An Australian company will assist millions of households replace inefficient light bulbs with free energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), after becoming a certified carbon abatement provider under the Australian Government‘‘s Greenhouse FriendlyT initiative. Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Malcolm Turnbull announced that Australian energy efficiency company Easy Being Green has been accredited by the Greenhouse FriendlyT programme.

Easy Being Green is the first energy efficiency abatement project approved under Greenhouse FriendlyT, with more expected to follow in coming months. This could see millions of households making the switch to energy efficient lighting with the support of Easy Being Green and potentially other approved abatement providers. Easy Being Green will

assist at least one million households replace their inefficient light bulbs with free energy efficient bulbs. Householders will then sign over their carbon abatement to Easy Being Green who will sell the approved abatement under Greenhouse FriendlyT to businesses and consumers. Methods of distributing the light bulbs will vary from free hand-outs of a six- pack of CFLs in shopping centres, through to home visits and installations, and working with other business partners. This announcement complements the Australian Government‘‘s announcement in February that in a world-first move Australia would take action to phase out inefficient light bulbs by 2010.

This action will cut annual greenhouse emissions by four million tonnes per annum by 2015. Mr Turnbull said that Easy Being Green will help satisfy the growing demand for offsets from companies and households wanting to be carbon neutral. "The abatement that Easy Being Green will collect from these households from the simple action of changing inefficient light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs is a welcome addition to the range of approved abatement projects under the Australian Government‘‘s Greenhouse FriendlyT initiative," Mr Turnbull said. "This is an exciting addition given the Australian Government‘‘s recent announcement to phase out inefficient lighting technology with energy efficient lighting products by 2010. "By becoming an approved abatement provider under the Greenhouse FriendlyT initiative Easy Being Green is now able to go national with the potential to deliver hundreds of thousands of tonnes of carbon abatement."

The Australian Government‘‘s Greenhouse FriendlyT programme is an initiative that encourages companies to invest in greenhouse emissions reduction projects and provides businesses with the opportunity to offer carbon neutral products and services. Since its inception the Greenhouse FriendlyT programme has managed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 3.5 million tones - the equivalent of taking 700,000 vehicles off the road for one year. Easy Being Green‘‘s Chief Executive Officer, Paul Gilding said his company was founded to actively tackle climate change, encourage Australian consumers to do their bit to use energy more wisely and cut CO2. "We have already demonstrated outstanding emission reductions in NSW and by becoming certified under Greenhouse FriendlyT we are now able to go national.

We chose Greenhouse FriendlyT because it is administered by the Australian Government and it has rigorous independent certification and validation processes," Mr Gilding said. Under the Greenhouse FriendlyT initiative energy efficiency abatement projects must comply with strict eligibility criteria, to create and sell greenhouse gas abatement nationally. Easy Being Green joins other abatement projects including forest sink projects, waste diversion and recycling projects as part of the Greenhouse FriendlyT initiative. The Greenhouse FriendlyT initiative is part of the $31.6 million Greenhouse Challen