to give away close to half a million energy-efficient light bulbs in cities around the United States. "This program is a counterpart to our efforts in Venezuela, where more than 60 million conventional light bulbs have been replaced by energy efficient ones through Misión Revolución Energética," Venezuelan Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez said in June 2008 at the launch of the initiative with U.S.-based non-profit Citizens Energy. "It is also proof of CITGO's commitment to social issues, which goes far beyond traditional corporate social responsibility, and of Venezuela's commitment to a new progressive model of development to confront the problems of poverty and environmental damage," Alvarez said in the statement. Large cities receiving the light bulbs include Boston, Philadelphia, Houston, Washington, D.C., and New York, although some smaller cities - like Lake Charles, La. - also have been part of the program. |