To celebrate Earth Day -- while providing relief from recent electric rate hikes -- a partnership of local governments and a consumer group Saturday will give away more than 430,000 energy-saving light bulbs, representing enough electricity to illuminate the Sears Tower for a full-year -- to Chicago-area consumers.

Under the program, which is sponsored by the Northern Illinois Energy Project (NIEP), a nonprofit partnership of the Citizens Utility Board, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, and the City of Chicago, free bulbs will be distributed at 40 Wal-Mart stores throughout the region, making this one of largest free lighting programs in Chicago-area history.

The money-saving Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs) can save up to $30 over the lifetime of each bulb, while slashing energy consumption by a staggering 66 percent less than the standard incandescent bulb. The combined economic and environmental benefit makes the light-bulb giveaway an ideal program at a moment when the public is recognizing Earth Day, but also wrestling with the impacts of escalating electricity costs.

"NIEP is proud to help Northern Illinois families offset the hardship of rising energy costs while leading the way in the fight against global warming. This CFL give-away provides consumers with an easy way to save money on their monthly utility bills, while protecting the environment," said David Kolata, president of NIEP and Executive Director of Citizens Utility Board.

While the price of CFLs has decreased dramatically in recent years, the free giveaway affords consumers a chance to start changing their purchasing habits at no cost. "The real difference comes when people start changing all of their bulbs, and we view this promotion as a great way to get started," Kolata added.

The program is managed by NIEP which was formed with money obtained from a legal settlement with ComEd and aims to save money and conserve energy for utility customers.

The CFL promotion will be held on two consecutive Saturdays April 21and April 28 during regular Wal-Mart store hours. Two CFLs will be distributed per person on a first come first serve basis at the following Wal-Mart locations:

April 21:
Addison -- 1050 North Rohlwing Road
Aurora -- 2131 West Galena Boulevard
Bridgeview -- 10260 South Harlem Avenues
Country Club Hills -- 4005 West 167th Street
Darien -- 2189 75th Street
Dixon -- 1640 South Galena Avenue
Evergreen Park -- 2500 West 95th Street
Glen Ellyn -- 3 South 100 Route 53
Joliet -- 305 South Larkin
Niles -- 8500 West Gold Road
Palatine -- 1555 North Rand Road
Plano -- 6800 West Route 34
Rockford -- 3849 Northridge Drive
St. Charles -- 150 Smith Road
Streamwood -- 850 South Barrington Road
Vernon Hills -- 555 Townline Road
Villa Park -- 900 South Route 83
Waukegan -- 3900 Fountain Square Place
Wheeling -- 1455 Lane-Cook Road

April 28:
Batavia -- 801 North Randall Road
Belvidere -- 2101 Gateway Center Drive
Bloomingdale -- 314 West Army Trail Road
Bolingbrook -- 200 South Bolingbrook Drive
Bradley -- 1260 Kinzie Avenue
Crestwood -- 4700 West 135th Street
DeKalb -- 2300 Sycamore Street
Freeport -- 1755 South West Avenue
Glenwood -- 103 Holbrook Road
Hodgkins -- 9450 West Joliet Road
Joliet -- 1401 Illinois Route 59
Lansing -- 16771 Torrence Avenue
Matteson -- 21410 South Cicero Avenue
Morris -- 333 East Route 6
Naperville -- 776 South Route 59
Niles -- 5630 Touhy Avenue
Northlake -- 137 West North Avenue
Rockford -- 7219 Walton Street
Round Lake Beach -- 772 East Rollins Road
Woodstock -- 1275 Lake Avenue
The Northern Illinois Energy Project (NIEP) is a partnership of the Citizens Utility Board (CUB), an Illinois non-profit utility consumer advocacy group, the City of Chicago, and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. NIEP was created to develop and administer innovative programs to promote energy conservation and reduce electricity costs for residential customers of ComEd.